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

Free when you joinThe First-Timer's Japan Guide, our 16-page PDF, in your welcome email.

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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

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.

All Events Places

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 2027

Nagano · Chubu

Festival

New Year’s Bonfire (Sagicho-shinji)

The Sagicho-shinji ritual burns New Year's decorations on January 15 at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū shrine in a purifying fire believed to cleanse impurities and bring a bountiful harvest.

15 Jan 2027Kanagawa · Kanto

Festival

Oiso Sagicho Festival

A National Important Folk Cultural Property, this Little New Year fire ritual purifies homes and communities through burning traditional new-year decorations.

17 Jan 2027Kanagawa · Kanto

Festival

Echizen Ono Hina Festival

A Doll's Day celebration features hina doll displays at two venues, including a 20-step arrangement at a historic National Cultural Property and character dolls.

24 Jan – 8 Mar 2027Fukui · Chubu

Festival

Chitose and Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

An ice festival at Lake Shikotsu showcases sculptures created from sprayed water, complemented by performances, fireworks, and nearby hot springs.

31 Jan – 23 Feb 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Setsubun Armor Festival

In February, this festival features a grand procession of 200 costumed samurai in traditional armor proceeding to Bannaji Temple for a traditional purification ceremony.

31 Jan 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Amamehagi

Ancient Noto folk ritual where children masquerading as demons parade through streets to symbolically drive away laziness and encourage diligent work.

3 Feb 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

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 2027Kumamoto · 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

Shrine

Hōfu Tenmangū

Established in 904, this shrine honors Tenjin, the deified scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane, whose unique single-building design houses all major sanctuaries.

Hofu · Yamaguchi

Shrine

Shinzan Shrine

This shrine atop Mount Shinzan in Akita honors mountain deities and houses a thousand-year-old kaya tree among ancient cedar groves.

Oga · Akita

Shrine

Ikukunitama Shrine

This Osaka shrine venerates two Shinto deities and features a main hall in the distinctive Momoyama-period Ikutama architectural style.

Osaka

Shrine

Ichinomiya Shrine

This Heian-period shrine in Tokushima city venerates two kami and showcases a Momoyama-style main hall built in 1630, designated a National Important Cultural Property.

Tokushima

Shrine

Noda Shrine

Shrine honoring Mōri Takachika, the last daimyō of Chōshū Domain and central figure in the Meiji Restoration.

Yamaguchi

Shrine

Kirishimamine Shrine

Shrine dating to the 6th century enshrining deities from three generations of the Hyuga, beginning with Ninigi.

Kobayashi · Miyazaki

Shrine

Kashihara Jingu

Shrine commemorating Japan's mythical founding, erected on the sacred site where Emperor Jinmu established his palace approximately 2,680 years ago.

Kashihara · Nara

Shrine

Morioka Hachimangū Shrine

Shinto shrine dedicated to Hachiman, god of war and samurai patron, hosting an annual August festival featuring traditional taiko drums and horseback archery.

Morioka · Iwate

Shrine

Miyazaki-jingū

Shrine dedicated to Emperor Jimmu and ancestral deities, believed to occupy the site of the emperor's ancient palace before his legendary eastern expedition.

Miyazaki

Shrine

Onikoshi Sozen Shrine

Shinto shrine dedicated to Sozen, an Edo-period samurai warrior, established in the early eighteenth century and surrounded by a serene garden.

Takizawa · Iwate

Shrine

Aoshima Shrine

Shrine occupying an entire 1.5-kilometre island, dedicated to deities including the god of navigation and ancestors of Emperor Jimmu.

Miyazaki

Shrine

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Shrine founded as guardian deity of the Kamakura shogunate, hosting significant festivals including horseback archery and sumo wrestling traditions.

Kamakura · Kanagawa

Shrine

Kurumayama Shrine

Mountain shrine at 1,925 meters dedicated to the Shinto deity of mountains, regarded as sacred since the Jōmon period and steeped in tengu folklore.

Chino · Nagano

Shrine

Aoi Aso Shrine

Shrine dedicated to three protective deities founded 1,200 years ago as a guardian of the Hitoyoshi-Kuma basin and Mount Aso region.

Hitoyoshi · Kumamoto

Shrine

Kashima Jingū Shrine

Believed to have been founded in 660 BCE, this ancient shrine in the Kanto region is dedicated to a patron deity of martial arts and historic swordsman school.

Kashima · Ibaraki

Shrine

Jozankei Shrine

A Shinto shrine in Sapporo's Jozankei hot spring resort area, dedicated to the god of hot springs and healing, surrounded by nature and autumn foliage.

Sapporo · Hokkaido

Shrine

Izumo Taisha

One of Japan's oldest and most revered Shinto shrines, dedicated to Ōkuninushi no Ōkami, venerated as the deity of nation-building, agriculture, and relationships.

Izumo · Shimane

Shrine

Hie Shrine

A Shinto shrine in Takayama dedicated to Sanno Gongen and serving as the focal point of the Takayama Spring Festival, one of Japan's most beautiful festivals.

Takayama · Gifu