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The First-Timer's Japan Guide

Guides, places, and what's on across Japan, written at street level.

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Festival

Tochigi Float Festival

Tochigi's festival showcases elaborate floats created by neighborhoods, a tradition that flourished in the late 19th century when districts commissioned their own artistic dashi.

1–3 Nov 2026Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Ube Festival

An annual festival celebrating Ube City with parades featuring the Nanban Ondo dance, a contemporary adaptation of traditional mining work songs.

2 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Ohara Festival

Mass dancing in vibrant costumes and powerful taiko drumming celebrate Kagoshima's regional identity in this southern Kyushu autumn festival.

Festival

Tochigi Float Festival

Tochigi's festival showcases elaborate floats created by neighborhoods, a tradition that flourished in the late 19th century when districts commissioned their own artistic dashi.

1–3 Nov 2026Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Ube Festival

An annual festival celebrating Ube City with parades featuring the Nanban Ondo dance, a contemporary adaptation of traditional mining work songs.

2 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Ohara Festival

Mass dancing in vibrant costumes and powerful taiko drumming celebrate Kagoshima's regional identity in this southern Kyushu autumn festival.

2–3 Nov 2026

Kagoshima · Kyushu

Festival

Okawakami Birafu Shrine Autumn Grand Festival

Featuring an Intangible Folk Cultural Property procession, this November festival unites a community through ceremony, dance, and spiritual communion.

3 Nov 2026Kochi · Shikoku

Festival

Fox's Wedding - Rice Ear Festival

The Fox's Wedding features a grand procession with white fox bride and groom, rooted in a legend of benevolent spirits said to bring marriage blessings.

3 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Oyama Balloon Festival

The Oyama Balloon Festa fills autumn skies with hot air balloons competing in precision flights from dawn, and features illuminated night glows with synchronized fireworks and music.

8–9 Nov 2026Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Sengoku Chronicle: The Battle of Kawanakajima

Participatory reenactment of a legendary Sengoku-era battle where visitors don authentic armor and join either the Takeda or Uesugi army on the battlefield.

9 Nov 2026Yamanashi · Chubu

Festival

Kaki festival

Persimmons harvested from a shrine tree are distributed among parishioners as part of this harvest celebration.

14 Nov 2026Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Kurakake Castle Festival

A castle festival features an armored warrior procession, parades, and traditional performances including taiko drumming and Shinto kagura dance.

16 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Kamiari Festival

Once 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 2026Shimane · Chugoku

Festival

Wajima Crab Festival

Wajima Marine Town celebrates fresh seafood and local specialties with market stalls, performances, and free crab soup each November.

23 Nov 2026Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Hofu Tenmangu Gojinko-sai Festival (Naked Monk Festival)

This festival honors Tenjin, a tenth-century poet and administrator deified for his integrity, through a ritual dating back over a thousand years.

28 Nov 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Chichibu Night Festival

An annual festival in Saitama featuring six ornate floats illuminated by thousands of lanterns, along with fireworks and traditional performances.

2–3 Dec 2026Saitama · Kanto

Festival

Zao Juhyo Festival

The Zao Juhyo Festival showcases Snow Monsters, ethereal ice and snow formations that coat trees in the Zao Mountains, illuminated after dark to create a surreal winter landscape.

27 Dec 2026 – 23 Feb 2027Yamagata · Tohoku

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 2027Iwate · Tohoku

Festival

Dadado-no-onihashiri

Masked 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 2027Nara · Kansai

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 2027Miyagi · Tohoku

Festival

Nozawa Onsen Dōsojin Festival

Dōsojin, a folk deity protecting travelers and villages, is honored through this traditional festival featuring ceremonial fire and ritual.

15 Jan 2027Nagano · Chubu