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Matsuri: Traditional Japanese Festivals

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Festival

Mikuni Festival (Mikuni Shrine Annual Festival)

A three-century tradition, this Hokuriku festival showcases elaborately decorated floats and honors the maritime heritage of this former port town.

19–21 May 2027Fukui · Chubu

Festival

Sanno Festival

Centered at Hie Shrine, this major Toyama festival originated in the Edo period and features a two-day mikoshi procession through the city's parishes.

31 May – 2 Jun 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Tsuzawa Yotaka Andon Festival

Traditional lantern festival in Toyama Prefecture featuring 7-meter-high floats decorated with warrior illustrations that collide in ritualized clashes accompanied by taiko drumming.

Festival

Mikuni Festival (Mikuni Shrine Annual Festival)

A three-century tradition, this Hokuriku festival showcases elaborately decorated floats and honors the maritime heritage of this former port town.

19–21 May 2027Fukui · Chubu

Festival

Sanno Festival

Centered at Hie Shrine, this major Toyama festival originated in the Edo period and features a two-day mikoshi procession through the city's parishes.

31 May – 2 Jun 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Tsuzawa Yotaka Andon Festival

Traditional lantern festival in Toyama Prefecture featuring 7-meter-high floats decorated with warrior illustrations that collide in ritualized clashes accompanied by taiko drumming.

5–6 Jun 2027

Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival

Kanazawa's Hyakumangoku Festival honours Lord Maeda Toshiie, whose 1583 entry into the castle established the city, and has grown into a prominent regional cultural event.

5–7 Jun 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Sanno Matsuri

Sanno Matsuri, held annually in June at Hie Shrine, ranks among Japan's three great festivals and was historically viewed by Tokugawa shoguns, earning the title Festival of the Realm.

7–17 Jun 2027Tokyo · Kanto

Festival

Tonami Yotaka Festival

This traditional harvest festival features elaborate red lanterns exceeding 6 metres tall that collide in a dramatic ritual called tsukiawase, accompanied by taiko drums.

12–13 Jun 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Chagu Chagu Umakko Festival

Chagu Chagu Umakko Festival, held in June in Iwate Prefecture, honors working horses through decoration, reflecting the region's heritage as a center for horse breeding and agriculture.

14 Jun 2027Iwate · Tohoku

Festival

Himeji Yukata Festival

A festival spanning over 260 years celebrates its origins in 1742 when commoners were permitted to attend a shrine ceremony in summer kimono.

20–21 Jun 2027Hyogo · Kansai

Festival

Aizen Festival

A 1,400-year-old temple festival honors a Buddhist deity associated with love and good fortune through public celebrations and sacred displays.

30 Jun – 2 Jul 2027Osaka · Kansai

Festival

Gion Festival

A month-long Kyoto festival centered on Yasaka Jinja Shrine features sacred rituals, food stalls, illuminated floats, and culminates in a grand procession and parade.

1–31 Jul 2027Kyoto · Kansai

Festival

Abare Festival

Illuminated lanterns parade through coastal Ushitsu in a celebration rooted in legend, featuring frenzied rituals to honor spiritual protection from epidemics.

3–4 Jul 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Doronko Festival

This agricultural ritual held in rice paddies since 1881 celebrates the completion of planting through symbolic mud-covered performances invoking divine blessing for harvest.

5 Jul 2027Ehime · Shikoku

Festival

Ikukunitama Matsuri

One of Osaka's three great summer festivals features a grand procession from the shrine to Osaka Castle with gold and silver portable shrines.

11–12 Jul 2027Osaka · Kansai

Festival

Koiji Fire Festival

Coastal festival where young men shoulder ornate floats representing lovers and wade into the sea before Benten Island as fireworks burst overhead and ceremonial fires illuminate.

19 Jul 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Shrine Annual Celebration And The Float Festival

Elaborate floats and traditional performances honor this port town's spiritual guardian, a shrine established in 1620 by local leaders.

20–21 Jul 2027Akita · Tohoku

Festival

Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival

This summer festival in Ehime features giant ushi-oni floats depicting fearsome bull and demon faces, paraded through the streets with traditional music and chants.

22–24 Jul 2027Ehime · Shikoku

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 2027Osaka · Kansai

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