Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
The Tsuyama Gongo Festival is a lively summer event in Tsuyama City featuring kappa-themed dances along Yakko-dori Street and one of Okayama's largest fireworks displays.
1–2 Aug 2026Okayama · ChugokuA summer festival where 4,000 decorated goldfish lanterns cast a spellbinding glow over the town, alongside a spirited Goldfish Nebuta procession.
13 Aug 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuA major August fireworks festival over the Kanmon Straits, jointly staged by Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki, with over 15,000 fireworks visible from both shores.
13 Aug 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuA rare Yamaguchi ritual festival said to date back over 1,800 years, with seven nights of dances around the Oni-ishi stone, towering banners, and lantern-topped poles.
7–13 Aug 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuA traditional Bon dance performed on Shiraishi Island honors historical battle casualties through a unique ensemble format where multiple dances synchronize to a lead.
13–16 Aug 2026Okayama · ChugokuAn Okayama City summer festival inspired by the Momotaro folk tale, featuring demon-costumed Uraja dancing, parades, and fireworks across the city in August.
22–23 Aug 2026Okayama · ChugokuThis innovative digital art exhibition uses 3D projection mapping to animate over 300 masterpieces by legendary ukiyo-e artists, transporting visitors into Edo-period worlds.
18 Jul – 6 Sep 2026Hiroshima · ChugokuJapanese craft artists interpret Pokémon through traditional materials including metalwork, ceramics, lacquer, and textiles.
10 Jul – 23 Sep 2026Hiroshima · ChugokuAn October festival features a grand procession with a portable shrine led by samurai-clad participants, with local residents bowing in reverence along the streets.
15 Oct 2026Okayama · ChugokuThis pottery festival in Japan's Heritage-certified Bizen production area offers visitors the chance to buy ware and try their hand at the potter's wheel.
18–19 Oct 2026Okayama · ChugokuAn annual festival celebrating Ube City with parades featuring the Nanban Ondo dance, a contemporary adaptation of traditional mining work songs.
2 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuThe Fox's Wedding features a grand procession with white fox bride and groom, rooted in a legend of benevolent spirits said to bring marriage blessings.
3 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuA castle festival features an armored warrior procession, parades, and traditional performances including taiko drumming and Shinto kagura dance.
16 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuThis festival honors Tenjin, a tenth-century poet and administrator deified for his integrity, through a ritual dating back over a thousand years.
28 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · ChugokuFire-lit pillars adorned with sacred paper stand on beaches as the community performs ceremonial dances twice daily, seeking protection from illness and calamity.
11 Feb 2027Yamaguchi · ChugokuAt this over 500-year-old Okayama festival, men in loincloths compete for a wooden stick, with the victor becoming the 'Lucky Man' and receiving believed year-long blessings.
21 Feb 2027Okayama · ChugokuA mid-February festival celebrates Hinase's oyster harvest with fresh seafood, barbecue areas, and regional specialties.
22 Feb 2027Okayama · ChugokuA 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 · Chugoku
