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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

Jozankei Onsen Keiryu Koinobori

Jozankei's 40-year-old spring tradition celebrates through approximately 400 carp streamers suspended above the hot spring town, repurposed from donated family heirlooms.

10 Apr – 10 May 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Bunsui Geisha Parade

A spring parade in Niigata features courtesans in Edo-period dress and 70 followers moving gracefully among blooming cherry blossom trees.

12 Apr 2027Niigata · Chubu

Festival

Sanno Festival

Seven portable shrines and demon-drum performances highlight this Sado festival, jointly conducted by six local communities as part of traditions spanning over 800 years.

All Events Places

Festival

Jozankei Onsen Keiryu Koinobori

Jozankei's 40-year-old spring tradition celebrates through approximately 400 carp streamers suspended above the hot spring town, repurposed from donated family heirlooms.

10 Apr – 10 May 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Bunsui Geisha Parade

A spring parade in Niigata features courtesans in Edo-period dress and 70 followers moving gracefully among blooming cherry blossom trees.

12 Apr 2027Niigata · Chubu

Festival

Sanno Festival

Seven portable shrines and demon-drum performances highlight this Sado festival, jointly conducted by six local communities as part of traditions spanning over 800 years.

12–14 Apr 2027

Niigata · Chubu

Festival

Kumano Hongu Taisha Grand Festival (Reitaisai)

Each April, Kumano Hongu Taisha holds its Reitaisai – three days of purification rites, beautiful sacred dance performances, and a grand palanquin procession.

13–15 Apr 2027Wakayama · Kansai

Festival

Sosha Shrine Annual Festival Eve Kyogen Performance

Sagiryu Kyogen, a rare traditional comic theatre form from only three locations in Japan, is performed during this festival eve by preservation groups and local students.

14 Apr 2027Niigata · Chubu

Festival

The Spring Takayama Festival

A spring festival in Takayama showcases ornate floats with mechanical dolls and centuries-old craftsmanship, illuminated by lanterns during evening processions.

14–15 Apr 2027Gifu · Chubu

Festival

Marumage Festival

An annual festival in Himi centers on Senju-ji Temple, where unmarried women pray for happiness using a traditional married woman's hairstyle in ritual.

17 Apr 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Otawara Yatai Festival

A spring festival dating to the Edo period features nine elaborately decorated floats paraded through city streets accompanied by traditional music.

18–19 Apr 2027Tochigi · Kanto

Festival

Ishioka Spring Shishi Festival

Ishioka's spring celebration showcases lion dance culture through performances by neighborhood groups, competitions across age categories, and food vendors and carnival games.

29 Apr 2027Ibaraki · Kanto

Festival

The Yonezawa Uesugi Matsuri

The Yonezawa Uesugi Matsuri features a multi-day celebration culminating in a reenactment of the 1561 Battle of Kawanakajima between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.

29 Apr – 3 May 2027Yamagata · Tohoku

Festival

Takaoka Mikuruma-yama Festival

A traditional spring festival in Takaoka features ornate wheeled floats originating from a 16th-century court carriage.

1 May 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Hakata Dontaku

Japan's largest festival, dating back 840 years, celebrates with parades of the Three Lucky Gods, children's processions, and modern Flower Cars.

2–4 May 2027Fukuoka · Kyushu

Festival

Senteisai festival (Akama-jingu Shrine)

A shrine festival in Shimonoseki honors Emperor Antoku through traditional Shinto rituals, offerings, and cultural performances commemorating the young ruler's tragic death.

2–4 May 2027Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Ono Festival

A traditional spring festival held over two days features three decorated floats and karakuri puppets, with origins dating to the Edo period.

3–4 May 2027Aichi · Chubu

Festival

The 43th Higashimokoto Shibazakura Festival

The 43nd edition of this festival showcases 10 hectares of vibrant pink moss phlox blooms and includes tour vehicles and traditional performances.

3–31 May 2027Hokkaido · Hokkaido

Festival

Yatsuo Hikiyama Festival

A traditional spring festival features six ornately decorated floats assembled without nails, pulled through streets with classical hikiyama music.

3 May 2027Toyama · Chubu

Festival

Seihakusai Festival

This over 1,000-year-old Ishikawa festival parades three enormous wheeled floats adorned with life-size Kabuki figures and is recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

3–5 May 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Fukiage-hama Sand Festival

The Fukiage-hama Sand Festival transforms a Kagoshima beach into an art gallery of large-scale sculptures created by artists and volunteers, with cultural performances.

3–5 May 2027Kagoshima · Kyushu

Shrine

Ashikaga Orihime Shrine

Shrine dedicated to weaving deities symbolizing romantic union, featuring reinforced concrete architecture from 1937 and four National Tangible Cultural Properties.

Ashikaga · Tochigi

Shrine

Yasaka Jinja Shrine

A Kyoto shrine tracing its origins to 656, dedicated to Susanoo-no-mikoto and his consort, with its main hall designated a National Treasure in 2020.

Kyoto

Shrine

Senso-ji Temple

One of Tokyo's oldest temples dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon since the 7th century, Senso-ji features the iconic Kaminarimon gate and bustling Nakamise-dori shopping street.

Tokyo

Shrine

Chinzei Grand Shrine Suwa Shrine

This Nagasaki shrine dedicated to the sea god offers traditional architecture, serene gardens, and hosts an annual August festival honoring maritime heritage.

Nagasaki

Shrine

Sugo Isobe Shrine

This Kaga shrine traces its origins to 585 when an imperial kami was transferred to the site, rising to prominence as one of the region's most historically significant sanctuaries.

Kaga · Ishikawa

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