Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
By month: October 2026, November 2026, December 2026, January 2027
Video game music from the Monster Hunter series receives live orchestral treatment by the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra in this touring concert event.
31 Oct 2026FukuokaMiyazaki's largest festival honors Emperor Jimmu with a grand autumn procession of portable shrines and floats reenacting the legendary emperor's journey.
31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026MiyazakiAsia's largest hot-air balloon event, where around 100 balloons rise over the Kase River each autumn in a five-day competition and festival.
30 Oct – 3 Nov 2026SagaMass dancing in vibrant costumes and powerful taiko drumming celebrate Kagoshima's regional identity in this southern Kyushu autumn festival.
2–3 Nov 2026KagoshimaA yearly autumn show of sand sculptures carved by professionals from Japan and abroad at Ashiya Seaside Park in Fukuoka, lit up at night with sound and light.
23 Oct – 8 Nov 2026Ashiya · FukuokaThe autumn opening of Kunenan, a Meiji-era villa garden in Kanzaki, Saga, when its maples turn red over moss and a thatched house, with daily concerts and tea.
14–29 Nov 2026Kanzaki · SagaFootraces run in inflatable T-rex costumes, held in parks, on beaches and at local festivals across Japan since 2022, with adult and juvenile classes.
29 Nov 2026Kanoya · KagoshimaA night-time art exhibition by teamLab among the stone walls of Fukuoka Castle Ruins, where the works change with wind, rain and the people walking through.
30 Oct 2026 – 11 Jan 2027FukuokaEstablished in 1952 and regarded as one of Japan's three most prestigious classic marathons, this Oita race draws dedicated runners annually.
1 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOitaA traveling exhibition celebrates the decades-long partnership between Friday Road Show, Japan's most-watched film slot, and Studio Ghibli.
3 Nov 2026 – 14 Feb 2027SagaThe festival illuminates Nagasaki's streets with around 15,000 Chinese lanterns, some reaching 10 metres, celebrating Lunar New Year traditions.
6–23 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetNagasakiThis handmade winter festival transforms harvested bamboo into intricate lanterns that celebrate Yamaga's heritage as a traditional umbrella-producing town.
6–28 Feb 2027Exact date not confirmed yetYamaga · KumamotoAn annual seafood festival celebrating locally prized Seki horse mackerel and mackerel, offering sashimi, sushi, and stage performances.
14 Mar 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOitaEach spring at Aso Shrine, priests perform the Hifuri Shinji fire-swinging ritual, a mesmerizing ceremony rooted in ancient agricultural tradition.
23 Mar 2027Exact date not confirmed yetAso · KumamotoOne of Japan's largest festivals, dating back to 1179, with parades of the Three Lucky Gods, children's processions, and modern Flower Cars.
2–4 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetFukuokaAround 600 uniquely designed scarecrows greet visitors each spring, inspired by the philosophy that amusing figures will delight viewers.
20 Mar – 5 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetAmakusa · KumamotoThe Fukiage-hama Sand Festival turns a Kagoshima beach into a gallery of large-scale sculptures made by artists and volunteers, with cultural performances.
3–5 May 2027Exact date not confirmed yetMinamisatsuma · KagoshimaAn exhibition at the Kyushu National Museum on Kukai, who brought esoteric Buddhism from Tang China, with treasures of Koyasan and of western Japan.
24 Apr – 20 Jun 2027Dazaifu · Fukuoka
