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Kansai right now

Sunday · 2026/11/01

USD ¥157.3
EUR ¥175.7
SGD ¥123
AUD ¥110.5

Sport & Competition · Osaka · Kansai

T-rex Race

Footraces run in inflatable T-rex costumes, held in parks, on beaches and at local festivals across Japan since 2022, with adult and juvenile classes.

Osaka · 31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026

Interactive Experience · Kyoto · Kansai

SHOGUN STUDIO JAPAN

A Kyoto studio where visitors put on real film-grade armour or hand-painted kimono and take tea in a tea room built for it, a minute from Umekoji-Kyotonishi.

Kyoto

Music · Hyogo · Kansai

Evangelion Wind Symphony 2026

A wind ensemble concert celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Evangelion series with music from the franchise performed without video projection.

Kobe · 3 Nov 2026

Shrine · Wakayama · Kansai

Kumano Hayatama Taisha

Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu, Wakayama, is one of the three grand Kumano shrines, known as a land of rebirth where pilgrims have long sought renewal.

Shingu

Mie

Sport & Competition

T-rex Race

Footraces run in inflatable T-rex costumes, held in parks, on beaches and at local festivals across Japan since 2022, with adult and juvenile classes.

31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026Osaka

Music

Evangelion Wind Symphony 2026

A wind ensemble concert celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Evangelion series with music from the franchise performed without video projection.

3 Nov 2026Kobe · Hyogo

Firework

Art Night in the Sky at Expo '70 Park

An autumn event synchronizes fireworks and drone choreography with music across an open plaza, creating a panoramic display of light and color.

21 Nov 2026Suita · Osaka

Sport & Competition

Grand Sumo Nishinomiya Tournament

A touring sumo exhibition in Nishinomiya with close encounters with wrestlers: topknot styling, rare techniques, and photo and handshake opportunities.

8 Dec 2026Nishinomiya · Hyogo

Illumination

Osaka City Central Public Hall Projection Mapping

A December light show on the east front of Osaka City Central Public Hall in Nakanoshima, the centrepiece of OSAKA Hikari no Renaissance. Free to watch.

11–25 Dec 2026Osaka

Entertainment

Kobe Illuminage Countdown Festival

A New Year countdown festival in Kobe with millions of lights, drone shows, bubble performances and live music, one of Japan's largest illumination displays.

31 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027Exact date not confirmed yetKobe · Hyogo

Exhibition

Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo Exhibition: DIVE INTO THE BO-BOBO WORLD

An exhibition celebrates the absurdist manga Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo through interactive displays showcasing its protagonist's surreal martial arts techniques.

8–24 Jan 2027Osaka

Festival

Dadado-no-onihashiri

Masked demons swing blazing torches through a temple hall in an ancient winter ritual held twice a day, a prayer for protection from misfortune.

14 Jan 2027Gojo · Nara

Festival

Fire Festival at Cape Shionomisaki

At Cape Shionomisaki, a practical piece of land management becomes a spectacular celebration as flaming arrows set the grasslands ablaze each winter.

16 Jan 2027Kushimoto · Wakayama

Expo & Convention

Bungu Joshi-haku in Osaka

Japan's largest stationery fair showcasing pens, notebooks, planners, and creative stationery from established brands and innovative makers.

5–8 Mar 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsaka

Festival

Ogimachi Sakura Festival

A cherry blossom festival in Osaka features night illuminations and LED lantern releases alongside traditional Japanese instrument performances.

3–5 Apr 2027Exact date not confirmed yetOsaka

Festival

Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Festival (Reitaisai)

Each April, Kumano Hongu Taisha holds its Reitaisai - three days of purification rites, beautiful sacred dance performances, and a grand palanquin procession.

13–15 Apr 2027Exact date not confirmed yetTanabe · Wakayama

Quick poll

Museum

Nara Prison Museum

A Meiji-era red-brick prison (1908) and one of the Five Great Prisons with its original layout intact, now a museum operated by Hoshino Resorts.

Nara

Museum

Jotenkaku Museum

Art museum of the Zen temple Shokoku-ji in Kyoto, holding five National Treasures and 145 Important Cultural Properties, with wall paintings by Ito Jakuchu.

Kyoto

Shrine

Yasaka Jinja Shrine

A Kyoto shrine tracing its origins to 656, dedicated to Susanoo-no-mikoto and his consort, with its main hall designated a National Treasure in 2020.

Kyoto

Zoo & Wildlife

Wakayama Castle Park Zoo

Free zoo in the grounds of Wakayama Castle, dating from the Taisho era, with Humboldt penguins, European flamingos, red-crowned cranes and miniature horses.

Wakayama

Museum

Mitsuya Cider Museum

The visitor facility of the Asahi Soft Drinks plant that makes Mitsuya Cider, with free guided tours, hands-on exhibits on the drink and a tasting.

Akashi · Hyogo

Zoo & Wildlife

Adventure World

A wildlife park in Shirahama featuring diverse animal experiences, though its longtime giant pandas departed in June 2025.

Shirahama · Wakayama

Museum

Hakushika Memorial Museum of Sake

Sake museum in Nishinomiya, within Nadagogo, Japan's largest sake brewing region, opened in 1982 to preserve sake-making heritage dating to the Edo period.

Nishinomiya · Hyogo

Temple

Kongobu-ji (Koyasan)

Mount Koya is a sacred temple complex where the entire mountain is treated as one unified holy domain dedicated to Shingon Esoteric Buddhism.

Koya · Wakayama

Museum

Sagawa Art Museum

Art museum in Moriyama with Japanese-style paintings and sculpture, a water garden, and a historic temple bell (bonsho) designated a National Treasure.

Moriyama · Shiga

Shrine

Omi Jingu

Established in 1940, Omi Jingu enshrines Emperor Tenji and stands adjacent to the traditional site of the Omi Otsu Palace, which he founded in 667.

Otsu · Shiga

Area & Points of Interest

Kayabuki no Sato

A preserved thatched-roof village in Kyoto with 39 original houses built during the Edo and Meiji periods, designated an Important Preservation District.

Nantan · Kyoto

Food & Drink

Future Train Kyoto Diner & Cafe

Future Train on Kyoto's Umekoji viaduct is Japan's first restaurant on a disused railway, featuring a repurposed Limited Express Thunderbird train car.

Kyoto

Sightseeing Train

Sagano Romantic Train

The Sagano Romantic Train is a scenic sightseeing train near Arashiyama, Kyoto, running through the Hozugawa valley with different views across all four seasons.

Kyoto · Kansai

Pilgrimage

Kumano Kodo

For over a thousand years, the Kumano Kodo has led pilgrims through the mountains of Kii to the sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wakayama · Kansai

Agoda9.8 ExceptionalGuesthouse KYOTO COMPASSGuesthouse · 1.5-star · Kyoto

Agoda9.5 ExceptionalHotel 88 ShinsaibashiHotel · 3-star · Osaka

Agoda9.5 ExceptionalTokyu Stay Kyoto Sakaiza (Shijo-Kawaramachi)Hotel · 3.5-star · Kyoto

See all hotels in Kyoto on Agoda

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