Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
By month: November 2026, December 2026, January 2027, February 2027
One of Japan's three great fire festivals, where giant torches purify the path to Nachi Waterfall at a sacred Kumano shrine each 14 July.
14 Jul 2027Exact date not confirmed yetWakayamaA month-long summer festival centered on Osaka Tenmangu Shrine honors the deity Sugawara no Michizane with evening boat processions and fireworks on July 25.
24–25 Jul 2027OsakaA month-long Kyoto festival centered on Yasaka Jinja Shrine, with sacred rituals, food stalls and illuminated floats, ending in a grand procession and parade.
1–31 Jul 2027KyotoKishu Odori Bundara-bushi, one of Wakayama's largest summer events, returns on 1 August, with thousands of dancers around Wakayama Castle.
31 Jul – 1 Aug 2027Exact date not confirmed yetWakayamaKansai's spectacular summer fireworks over Japan's largest lake at Otsu, with shells fired low across the water and mirrored on its surface.
6 Aug 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOtsu · ShigaVirtual singers including Hatsune Miku perform with a live band across six shows, alongside an exhibition of creator artwork, workshops and exclusive goods.
14–16 Aug 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsakaPremier manga and anime fair in western Japan attracting 40,000 visitors annually to explore exclusive announcements, live performances, and merchandise.
19–20 Sep 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKyotoOne of Japan's most dynamic float festivals with a 300-year history, known for its signature yarimawashi maneuver where massive floats are swung around corners.
18–20 Sep 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKishiwada · OsakaThe Monster Hunter Orchestra Concert presents the game's music live, played by the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra under conductor Hirofumi Kurita.
22–23 Sep 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNishinomiya · HyogoTanabe in Wakayama holds a two-day festival for Benkei, the warrior monk it claims as its own, with a play at the shrine and 600 dancers in wooden clogs.
2–3 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetTanabe · WakayamaEach October in Gobo, Wakayama, the region's largest autumn festival fills the streets with rival parish groups, dance, and towering, massive drum floats.
4–5 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetGobo · WakayamaEach October, Kumano Hayatama Taisha holds the Mifune Matsuri, two days of sacred processions culminating in a thrilling fast-boat race on the Kumano River.
15–16 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetShingu · WakayamaEach autumn, breweries from across Kansai gather in central Osaka for two days of tasting, with more than seventy sake between twenty-six makers.
17–18 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsakaA yearly kimono fair at Shinsaibashi in Osaka, where weavers and dyers from across Japan show their work and short workshops teach the crafts behind it.
14–18 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsakaKyoto's historical reenactment festival: costumed processions of figures from different Japanese eras travel from the Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine.
22 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKyotoThirty-one breweries pour more than 160 sake, shochu, umeshu and other drinks at a tasting festival by Bentencho station in Osaka, held over two days.
24–25 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsakaAbout 150,000 cosmos and 3,600 kochia bushes cover a hill in the park at Suita in Osaka each October, with pink muhly grass and red buckwheat behind them.
3–30 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetSuita · OsakaOsaka Art Fireworks is a 50-minute display set to music at Marble Beach, with views over Osaka Bay, one of Japan's Top 100 Sunsets spots.
31 Oct 2027Exact date not confirmed yetIzumisano · Osaka
