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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 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

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

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

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

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

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

Sanja Matsuri

Sanja Matsuri is one of Tokyo's largest traditional festivals, honouring enshrined figures through mikoshi processions and an Intangible Folk Cultural Property ritual dance.

15–17 May 2027Tokyo · Kanto

Festival

Iwase Hikiyama Festival (The Fighting Floats Festival)

Annual spring festival featuring thirteen ornate floats with elaborate wooden tatemon decorations pulled through streets with traditional music.

17–18 May 2027Toyama · Chubu

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 2027Toyama · Chubu

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

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

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

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

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