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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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All Events Places

Festival

The 74th Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

The 74th edition of a summer festival known for elaborate street decorations and featuring the Tanabata Dance Thousand-Person Parade on its opening day.

3–5 Jul 2027Kanagawa · Kanto

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.

All Events Places

Festival

The 74th Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

The 74th edition of a summer festival known for elaborate street decorations and featuring the Tanabata Dance Thousand-Person Parade on its opening day.

3–5 Jul 2027Kanagawa · Kanto

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 2027

Ehime · 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

Toyohashi Gion Festival

Held annually in Toyohashi, Aichi, the Gion Festival combines tezutsu hand-held fireworks with the Yoritomo Procession, and dates back to the Edo period.

17–19 Jul 2027Aichi · Chubu

Festival

SURF JAM FESTIVAL

Surf Jam Festival celebrates four days of beach culture at Ohara Beach in Chiba, with live reggae, funk, and punk performances, plus DJ sets in a premier surfing destination.

17–20 Jul 2027Chiba · Kanto

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

Chichibu Kawase Matsuri

The summer counterpart to Chichibu's famous winter festival, held in July, where children take central roles as musicians and performers on decorated floats.

19–20 Jul 2027Saitama · Kanto

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

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 2027Osaka · 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