Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
An annual summer classical music festival in Matsumoto founded by Seiji Ozawa, centred on the international Saito Kinen Orchestra, with a strong focus on music education.
16 Aug – 2 Sep 2026Nagano · ChubuThis traditional harvest festival features processions of lantern-lit dancers in matching happi coats moving through Yatsuo to shamisen and kokyū music for three September days.
1–3 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuThe Sado Island Endurance Challenge draws competitors from around the world for a 210-kilometre bike course circling the entire island alongside running events.
6 Sep 2026Niigata · ChubuAinokura village light-up events transform the historic gassho-style settlement with seasonal illuminations, each named after natural phenomena throughout the year.
12–13 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuNanao's festival honors samurai heritage through a dramatic parade of locals dressed in full armor and helmets, accompanied by traditional music and dance performances.
20 Sep 2026Ishikawa · ChubuThe Johana Mugiya Festival celebrates Mugiya-bushi, a historic folk song and dance rooted in Gokayama's rural heritage, with costumed dancers and traditional instruments.
20 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuNagano's largest anime song festival celebrates the genre through live performances by voice actors and musicians, alongside regional food and cultural showcases.
19–20 Sep 2026Nagano · ChubuOne of Japan's largest jazz events transforms Kanazawa's historic streets, shrines, and public spaces into stages for world-class musicians each September.
19–21 Sep 2026Ishikawa · ChubuAn exhibition explores pattern in Japanese craft, from natural motifs to technical mastery, including a Pokemon and Edo-komon collaboration.
3 Jul – 23 Sep 2026Ishikawa · ChubuThe Gokayama Mugiya Festival features Mugiya-bushi, a folk song and dance tradition rooted in the Heike clan, designated as Japan's Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
23 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuTakaoka Craft Ichibamachi celebrates the city's copperware and lacquerware heritage across preserved townscapes with exhibitions, markets, and craftspeople workshops.
20–23 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuStreets fill with folk songs, dances, and lion performances, culminating in a communal circle dance accompanied by the rhythmic playing of a bamboo whisk instrument.
25–26 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuThis exhibition celebrates Evangelion's 30th anniversary with production materials from the original TV series and Rebuild films.
4 Sep – 12 Oct 2026Aichi · ChubuAn autumn parade brings the Warring States period to life with over 250 participants in samurai and historical costumes, honoring the Sanada clan.
11–12 Oct 2026Nagano · ChubuA free after-dark light show projecting digital art onto two of Nagoya's historic "imperial crown style" civic landmarks, near Nagoya Castle.
17 Sep – 24 Oct 2026Aichi · ChubuThis festival transforms rice straw into massive sculptures created through collaboration between university students and local residents in Niigata.
29 Aug – 31 Oct 2026Niigata · ChubuParticipatory reenactment of a legendary Sengoku-era battle where visitors don authentic armor and join either the Takeda or Uesugi army on the battlefield.
9 Nov 2026Yamanashi · ChubuPersimmons harvested from a shrine tree are distributed among parishioners as part of this harvest celebration.
14 Nov 2026Ishikawa · Chubu
