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The month's best festivals, exhibitions, and pop-ups in Japan, in one email. Free, monthly.

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The First-Timer's Japan Guide16-page PDF, in your welcome email.

The First-Timer's Japan Guide

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

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Festival

Yamaage Festival

Karasuyama's largest festival combines a nationally designated folk performance tradition with outdoor Kabuki dance, organized rotationally by six local districts.

24–26 Jul 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Moka Summer Festival

Moka Summer Festival honors Kojin, the god of fire and hearth, with over 20 mikoshi and festival floats paraded through the city during a three-day summer celebration.

24–26 Jul 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Osaka Tenjin Festival

A month-long summer festival centered on Osaka Tenmangu Shrine honors the deity Sugawara no Michizane with evening boat processions and fireworks on July 25.

Festival

Yamaage Festival

Karasuyama's largest festival combines a nationally designated folk performance tradition with outdoor Kabuki dance, organized rotationally by six local districts.

24–26 Jul 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Moka Summer Festival

Moka Summer Festival honors Kojin, the god of fire and hearth, with over 20 mikoshi and festival floats paraded through the city during a three-day summer celebration.

24–26 Jul 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Osaka Tenjin Festival

A month-long summer festival centered on Osaka Tenmangu Shrine honors the deity Sugawara no Michizane with evening boat processions and fireworks on July 25.

24–25 Jul 2027

Osaka · Kansai

Festival

Otaru Ushio Festival

This coastal festival celebrates Otaru's maritime heritage with parades, fireworks, and cultural activities honoring the harbour's role in the city's growth.

24–26 Jul 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival

A renowned summer festival features over 3,500 participants in the Daikan Bayashi-Odori dance, decorated floats, and traditional performances.

25 Jul 2027Okayama · Chugoku

Festival

Hita Gion Festival

A traditional summer festival over 400 years old features large ornate floats adorned with embroidery, dedicated to a protective deity.

25–26 Jul 2027Oita · Kyushu

Festival

Matsunami Ningyo Kiriko Festival

Festival combining traditional puppet theatre with illuminated wooden lantern processions, featuring elaborate puppet shows depicting classical Japanese tales.

25 Jul 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Omuta Daijayama Festival

A festival featuring massive serpent-shaped wooden floats that spew fire and smoke as they parade through Ōmuta City streets in July.

25–26 Jul 2027Fukuoka · Kyushu

Festival

Tenno Matsuri

A 600-year-old river festival in Tsushima, Aichi, held each July, where lantern-lit boats float down the Tenno River to traditional flute music, honouring the deity Gozu Tenno.

25–26 Jul 2027Aichi · Chubu

Festival

Summer Grand Festival

The Summer Grand Festival honours Onominato Shrine's deities with Kanazawa's largest mikoshi procession, traditional dances, and rituals from the 1600s.

30 Jul – 2 Aug 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Kishu Odori "Bundara-bushi"

Kishu Odori Bundara-bushi, one of Wakayama's largest summer events, returns on 1 August, with thousands of dancers around Wakayama Castle.

31 Jul – 1 Aug 2027Wakayama · Kansai

Festival

The Hachinohe Sansha Taisai

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai combines traditional shrine processions with elaborately decorated floats and is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

31 Jul – 4 Aug 2027Aomori · Tohoku

Festival

Furusato Miya Matsuri

This Utsunomiya summer festival brings residents together for parades, traditional performances, and displays of local culture.

1–2 Aug 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Morioka Sansa Odori Festival

Major summer dance festival originating from legend about a demon's defeat, featuring traditional Sansa Odori dance and powerful taiko performances.

1–4 Aug 2027Iwate · Tohoku

Festival

Tsuyama Gongo Festival

The Tsuyama Gongo Festival is a lively summer event in Tsuyama City featuring kappa-themed dances along Yakko-dori Street and one of Okayama's largest fireworks displays.

1–2 Aug 2027Okayama · Chugoku

Festival

Takaoka Tanabata Festival

A festival celebrating the legend of star-crossed lovers transforms the city with colorful bamboo displays, streamers, and a traditional parade.

1–8 Aug 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Hirosaki Neputa Festival

The Hirosaki Neputa Festival features giant illuminated floats up to 10 meters tall, paraded nightly through the city with taiko drums and traditional chanting.

1–7 Aug 2027Aomori · Tohoku

Festival

Issaki Hoto Festival

The Issaki Hōtō Festival features six massive illuminated lantern towers, each 10 meters tall, carried through the streets by teams in traditional festival attire.

1 Aug 2027Ishikawa · Chubu