Shinto in Japan | Hey Japan!

Festival

Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival

The Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival marks the seasonal transition through purification rituals and Mamemaki, the traditional ceremony of throwing roasted soybeans.

3 Feb 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival

Snow and ice sculptures crafted by the Japan Self-Defense Force and local artists fill three Sapporo sites for Japan's most celebrated winter festival.

4–11 Feb 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Yamaga Lantern Hyakka Hyakusai

Festival

Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival

The Utasu Jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival marks the seasonal transition through purification rituals and Mamemaki, the traditional ceremony of throwing roasted soybeans.

3 Feb 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival

Snow and ice sculptures crafted by the Japan Self-Defense Force and local artists fill three Sapporo sites for Japan's most celebrated winter festival.

4–11 Feb 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Yamaga Lantern Hyakka Hyakusai

This handmade winter festival transforms harvested bamboo into intricate lanterns that celebrate Yamaga's heritage as a traditional umbrella-producing town.

6–28 Feb 2027

Kumamoto · Kyushu

Festival

Chofu Cinema Festival 2027

A festival celebrating Chofu's cinematic heritage since 1933 connects audiences with the city's continued cluster of film and media companies.

6 Feb – 1 Mar 2027Tokyo · Kanto

Festival

Nagasaki Lantern Festival

The festival illuminates Nagasaki's streets with around 15,000 Chinese lanterns, some reaching 10 metres, celebrating Lunar New Year traditions.

6–23 Feb 2027Nagasaki · Kyushu

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 2027Aomori · Tohoku

Festival

Snowman Festival

Thousands of handmade snowmen light up after dark, transforming two mountain towns into a glowing winter spectacle, while local food vendors offer regional specialties to visitors.

6 Feb 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Takewari Festival (Gogan Shinji)

An ancient Shinto ritual held on February 10 features young men in white ceremonial clothing splitting bamboo stalks to symbolize strength and readiness.

10 Feb 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Atsukishinmei Festival

Fire-lit pillars adorned with sacred paper stand on beaches as the community performs ceremonial dances twice daily, seeking protection from illness and calamity.

11 Feb 2027Yamaguchi · Chugoku

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 2027Yamagata · Tohoku

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 2027Iwate · Tohoku

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 2027Akita · Tohoku

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 2027Yamagata · Tohoku

Festival

The Sugita Plum Festival

A winter festival in Yokohama celebrates the legacy of a historic plum grove, with around 100 trees blooming at Myōhōji Temple, reviving centuries of tradition.

14–15 Feb 2027Kanagawa · Kanto

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 2027Aomori · Tohoku

Festival

Niigata International Animation Film Festival

An international festival brings together animators and creative professionals to showcase diverse animated works across screenings, competitions, and workshops.

20–25 Feb 2027Niigata · Chubu

Festival

Shiozawa Seppu Festival

A winter festival celebrates Edo-period scholar Bokushi Suzuki and the region's textile traditions with a 108-lantern Goma fire ceremony by mountain ascetics.

21 Feb 2027Niigata · Chubu

Festival

Mt. Shinobu Dawn Procession

This Fukushima winter festival features Japan's largest straw sandal, a 12-metre marvel crafted in an Edo-period tradition and carried by volunteer bearers through the city.

21–22 Feb 2027Fukushima · Tohoku

Shrine

Aoba Shrine

Dedicated to Date Masamune, the founder of Sendai, this shrine was established in 1874 and serves as a symbolic center of the city's samurai heritage.

Sendai · Miyagi

Shrine

Tsutsujigaoka Tenmangu Shrine

Dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, this shrine was established in 974 and relocated to Sendai, rebuilt in 1667 with striking vermilion colors.

Sendai · Miyagi

Shrine

Kasuga-taisha

A major shrine with over 3,000 affiliated shrines nationwide, maintained through a tradition of structural renewal held every 20 years.

Nara

Shrine

Okawakami Birafu Shrine

A revered Kochi shrine with 10th-century origins, featuring a prefectural cultural property hall and an annual autumn festival.

Kami · Kochi

Shrine

Heian Shrine

A highly-ranked Shinto shrine in Kyoto built in 1895 to commemorate the city's 1100th anniversary and dedicated to Emperor Kanmu.

Kyoto

Shrine

Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi Taisha has served maritime travelers for two millennia, enshrining three sea deities and Empress Jingū, who founded the shrine and is revered as a protective deity.

Osaka

Shrine

Owari Okunitama Shrine

Owari Okunitama Shrine is the regional guardian of Owari Province, enshrining the sacred land spirit revered for protection of agriculture and commerce since the Nara period.

Inazawa · Aichi

Shrine

Tsuma Shrine

Tsuma Shrine is dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime, whose name is believed to reflect her role as the spouse of Ninigi no Mikoto in Japanese mythology.

Saito · Miyazaki

Shrine

Suwa Shrine

Suwa Shrine sits on a hillside overlooking Toyama Bay, enshrining three deities revered by maritime workers for protection and prosperity in fishing.

Uozu · Toyama

Shrine

Iminomiya Shrine

Western Japan's oldest shrine with an 1,800-year legacy, built where Emperor Chūai's palace stood and his spirit was enshrined by Empress Jingū.

Shimonoseki · Yamaguchi

Shrine

Kanayama Shrine

Shrine dedicated to metalworking deities, famous for the annual Kanamara Matsuri celebrating fertility and well-being, with origins in the Edo period.

Kawasaki · Kanagawa

Shrine

Miyagi Gokoku Shrine

Shrine on the Sendai Castle site honoring over 56,000 spirits of those who died in national service, with a main hall from Ise Grand Shrine.

Sendai · Miyagi

Shrine

Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine

Shinto shrine at the northern base of Mount Fuji dating to the 2nd century, serving as the traditional departure point for Mount Fuji pilgrimages.

Fujiyoshida · Yamanashi

Shrine

Hakusan Shrine Sayado

Built in 1760 to protect an ancient shrine dating to 1502, this structure in Gokayama shelters Toyama's oldest surviving wooden building, now designated an Important Cultural Property.

Nanto · Toyama

Shrine

Kanda Shrine

With origins dating 1,270 years ago, this Tokyo shrine in Akihabara held significance for warriors and citizens during the Edo period and was visited by shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tokyo

Shrine

Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha

Dedicated to Mount Fuji's volcano goddess, this shrine has led 1,300 Sengen shrines nationwide for 1,100 years and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013.

Fujinomiya · Shizuoka

Shrine

Osaka Tenmangū

Founded as a guardian shrine in 650 AD and rededicated in 949, Osaka Tenmangū honors the deified scholar Sugawara no Michizane, revered as a deity of academics and learning.

Osaka

Shrine

Aso Shrine

A venerable shrine dating over 2,000 years, Aso Shrine honors the grandson of Emperor Jimmu and fuses Shinto practice with worship of Mount Aso's sacred volcanic crater.

Aso · Kumamoto

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