A fireworks and music festival in Tokyo, this event combines 10,000 fireworks with live J-pop performances held in stadiums against the Shinjuku skyline.
A major Tokyo festival, it features a procession where mikoshi carriers are splashed with water by spectators. A larger version of the festival occurs every three years.
A large dance festival in Tokushima, Awa Odori is held annually from August 12-15. Groups perform choreographed street dances with distinct male and female styles.
A Bon dance festival in Gujo Hachiman, the Gujo Odori spans over thirty nights. It features ten traditional dances, including four consecutive nights of all-night dancing in August.
A folk dance festival in Minano, Saitama, is held annually on August 14. The event is a formal competition featuring team performances and concludes with a fireworks display.
A lantern festival in Nara, the Mantoro involves lighting over 3,000 historic lanterns at Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The event is held twice a year in February and August.
The Shoro Nagashi is a Nagasaki festival on August 15 to send off spirits of the deceased. Participants parade handcrafted boats with loud firecrackers, gongs, and chanting.
A lantern festival in Yamaga City, it features women performing a dance while wearing illuminated paper lanterns on their heads. The event is held annually in August.
A bonfire festival in Kyoto, Daimonji Gozan no Okuribi is held on August 16. Five fires are lit on mountains to guide ancestral spirits after the Obon holiday.
A paper lantern floating festival in Tokyo where participants release lanterns on the Sumida River. The event commemorates war victims and fosters community spirit.
