Nagasaki Tall Ships Festival 2025
Nagasaki Seaside Park Nagasaki Seaside Park, 22-17 Tokiwamachi, Nagasaki, NagasakiThe Nagasaki Tall Ships Festival (長崎帆船まつり, Nagasaki Hansen Matsuri) is one of a kind in Japan. It was…
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Chichibu Yomatsuri 2025
Chichibu Shrine 秩父神社, 1-3 Banbamachi, Chichibu, SaitamaOne of Japan’s greatest hikiyama (float) festivals, the Chichibu Yomatsuri is held 2-3 December every year and attracts…
Sengakuji’s Ako Gishi Sai 2025
Sengakuji Sengaku-ji, 2-11-1 Takanawa, Minato, TokyoThe story of the 47 ronin is one of Japan’s most celebrated and famous. While in English it…
Daikoku Matsuri 2026
Kanda Myojin 2-16-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda, TokyoThe association of Kanda Myojin with wealth and good fortune (it is after all home to two of…
Dosojin Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival 2026
Nozawa Onsen Village Shimotakai District, NaganoThe Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival (野沢温泉道祖神火祭り, Nozawa Onsen Dōsojin Hi-matsuri) is held on 15 January every year and…
Sapporo Snow Festival 2026
Odori Park, Sapporo 大通公園, 7-chrome Odorinishi, Chuo, Sapporo, HokkaidoWhat started off in 1950 as community event to display six snow statues made by local high school…
Otaru Snow Light Path Festival 2026
Otaru, Hokkaido Otaru Station, 2 Chome-22 Inaho, Otaru, HokkaidoThe Otaru Snow Light Path Festival (小樽雪あかりの路, Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi) began in 1999 with the hope…
Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival 2026
Yokote, Akita 横手市民会館, 13-1 Minamimachi, Yokote, AkitaThe ritual of hollowing out a mound of snow and building a small hut like an igloo is…
Saidaiji Eyo (“Naked Festival”) 2026
Saidaiji Kannon-in 別格本山 金陵山西大寺観音院, 3 Chome-8-8 Saidaijinaka, Higashi Ward, Okayama, OkayamaThe Saidaiji Eyō (西大寺会陽), more commonly known as the Hadaka Matsuri (“Naked Festival”), gets more international media attention…
Some no Komichi 2026
Nakai 西武新宿線 中井駅, 1-19-1 Nakaochiai, Shinjuku, TokyoUntil the 1950s, many dying factories could be found along the river near Nakai Station in Shinjuku Ward…
Kyoto Higashiyama Hanatoro 2026
Higashiyama, Kyoto Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, KyotoHanatoro (花灯路, Hanatōro) is a 10-day long illumination that takes place in Kyoto’s Higashiyama in March and Arashiyama…
Mount Takao Fire Walking Festival 2026
Takaosan Car Park 2390 Takaomachi, Hachioji-shi, TokyoThe Fire Walking Festival (火渡りまつり, hiwatari matsuri) is held near Takaosanguchi Station on the second Sunday of March…
Kanamara Matsuri (“Penis Festival”) Parade 2026
Kanayama Shrine Kanayama Shrine, 2-13-16 Daishi Ekimae, Kawasaki, KanagawaKanamara Matsuri (otherwise known as the "Penis Festival" or “Festival of the Steel Phallus”) is an annual festival…
Hana Matsuri at Sensoji 2026
Sensoji Temple Senso-ji, 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, TokyoThis event at Sensoji Temple celebrates the Buddha’s birthday on 8 April and is more formally called Bussho-e…
Edo Yoshiwara Ichiyo Sakura Matsuri (Oiran Dochu) 2026
Ichiyo Sakura Komatsu Dori 一葉桜小松橋通り, 4-40-7 Asakusa, Taito, TokyoOiran (花魁) is a word used to refer to the high-class prostitutes that worked in the Yoshiwara red-light…
Nikko Yayoi Festival 2026
Nikko Futarasan Shrine 2307 Sannai, Nikko, TochigiThe Yayoi Festival (弥生祭, Yayoi Matsuri) is held on the 13 to 17 of April each year at…
Kurayami Matsuri (Darkness Festival) 2026
Okunitama Shrine Okunitama Shrine, 3-3-1 Miyamachi, Fuchu, TokyoKurayami Matsuri is one of Tokyo’s most popular festivals and one with a rich and long history with…
Kachiya Festival 2026
Kameidokatori Shrine Kameidokatori Shrine, 3-57-22 Kameido, Koto, TokyoOver 1,000 years ago the military leader Fujiwara no Hidesato came to the shrine to pray for victory…
Kanda Matsuri 2026
Kanda Myojin 2-16-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda, TokyoKanda Matsuri is held in mid-May at Kanda Myojin Shrine on odd numbered years (so intense was the…
Kyoto Aoi Matsuri 2026
Kyoto City Kyoto, Kyoto, KyotoThe Aoi Matsuri (葵祭) or the “Hollyhock Festival” is one of Kyoto’s three major festivals (the others being…
Asakusa Yabusame Archery 2026
Sumida Park Sumida Park, 1-2-5 Mukojima, Sumida, TokyoYabusame (horseback archery) has its roots in the Kamakura period when samurai used the competition to improve their skills…
Sanno Matsuri 2026
Hie Shrine Hie Shrine, 2-10-5 Nagatacho, Chiyoda, TokyoThe Sanno Festival (山王祭) is the last of Tokyo’s major festivals and one of the three great festivals…