SOONMatsuriTokyoFREE
Sanja Matsuri
三社祭
May 15–17, 2026
One of Tokyo's three great Shinto festivals. Three million visitors watch 100 mikoshi portable shrines carried through Asakusa's Edo-era streets by teams in traditional happi coats.
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SOONMatsuriTochigi
Nikko Toshogu Spring Festival
日光東照宮春季例大祭
May 17–18, 2026
A spectacular procession of 1,200 armored samurai, shrine maidens, and horseback archers winds through Nikko's UNESCO cedar forests. The yabusame mounted archery is the highlight.
SOONMatsuriMiyagiFREE
Sendai Aoba Matsuri
仙台青葉まつり
May 17–18, 2026
Sendai's great spring festival honors Date Masamune with samurai processions of 3,000 people. The suzume odori sparrow dance — danced by 6,000 performers simultaneously — fills the downtown boulevards.
SOONMatsuriNara
Takigi Noh at Kōfuku-ji
興福寺薪御能
May 21–22, 2026
Noh drama performed by torchlight in the ancient precinct of Kōfuku-ji — a 1,300-year-old tradition. Masked performers move against the silhouettes of the five-story pagoda under open sky.
MatsuriTokyoFREE
Sanno Matsuri
山王祭
Jun 7–17, 2026
One of the three great festivals of Edo — an imperial procession of over 500 participants in Heian-era court costume winds through central Tokyo past modern skyscrapers in a surreal contrast.
MatsuriHokkaidoFREE
Yosakoi Soran Festival
YOSAKOIソーラン祭り
Jun 10–14, 2026
Over 30,000 dancers in vivid costumes perform high-energy choreography through Sapporo's Odori Park. Teams compete across 20 stages — the energy is electric and unlike any other Japanese festival.
MatsuriKyotoFREE
Gion Matsuri — Yamaboko Junko
祇園祭・山鉾巡行
Jul 1–31, 2026
Kyoto's month-long summer festival peaks on July 17 when 23 enormous yamaboko floats — some 25 meters tall and richly decorated with Flemish tapestries — are paraded through the city. The Yoiyama eve (July 14-16) turns streets into a candlelit promenade.
MatsuriKanagawaFREE
Tanabata Matsuri
七夕まつり
Jul 7–12, 2026
Hiratsuka hosts Japan's largest Tanabata festival — 3km of shopping arcades are transformed by thousands of giant paper streamers in all colors. Based on the legend of star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi.
MatsuriHokkaidoFREE
Sapporo Summer Festival
さっぽろ夏まつり
Jul 22 – Aug 16, 2026
Odori Park transforms into a beer garden spanning 12 blocks — the world's largest outdoor beer garden. Each block is hosted by a different Japanese brewer. Evenings fill with live music, street food and summer fireworks.
OtherNiigata
Fuji Rock Festival
フジロックフェスティバル
Jul 24–26, 2026
Asia's largest outdoor music festival unfolds across Naeba ski resort's forested mountain stages. International headliners share billing with Japanese acts under the stars — the setting alone is worth the journey.
MatsuriOsakaFREE
Tenjin Matsuri
天神祭
Jul 24–25, 2026
One of Japan's three greatest festivals — 100 boats carry the deity's portable shrine down the Okawa river at dusk, lit by paper lanterns and fireworks. The riverside is lined with food stalls for kilometers.
MatsuriTokyoFREE
Akagi Shrine Summer Festival
赤城神社例大祭
Jul 25–26, 2026
Shinjuku's most charming summer festival at the beautifully restored Akagi Shrine. Mikoshi portable shrines are paraded through the back streets of Kagurazaka — Tokyo's most Franco-Japanese neighborhood — after dark.
FireworksTokyoFREE
Sumida River Fireworks
隅田川花火大会
Jul 25, 2026
Tokyo's most beloved summer fireworks display launches 20,000 shells over the Sumida River from two sites near Asakusa. Bridges and riverbanks fill with yukata-clad spectators from dusk — arrive two hours early for a prime spot.
FireworksTokyoFREE
Edogawa River Fireworks
江戸川区花火大会
Aug 1, 2026
One of Tokyo's largest fireworks competitions on the Edogawa River — 14,000 shells launched from two sites, including synchronized music fireworks. Local families picnic on the riverbank making it more relaxed than the Sumida.
MatsuriAomoriFREE
Nebuta Matsuri
ねぶた祭
Aug 2–7, 2026
Enormous illuminated washi paper floats depicting warriors and mythological figures — some 5 meters tall — parade through Aomori's streets at night. Dancers called haneto jump and chant alongside in wild costumes.
MatsuriTokyoFREE
Hachioji Matsuri
八王子まつり
Aug 7–9, 2026
One of Tokyo's largest old-town festivals — elaborately decorated dashi floats with live musicians parade through Hachioji's historic shopping street. The evening lantern procession on the final night is unmissable.
MatsuriTokushimaFREE
Awa Odori
阿波おどり
Aug 12–15, 2026
Japan's most famous bon dance festival fills Tokushima's streets with 100,000 dancers over four nights. Professional ren troupes perform intricate choreography while spectators are pulled into the dance — no experience needed.
MatsuriKyotoFREE
Daimonji Gozan Okuribi
五山送り火
Aug 16, 2026
On the last night of Obon, enormous bonfires in the shapes of Chinese characters and symbols are lit on five mountains surrounding Kyoto — including the iconic 大 (dai) on Mt. Nyoigatake — to guide ancestral spirits home.
MatsuriTokyoFREE
Shinjuku Eisa Festival
新宿エイサーまつり
Aug 22–23, 2026
Okinawan eisa drumming and dance performed on the streets of Shinjuku — an unexpected slice of the Ryukyu islands in central Tokyo. Dozens of troupes in vivid costumes drum their way down Shinjuku's pedestrian streets.
MatsuriTokyoFREE
Koenji Awa Odori
高円寺阿波おどり
Aug 29–30, 2026
Tokyo's largest summer street festival brings Tokushima's famous bon dance to Suginami — 10,000 dancers and 1 million spectators over two nights. The Koenji shopping arcade transforms into a river of color and drumming.
Food FestivalHokkaidoFREE
Sapporo Autumn Fest
さっぽろオータムフェスト
Sep 11 – Oct 4, 2026
Hokkaido's legendary autumn harvest festival turns Odori Park into a 10-block showcase of the island's finest food — Jingiskan lamb, fresh sea urchin, corn, pumpkin soup and world-class dairy. Japan's best food festival by far.
MatsuriKanagawaFREE
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Autumn Festival
鶴岡八幡宮例大祭
Sep 14–16, 2026
Kamakura's most important annual ceremony at its great Shinto shrine. The peak event is mounted yabusame archery on September 16 — archers in full samurai armor gallop down a 255m track and shoot at three targets.
Food FestivalKanagawaFREE
Yokohama Oktoberfest
横浜オクトーバーフェスト
Oct 1–18, 2026
Japan's largest Oktoberfest takes over Yokohama's Red Brick Warehouse waterfront — authentic German beer, bratwurst, pretzels and live brass bands. The harbor view at sunset with a cold Märzen in hand is hard to beat.
MatsuriNara
Shika-no-Tsunokiri
鹿の角切り
Oct 8–10, 2026
Nara's sacred deer have their antlers ceremonially trimmed by Shinto priests in a wooden pen beside Kasuga Grand Shrine — an autumn ritual practiced since 1671 to protect both deer and the humans who visit the park.
MatsuriSaitamaFREE
Kawagoe Matsuri
川越まつり
Oct 17–18, 2026
One of Japan's most spectacular float festivals in the 'Little Edo' city of Kawagoe. Enormous hikiyama floats — some three stories tall — navigate narrow Edo-era streets while competing teams perform hayashi music.
MatsuriKyotoFREE
Jidai Matsuri
時代祭
Oct 22, 2026
Kyoto's Festival of the Ages recreates 1,100 years of Japanese history in a single procession — 2,000 participants in historically accurate costumes from Meiji back to the Heian period march from the Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine.
MatsuriKyotoFREE
Kurama Fire Festival
鞍馬の火祭
Oct 22, 2026
On the same night as Jidai Matsuri, villagers in the mountain hamlet of Kurama carry enormous pine torches through narrow streets lit only by fire — one of Japan's most primordial and atmospheric rituals.
Food FestivalTokyo
Tokyo Ramen Show
東京ラーメンショー
Oct 23 – Nov 3, 2026
Japan's largest ramen festival brings together master ramen chefs from across the country to Komazawa Olympic Park. Over 30 regional styles are served — each bowl ¥900. The queues are long but the broth is worth it.
MatsuriTokyoFREE
Meiji Shrine Autumn Grand Festival
明治神宮秋の大祭
Oct 26 – Nov 3, 2026
The Meiji Shrine's most important annual ceremony — a week of ancient court music, traditional dance, and Shinto rituals in the forested heart of Harajuku. A rare chance to see bugaku court dance performed in a sacred setting.
MarketTokyoFREE
Tori no Ichi
酉の市
Nov 5, 2026
The 'Rooster Market' at Otori Shrine in Asakusa — one of the iconic sights of Tokyo's late autumn. Vendors sell elaborately decorated kumade (bamboo rakes) said to rake in good fortune. The stalls and lanterns glow until midnight.
MatsuriSaitamaFREE
Chichibu Night Festival
秩父夜祭
Dec 2–3, 2026
One of Japan's three great float festivals — massive silk-draped yatai floats are hauled up a steep hill by teams of hundreds while fireworks explode directly overhead in the winter night sky. A breathtaking spectacle far from the tourist trail.
PASTMatsuriFukuokaFREE
Hakata Dontaku Port Festival
博多どんたく港まつり
May 3–4, 2026
Japan's largest Golden Week festival draws over 2 million spectators. Residents parade through Fukuoka in elaborate costumes, carrying shamisen and performing traditional street dances.