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2026/09/16

Festival · Iwate · Tohoku

Morioka Fall Festival

One of Iwate's most enduring celebrations, this autumn festival originated as prayers for harvest, now featuring ornate floats and traditional parades.

Morioka · 14–16 Sep 2026

Area & Points of Interest · Miyagi · Tohoku

Naruko Gorge

A gorge in Miyagi cut a hundred metres deep by the Otani River, walled with pale rock and walked by riverside paths from spring to late autumn.

Osaki

Festival · Iwate · Tohoku

Kuji Autumn Festival

This 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.

Kuji · 17–20 Sep 2026

Historic Site · Iwate · Tohoku

Tono Furusato Village

Seven old farmhouses of the Nanbu type moved to a valley in Iwate and kept as a working village, with horses, paddies and a water mill.

Tono

Weather

Sendai19°
Morioka24°
Aomori22°
Fukushima19°
Akita23°

05:1817:43Sendai

Yen

1 US Dollar¥155
1 Euro¥178.9
1 Singapore Dollar¥121.8
1 Australian Dollar¥110.5

Reference rates · 2026/09/15

Quick poll

Festival

Morioka Fall Festival

One of Iwate's most enduring celebrations, this autumn festival originated as prayers for harvest, now featuring ornate floats and traditional parades.

14–16 Sep 2026Morioka · Iwate

Festival

Kuji Autumn Festival

This 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 2026Kuji · Iwate

Festival

UFO Festival

A town in Fukushima that calls itself the UFO village fills its streets with about 2,000 people dressed as aliens, with prizes for the most convincing.

31 Oct 2026Fukushima

Market

SENDAI CHRISTMAS MARKET

Sendai's market recreates the atmosphere of a traditional German Christmas celebration with wooden chalets, imported goods, and a central illuminated Christmas tree.

5–25 Dec 2026Sendai · Miyagi

Festival

Motsu-ji Temple Hatsukayasai Festival

The final day of this week-long Buddhist observance at a UNESCO World Heritage temple features torchlit processions and prayers for good fortune.

14–20 Jan 2027Hiraizumi · Iwate

Festival

Dontosai Festival

An annual winter ritual in Sendai features the ceremonial burning of New Year decorations followed by a sacred pilgrimage procession in traditional attire.

14 Jan 2027Sendai · Miyagi

Festival

Hirosaki Castle Yuki-Doro Festival

The Hirosaki Castle Yuki-Doro Festival transforms the castle park into a winter wonderland with illuminated snow lanterns, dome-shaped kamakura huts, and intricate sculptures.

6–11 Feb 2027Hirosaki · Aomori

Festival

Kasedori

This Edo-period Kasedori Festival features performers in bird-shaped straw costumes paraded through Kaminoyama while spectators splash water on them for good fortune.

11 Feb 2027Kaminoyama · Yamagata

Festival

Daito Ohara Mizukake Festival

Men of unlucky ages run through icy waters in this harsh February ritual that has cleansed misfortune since the devastating Edo-period Great Fire.

11 Feb 2027Ichinoseki · Iwate

Festival

Namahage Sedo Festival

A renowned winter festival recreates the Namahage tradition where demon-like figures visit shrines and homes, recognized as one of Japan's three strangest festivals.

13–15 Feb 2027Oga · Akita

Festival

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

A two-day winter festival in snowy Yonezawa transforming Matsugasaki Park into a landscape of 300 snow lanterns and 3,000 snow lamps lit by candlelight.

14–15 Feb 2027Yonezawa · Yamagata

Festival

Hachinohe Enburi Festival

Historic winter celebration over 800 years old marking the end of the cold season with traditional performances and prayers for a bountiful rice harvest.

17–20 Feb 2027Hachinohe · Aomori

Area & Points of Interest

Naruko Gorge

A gorge in Miyagi cut a hundred metres deep by the Otani River, walled with pale rock and walked by riverside paths from spring to late autumn.

Osaki · Miyagi

Historic Site

Tono Furusato Village

Seven old farmhouses of the Nanbu type moved to a valley in Iwate and kept as a working village, with horses, paddies and a water mill.

Tono · Iwate

Area & Points of Interest

Abukuma Caves

A limestone cave in Fukushima with 600 metres open to walk, holding an unusual range of formations, including a rare disc-shaped shield.

Tamura · Fukushima

Mountain

Mt. Gassan

The highest of the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata, sacred to the moon god, with a shrine at the summit that opens only in high summer.

Tsuruoka · Yamagata

Mountain

Mt. Haguro

The lowest of the three mountains of Dewa in Yamagata, climbed by a stone stair through old cedars, with a five-storey pagoda that is a National Treasure.

Tsuruoka · Yamagata

Temple

Yamadera (Risshakuji)

A Tendai temple of 860 built up a rock face in Yamagata, its halls reached by a stone stairway, and the place of Basho's poem about cicadas.

Yamagata

Shrine

Kumano Taisha Shrine

One of three major Kumano shrines in Japan, Kumano Taisha was established in 806 and is known as the Ise Shrine of the North for its significance.

Nanyo · Yamagata

Shrine

Uto Shrine

Guardian shrine of Aomori dedicated to the Three Goddesses of Munakata, featuring grounds with a sacred spring and historic remains including haiku stones by Matsuo Basho.

Aomori

Public Facility

Yamagata City Office

Yamagata's main administrative center offering public services, local event information, and a gallery featuring works by regional artists and photographers.

Yamagata

Public Facility

Hirosaki Municipal Tourist Center

Hirosaki Municipal Tourist Center offers information on local attractions and events in a traditional Japanese building with a garden, providing maps, bookings, and free Wi-Fi.

Hirosaki · Aomori

Onsen & Wellness

Ginzan Onsen

A nostalgic Taisho-era hot-spring town in the Yamagata mountains, lined with wooden inns along a gas-lit river – at its most magical under snow.

Obanazawa · Yamagata

Castle

Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle

Also known as Tsuruga Castle, this 14th century Fukushima fortress was destroyed in the 1868 Boshin War and later reconstructed as a museum.

Aizuwakamatsu · Fukushima

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