Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
Nagano'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 · ChubuThis over 650-year-old festival in a northern mountain town expresses gratitude for the harvest while praying for protection from disaster and the arrival of good fortune.
17–20 Sep 2026Iwate · TohokuTakaoka Craft Ichibamachi celebrates the city's copperware and lacquerware heritage across preserved townscapes with exhibitions, markets, and craftspeople workshops.
18–20 Sep 2026Toyama · ChubuTokyo Game Show 2026 goes five days for its 30th anniversary. Full guide to dates, ticket prices, confirmed games, cosplay rules and how to survive Makuhari.
19–21 Sep 2026Chiba · KantoOriginal artwork highlighting the distinctive style and creative evolution of manga artist Arina Tanemura marks her 30-year career anniversary.
21 Aug – 21 Sep 2026Kyoto · KansaiAround thirty lion carts and twelve tiered floats fill central Ishioka for three days each September, at one of the three great festivals of the Kanto region.
19–21 Sep 2026Ibaraki · KantoOne 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 · ChubuFireworks synchronized with live orchestral music and traditional dance create an immersive experience within intimate proximity of spectators.
21 Sep 2026Hokkaido · HokkaidoThe Monster Hunter Orchestra Concert features live orchestral performances of game music by the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra, conducted by Hirofumi Kurita.
22–23 Sep 2026Hyogo · KansaiAn exhibition explores pattern in Japanese craft, from natural motifs to technical mastery, including a Pokemon and Edo-komon collaboration.
3 Jul – 23 Sep 2026Ishikawa · ChubuAn immersive exhibition explores an Edo-era artist who mastered warrior prints, portraits, landscapes, and satirical works, refusing confinement to a single artistic genre.
18 Jul – 23 Sep 2026Kyoto · KansaiExhibition of twenty-eight high-fidelity reproductions of Japanese national treasures created through advanced imaging and traditional Kyoto craftsmanship.
17 Jul – 23 Sep 2026Oita · KyushuJapanese craft artists interpret Pokémon through traditional materials including metalwork, ceramics, lacquer, and textiles.
10 Jul – 23 Sep 2026Hiroshima · ChugokuThe 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 · ChubuThe 'Naked Festival' features mikoshi carried into the sea, a boisterous parade through town, and shrines tossed high against fireworks and songs of joy.
23–24 Sep 2026Chiba · KantoStreets 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 two-day tasting event in Gunma brings together local sake breweries and regional cuisine, featuring over 30 alcohol booths and seminars for enthusiasts.
25–26 Sep 2026Gunma · KantoBonobono, the gentle manga about a curious young sea otter, turns 40 – celebrated with a Shibuya exhibition of original art, rare manuscripts, and more.
27 Aug – 27 Sep 2026Tokyo · Kanto
