Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
Seven portable shrines and demon-drum performances highlight this Sado festival, jointly conducted by six local communities as part of traditions spanning over 800 years.
12–14 Apr 2027Niigata · ChubuEach April, Kumano Hongu Taisha holds its Reitaisai – three days of purification rites, beautiful sacred dance performances, and a grand palanquin procession.
13–15 Apr 2027Wakayama · KansaiA spring festival in Takayama showcases ornate floats with mechanical dolls and centuries-old craftsmanship, illuminated by lanterns during evening processions.
14–15 Apr 2027Gifu · ChubuAn annual festival in Himi centers on Senju-ji Temple, where unmarried women pray for happiness using a traditional married woman's hairstyle in ritual.
17 Apr 2027Toyama · ChubuA spring festival dating to the Edo period features nine elaborately decorated floats paraded through city streets accompanied by traditional music.
18–19 Apr 2027Tochigi · KantoIshioka's spring celebration showcases lion dance culture through performances by neighborhood groups, competitions across age categories, and food vendors and carnival games.
29 Apr 2027Ibaraki · KantoA traditional spring festival in Takaoka features ornate wheeled floats originating from a 16th-century court carriage.
1 May 2027Toyama · ChubuA traditional spring festival features six ornately decorated floats assembled without nails, pulled through streets with classical hikiyama music.
3 May 2027Toyama · ChubuThe Yonezawa Uesugi Matsuri features a multi-day celebration culminating in a reenactment of the 1561 Battle of Kawanakajima between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.
29 Apr – 3 May 2027Yamagata · TohokuA traditional spring festival held over two days features three decorated floats and karakuri puppets, with origins dating to the Edo period.
3–4 May 2027Aichi · ChubuJapan's largest festival, dating back 840 years, celebrates with parades of the Three Lucky Gods, children's processions, and modern Flower Cars.
2–4 May 2027Fukuoka · KyushuA shrine festival in Shimonoseki honors Emperor Antoku through traditional Shinto rituals, offerings, and cultural performances commemorating the young ruler's tragic death.
2–4 May 2027Yamaguchi · ChugokuAnnual shrine festival featuring traditional performing arts, portable shrine processions, and demonstrations of ancient Minato kiyari songs.
5 May 2027Niigata · ChubuAround 600 uniquely designed scarecrows greet visitors each spring, inspired by the philosophy that amusing figures will delight viewers.
20 Mar – 5 May 2027Kumamoto · KyushuThis over 1,000-year-old Ishikawa festival parades three enormous wheeled floats adorned with life-size Kabuki figures and is recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
3–5 May 2027Ishikawa · ChubuThe Fukiage-hama Sand Festival transforms a Kagoshima beach into an art gallery of large-scale sculptures created by artists and volunteers, with cultural performances.
3–5 May 2027Kagoshima · KyushuBefore the rice-planting season, children parade enormous painted serpents through town while chanting, immersing them in a pond as part of a centuries-old rainmaking ritual.
5 May 2027Tochigi · KantoThis downtown festival features food and craft stalls, agricultural products, and family activities rooted in Ube City's late 18th-century market traditions.
5 May 2027Yamaguchi · Chugoku
