Taiko in Japan | Hey Japan!

Festival

Akita Kanto

A summer harvest festival features towering bamboo poles adorned with paper lanterns, paraded through streets with traditional music and daytime balancing performances.

3–6 Aug 2027Akita · Tohoku

Festival

Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival

The Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival is an Aomori summer festival famous for its illuminated floats, some up to 23 metres tall, paraded nightly to taiko drums and flutes.

4–8 Aug 2027

Festival

Akita Kanto

A summer harvest festival features towering bamboo poles adorned with paper lanterns, paraded through streets with traditional music and daytime balancing performances.

3–6 Aug 2027Akita · Tohoku

Festival

Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival

The Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival is an Aomori summer festival famous for its illuminated floats, some up to 23 metres tall, paraded nightly to taiko drums and flutes.

4–8 Aug 2027

Aomori · Tohoku

Festival

Yaegaki Shrine Gion Festival

Every 4–5 August, ten neighbourhoods of Yokaichiba send mikoshi through the streets while crowds throw water over them. A Chiba festival nearly 500 years old.

4–5 Aug 2027Chiba · Kanto

Festival

Kiryu Yagibushi Festival

The Kiryu Yagibushi Festival is a lively summer event held each August in Kiryu City, centred on Yagibushi folk song and dance, with street parades, live music, and cultural programmes.

7–9 Aug 2027Gunma · Kanto

Festival

Suhoteisai Festival

A rare Yamaguchi ritual festival said to date back over 1,800 years, with seven nights of dances around the Oni-ishi stone, towering banners, and lantern-topped poles.

7–13 Aug 2027Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Performing Art

Yamashiro Daidengaku Festival

The Yamashiro Daidengaku Festival revives the ancient dengaku dance form rooted in Shintoism, through performances by local talents and renowned actors in period costumes.

8–9 Aug 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Firework

Mikuni Fireworks Festival

A summer fireworks festival in the coastal town of Mikuni, Fukui, where hanabi are launched over the sea, alongside food stalls, festival games, and traditional performances.

11 Aug 2027Fukui · Chubu

Festival

Awa Odori Festival

Japan's most famous traditional dance festival, held annually in Tokushima City, where dancers form groups with distinctive choreography and costumes.

12–15 Aug 2027Tokushima · Shikoku

Festival

Wajima Taisai Festivals

Ornate lacquered lanterns parade through Wajima's four districts, symbolizing the path for visiting deities, accompanied by taiko drums and portable shrine processions.

22–25 Aug 2027Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Shinjo Matsuri

A festival with over 260 years of history, where 20 ornate floats themed on historical tales, legends, and kabuki parade through the streets with traditional music.

24–26 Aug 2027Yamagata · Tohoku

Festival

Ogi Minato Matsuri

A summer festival in the port town of Ogi on Sado Island, with traditional dances, portable shrines, and a fireworks display rooted in prayers for maritime safety.

29–30 Aug 2027Niigata · Chubu

Festival

Towada City Autumn Festival

A three-day festival in Towada, Aomori, begun as a prayer for the harvest, with floats and drum carts drawn through the streets and lit at night.

4–6 Sep 2027Aomori · Tohoku

Festival

Kakunodate Festival

A traditional autumn festival with 400 years of history, held in September in Kakunodate, featuring large wooden floats decorated with samurai warrior dolls.

7–9 Sep 2027Akita · Tohoku

Festival

Hanamaki Festival

This centuries-old festival features over 100 mikoshi shrines and floats, with the Shishi-Odori deer dance and sacred Kagura-Gongenmai performance.

11–13 Sep 2027Iwate · Tohoku

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