Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
An 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 2026Niimi · OkayamaA retro-themed railway journey through autumn scenery is accompanied by the gentle sounds of bell crickets resonating through the carriages.
1 Sep – 15 Oct 2026Goshogawara · AomoriA transformative mobility exhibition brings together automotive innovation, motorcycles, motorsports, and future transportation solutions.
13–16 Oct 2026ChibaEach 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 2026Shingu · WakayamaAn exhibition celebrating the absurdist manga Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo through immersive zones themed around its protagonist's battle techniques and surreal world.
30 Sep – 17 Oct 2026TokyoEach 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 2026OsakaA 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 2026OsakaThe Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum marks its centenary with Edo-period paintings and ukiyo-e prints from the British Museum, including works returning to Japan.
25 Jul – 18 Oct 2026TokyoSpace Travelium TeNQ in Tokyo hosts a Dr. STONE anime collaboration exhibition timed to the series final arc, featuring exclusive photo spots and themed merchandise.
18 Jul – 18 Oct 2026TokyoJapan's largest free urban sports festival returns to Yokohama's Red Brick Warehouse on 17–18 October 2026, with eight disciplines and free admission.
17–18 Oct 2026Yokohama · KanagawaA light display each autumn at the former Sasagawa residence near Niigata, with projections on an Edo-period house, a lit garden and works by local students.
26 Sep – 18 Oct 2026NiigataJapan's premier analog gaming convention featuring over 1,300 booths of board games, card games, TRPGs, and trading card games with hands-on experiences.
17–18 Oct 2026ChibaTowering drum-bearing floats parade through Niihama in this October celebration, drawing nearly 200,000 spectators each year.
16–18 Oct 2026Niihama · EhimeThis 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.
17–18 Oct 2026Bizen · OkayamaKyoto's signature historical reenactment features costumed processions of figures from different Japanese eras traveling from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine.
22 Oct 2026KyotoA cosplay event held for the first time in the mountain town of Daigo in Ibaraki, using a retro shopping street, a shrine, an orchard and a closed school.
24 Oct 2026Daigo · IbarakiA free after-dark light show projecting digital art onto two of Nagoya's historic "imperial crown style" civic landmarks, near Nagoya Castle.
17 Sep – 24 Oct 2026Nagoya · AichiThirty-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 2026Osaka
