Uzumasa 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.
Kyoto · 12 Sep – 29 Nov 2026
A 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.
Osaka · 14–18 Oct 2026
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
Each October, Kumano Hayatama Taisha holds the Mifune Matsuri, two days of sacred processions culminating in a thrilling fast-boat race on the Kumano River.
Shingu · 15–16 Oct 2026
Reference rates · 2026/10/13
A 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 2026OsakaEach 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 · WakayamaEach 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 2026OsakaKyoto's signature historical reenactment features costumed processions of figures from different Japanese eras traveling from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine.
22 Oct 2026KyotoThirty-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 2026OsakaOsaka Art Fireworks presents a 50-minute display synchronizing fireworks with music from Marble Beach, offering views of Osaka Bay and one of Japan's Top 100 Sunsets.
31 Oct 2026Izumisano · OsakaA wind ensemble concert celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Evangelion series with music from the franchise performed without video projection.
3 Nov 2026Kobe · HyogoAn autumn event synchronizes fireworks and drone choreography with music across an open plaza, creating a panoramic display of light and color.
21 Nov 2026Suita · OsakaA touring sumo exhibition brings close encounters with wrestlers, featuring displays of topknot styling, rare technique demonstrations, and photo and handshake opportunities.
8 Dec 2026Nishinomiya · HyogoThis New Year countdown festival features millions of lights, drone shows, bubble performances, and live music creating one of Japan's largest illumination displays.
31 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 · Dates not yet confirmedKobe · HyogoAn exhibition celebrates the absurdist manga Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo through interactive displays showcasing its protagonist's surreal martial arts techniques.
8–24 Jan 2027OsakaMasked demons swing blazing torches through a temple hall in an ancient winter ritual performed twice daily, seeking protection from misfortune and ancestral blessings.
14 Jan 2027Gojo · NaraKansai to Okayama, Takamatsu, Kinosaki Onsen, Amanohashidate, Tottori and Shirahama, incl. the Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama
¥12,0005 days, adult
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Tendai Buddhist temple with National Treasures and a designated scenic garden, featuring ancient Asuka-period Buddhist paintings discovered on interior pillars in 2020.
Kora · ShigaVast shrine complex of 125 shrines dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami and Toyo'uke-no-Omikami, conducting over 1,500 annual rituals for imperial prosperity and peace.
Ise · MieA highly-ranked Shinto shrine in Kyoto built in 1895 to commemorate the city's 1100th anniversary and dedicated to Emperor Kanmu.
KyotoAnime and video game theme park on Awaji Island with permanent attractions based on Naruto, Godzilla, and other franchises plus rotating exhibits.
Awaji · HyogoFounded as a guardian shrine in 650 AD and rededicated in 949, Osaka Tenmangu honors the deified scholar Sugawara no Michizane, revered as a deity of academics and learning.
OsakaDating to the 6th century, this Kyoto shrine dedicated to Tamayori-hime and her father was worshipped as protection against misfortune and a guardian of the capital.
KyotoAizendo Shomanin is a Tendai Buddhist temple and the first stop on a seventeen-temple pilgrimage honoring Aizen Myo-o, housing Osaka's oldest wooden pagoda structure.
OsakaA sprawling national park in Kyoto surrounding the Imperial Palace, created during the Meiji era from vacant aristocratic residences, encompassing 100 hectares.
KyotoA vibrant Osaka entertainment district known for neon-lit streets, iconic landmarks like the Glico Man billboard and giant crab sign, canal tours, and street food.
OsakaFuture Train on Kyoto's Umekoji viaduct is Japan's first restaurant on a disused railway, featuring a repurposed Limited Express Thunderbird train car.
KyotoThe Kyoto Imperial Palace served as the Emperor's primary residence during the Heian period and remains a public destination offering insight into Japan's imperial past.
KyotoAn ancient burial mound from the late 4th century and the oldest known tumulus in the Omi region, now a public archaeological park.
Otsu · ShigaFor 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 · KansaiThe 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
Agoda9.8 ExceptionalGuesthouse KYOTO COMPASS
Agoda9.5 ExceptionalHotel 88 Shinsaibashi
Agoda9.5 ExceptionalTokyu Stay Kyoto Sakaiza (Shijo-Kawaramachi)Booking through our links earns us a commission, at no extra cost to you.
