Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
This annual summit gathers hundreds of costumed regional mascots from Japan and abroad in Hanyu City, celebrating the country's distinctive and vibrant mascot culture.
21–22 Nov 2026Hanyu · SaitamaAn exhibition exploring Ainu clothing and the exchange with Honshu fashion, tracing garments from historical samurai-class robes to contemporary ruwunpe designs.
19 Sep – 23 Nov 2026Shiraoi · HokkaidoA three-day fair for pens, ink and paper in Tokyo each November, where makers, shops and individual craftsmen sell fountain pens, many of them one-offs.
21–23 Nov 2026TokyoAn event built from the Japanese picture-book series about a bread-stealing thief, with sets to be photographed in, at Sapporo Factory in Hokkaido.
2 Oct – 23 Nov 2026Sapporo · HokkaidoWajima Marine Town celebrates fresh seafood and local specialties with market stalls, performances, and free crab soup each November.
23 Nov 2025 – 23 Nov 2026Wajima · IshikawaThe yearly flower show of the Ryuseiha school of ikebana in Shibuya, held in 2026 as a 140th anniversary exhibition in three periods, with almost every work changed between them.
19–24 Nov 2026TokyoOnce a year the gods of Japan are said to abandon their shrines for Izumo, where a season of quiet rites welcomes, hosts, and finally sends them home again.
18–25 Nov 2026Izumo · ShimaneThis festival honors Tenjin, a tenth-century poet and administrator deified for his integrity, through a ritual dating back over a thousand years.
28 Nov 2026Hofu · YamaguchiUzumasa Kyoto Village (Toei Kyoto Studio Park) fills with yokai every autumn: two evening parades, dance shows you can join, yokai greetings every day and limited yokai food.
12 Sep – 29 Nov 2026KyotoTokyo's highest beer garden sits at 500 meters elevation, serving all-you-can-drink craft beers and buffet fare with city views by day and stargazing at night.
30 May – 29 Nov 2026Hachioji · TokyoThree artists set work through Hibiya Park in Tokyo for two weeks in November, in a programme run by the city alongside its flower and light displays.
13–29 Nov 2026TokyoAround 300 works by Mizuki Shigeru, from his childhood drawings to the yokai he spent a lifetime recording, at the Kobe Fashion Museum from September to November.
12 Sep – 29 Nov 2026Kobe · HyogoThe Yokai Art Museum celebrates contemporary yokai sculpture across two exhibition phases, showcasing approximately 100 modern interpretations of legendary supernatural creatures.
26 Dec 2025 – 30 Nov 2026KagawaAn annual festival in Saitama featuring six ornate floats illuminated by thousands of lanterns, along with fireworks and traditional performances.
2–3 Dec 2026Chichibu · SaitamaA display of original manga art marking twenty-five years of BLACK LAGOON.
13 Nov – 6 Dec 2026TokyoPremium automotive festival showcasing rare classic cars and latest vehicles alongside hypercar demonstrations at an exclusive Mount Fuji venue.
4–6 Dec 2026Minamiboso · ChibaAn autumn exhibition in Shiga where the hidden image of Hyakusaiji, an eleven-headed Kannon of the 8th century, leaves the temple for the first time.
26 Sep – 6 Dec 2026Koka · ShigaRikugien, one of Tokyo's best-known gardens for autumn leaves, opens after dark for about two weeks, with its maples lit and projections on an old storehouse.
25 Nov – 6 Dec 2026Tokyo
