Kenrokuen Garden Kanazawa
Festivals in Japan are hugely popular, especially during the Summer months. The more local, the better! Most towns around Japan will celebrate something special to that town or village by way of hosting a festival. If you have the chance to experience a local festival, we highly recommend joining in!
Click the months below to read events taking place in Japan.
January
Winter Grand Sumo Tournament
Location: Tokyo
2021: Jan 10 – 24
2022: Jan 9 – 23
Details: Sumo wrestling, considered by many as Japan’s national sport, was once a form of ritual, dedicated to the Gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest. There are six Grand Tournaments a year, three in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days with each competitor or rikishi fighting once every day against a different opponent. The winner of the tournament (rikishi with the best record of wins over losses) is awarded the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of the last match.
We can add tickets for this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Abashiri Okhostsk Drift Ice Festival
February
Sapporo Snow Festival
Location: Sapporo (Hokkaido)
2021: Feb 4 – 28 (Online)
2022:– dates not yet confirmed
Details: Hokkaido’s capital Sapporo is transformed with magical winter splendor by one of the world’s grandest and most loved snow festivals. A shining spectacle of giant sculptures awaits, with a festive atmosphere and wonder that changes from day into sparkling night. The festival takes place for one week usually in early February. Join our 8 Day Journey to the East tour to see not only this incredible spectacle of snow art, but also to the vast Eastern Hokkaido wilderness most famous for the red-crowned cranes.
March
Spring Grand Sumo Tournament
Location: Osaka
Details: The 2nd Series of the tournament takes place in Osaka, EDION Arena.
2021: March 14 – 28
2022: March 13 – 27
If you would like to see a Sumo tournament, contact us. Speak with us to include tickets for this event to any of our Self Guided tours. We do not sell Sumo tickets on their own.
April
Takayama Spring Festivals
Location: Takayama
Takayama Festival Float Japan (See Japan Discovered)
2021: April 14 – 15
2022: April 14 – 15
Details: Takayama’s Spring Festival ranks as one of Japan’s three most beautiful festivals. It is centered around the Hie Shrine and is held to pray for a good harvest. Festival highlights include a parade of magnificently carved yatai or giant wooden floats, and mechanical puppets in colourful costumes who play out an ancient drama from within the yatai in a spectacle not to be missed.
Experience this amazing festival on our Japan Discovered tour!
May
May Grand Sumo Tournament
Location: Tokyo
2021: May 9 – 23
2022: May 8 – 22
Details: Sumo wrestling, considered by many as Japan’s national sport, was once a form of ritual, dedicated to the Gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest. There are six Grand Tournaments a year, three in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days with each competitor or rikishi fighting once every day against a different opponent. The winner of the tournament (rikishi with the best record of wins over losses) is awarded the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of the last match.
Experience this amazing festival on our Japan Discovered tour!
Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival)
Location: Kyoto
2021: May 15
2022: May 15
Details: This is one of Kyoto’s three most famous festivals and is held annually on May 15. Five hundred locals wearing splendid ancient costumes and traditional makeup parade through the main streets of Kyoto in a practice that dates back centuries. This festival came to be called Aoi Matsuri because aoi (hollyhock) leaves are used as ornaments not only on the people’s costumes, but even on cows and horses.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
June
Sanno Matsuri
Location: Tokyo
2021: June 7 – 17
2022: June 7 – 17
Details: Sanno Matsuri is one of Japan’s three biggest festivals. The main procession called jinkosai takes place in the middle of June in every other year according to the Western calendar. This festival grew to prominence during the Edo Period (16031867) when the Tokugawa Shogunate granted permission for the procession to enter the grounds of Edo Castle. It was also one of the three largest festivals of Japan.
About 300 people dressed in ancient costumes parade through the heart of Tokyo including Tokyo Station, Ginza, and in front of the Diet Building (parliament). Consisting of mikoshi (portable shrines) adorned with a phoenix on the roof, dashi floats, people carrying drums, people on horseback, the procession extends over a length of 600 meters. You will also see people dressed as the legendary goblin called Tengu, characterized by a red face and a long nose, and believed to possess supernatural powers. The procession which departs from Hiejinja Shrine at 8 o’clock in the morning does not return to the shrine until early in the evening.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
July
Summer Grand Sumo Tournament
Location: Nagoya
2021: July 4 – 18
2022: July 10 – 24
Details: Sumo wrestling, considered by many as Japan’s national sport, was once a form of ritual, dedicated to the Gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest. There are six Grand Tournaments a year, three in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days with each competitor or rikishi fighting once every day against a different opponent. The winner of the tournament (rikishi with the best record of wins over losses) is awarded the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of the last match.
Speak with us to include tickets for this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Gion Matsuri Festival
Location: Kyoto
2021: July 1 – 31
2022: July 1 – 31
Details: The Gion Matsuri, familiarly known as ‘Gionsan,’ is a festival held at Yasakajinja Shrine. The highlight is the splendid pageant of some 30 floats called yamaboko proceeding along the main streets of Kyoto on the 17th of July every year.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Nachi-no-Hi-Matsuri
Location: Kumano Kodo, Kumano Nachi Taisha
July 14 every year
Details: Nachinohimatsuri is one of the three largest fire festivals of Japan. It is staged annually in the Kumano mountains of Wakayama Prefecture, an area registered as a World Heritage Site. Twelve vermilion mikoshi (portable shrines), 6 meters tall, decorated with ogifans and mirrors, are designed in the image of the Nachinootaki Falls (the Great Waterfall of Nachi) near the shrine. At the Kumano Nachitaisha Shrine, the waterfall itself is the object of worship and is regarded as a deity. During the festival, you can enjoy viewing the mystical scene of 12 huge 50kg pine torches waved around so very close to these portable shrines that it appears as if the portable shrines are about to be scorched. The enormous pine torches represent the 12 deities dwelling in Kumano as well as the 12 months of the year. The portable shrines, which are produced in the image of the sacred falls, are filled with the spirits of the 12 gods, and then purified by the fire of the pine torches; in this manner, vitality is enhanced through these sacred rituals, which is one important objective of this festival.
If you are travelling with us in July on Hidden Treasures or the Kumano Way, we can add this event to your itinerary on request.
Tenjin Matsuri
Location: Osaka
2021: July 24 – 25
2022: July 24 – 25
Details: Having a history of more than 1,000 years, the Tenjin Matsuri, which is one of the three greatest festivals of Japan, is also the world’s greatest boat festival. It is a summer festival held at the Tenman Shrine dedicated to Sugawarano Michizane (845-903), who is deified as Tenman Tenjin, the patron god of learning and art. On the days of the festival, traditional Japanese performing arts such as kagura music, which is performed when paying homage to gods, and bunraku theatrical performances using puppets are performed in all parts of the city, and the entire city becomes filled with a festive mood.
One of the highlights of the festival is the land procession, which is a parade of some 3,000 people dressed in the imperialcourt style of the 8th – 12th Centuries marching beside portable shrines. The other highlight is the boat procession, when the same 3,000 people board some 100 boats from the approach of the Tenmabashi Bridge and sail upstream.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Sumida River Fireworks Display
Location: Tokyo
2021: Oct 23
2022: July 30 – dates not yet confirmed
Details: One of the major fireworks displays of Tokyo. On the last Saturday of July, the oldtown evening sky turns into a spectacle of dazzling colors from several tens of thousands of fireworks. This annual event is said to have originated in the custom of the common people of Edo viewing fireworks while enjoying the cool of the summer evening.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
August
Nebuta Festival
Location: Aomori City
2021: August 02 – 07
2022: August 02 – 07
Details:
Check this festival out on our newest off the beaten path itinerary in Tohoku.
Tanabata Festival
Location: Sendai City
2021: August 06 – 08
2022: August 06 – 08
Details:
The Sendai Tanabata Matsuri (仙台七夕まつり), is held every year on August 6-8, is one of the largest and most famous Tanabata celebrations in Japan. Together, with Akita’s Kanto Matsuri and Aomori’s Nebuta Matsuri, it makes up the Tohoku Sandai Matsuri (Three Great Festivals of the Tohoku Region). While festivities take place throughout Downtown Sendai, the festival’s main feature are thousands of colorful streamers that decorate the city’s shopping arcades, which come to resemble brightly colored forests. Each set of 3-5 meter long streamers is handcrafted by local shops, schools and community groups out of washi paper and bamboo. They are then hung from ten-meter long bamboo poles along the arcades.
Check this festival out on our newest off the beaten path itinerary in Tohoku.
Awa Odori Dance Festival
Location: Tokushima
Tokushima Awa Odori Dance Festival (See Lost in Japan)
2021: August 12 – 15
2022: August 12 – 15
Details: Awa is the former name for Tokushima prefecture and Odori means to dance. During Obon season, over one million people come to Tokushima, to watch the most famous of many dance
festivals in Japan. Dressed in their summer kimono and costumes, the men and women perform their street dances to the lyrics of the fool’s dance: Fools dance and fools watch, if both are fools, you might as well dance!!
Speak with us to include this amazing festival on our Lost in Japan self-guided tour!
Earth Celebration
Location: Sado Island
2021: August 20 – 22
2022: Late August – dates not yet confirmed
Details: Once a year in the quiet port town of Ogi, people gather from all over the world to transform Sado Island into a bustling international arts festival, Earth Celebration. The world renowned Japanese Taiko drummers, Kodo, are home to Sado Island and invite musicians and perform at this energetic festival.
Speak with us to include this amazing festival on our Northern Trails self-guided tour!
Daimonji Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji Bonfire)
Location: Kyoto
2021: August 16
2022: August 16
Details: The Daimonji Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji Bonfire) is an event held on the evening of August 16th, when gigantic Chinese characters and other motifs are depicted by fires lit to illuminate the surroundings for patrolling on the slopes of the mountains surrounding the Kyoto Basin. It is a famous for evoking the image of a Kyoto summer.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
September
September Grand Sumo Tournament
Location: Tokyo
2021: September 12 – 26
2022: September 11 – 25
Details: Sumo wrestling, considered by many as Japan’s national sport, was once a form of ritual, dedicated to the Gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest. There are six Grand Tournaments a year, three in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days with each competitor or rikishi fighting once every day against a different opponent. The winner of the tournament (rikishi with the best record of wins over losses) is awarded the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of the last match.
Speak with us to include this amazing festival on our Lost in Japan self guided tour!
October
Takayama Autumn Festival
Location: Takayama
2021: October 9 – 10
2022: October 9 – 10 – dates not yet confirmed
Details: Ranked as one of Japans three most beautiful festivals, the Takayama festival highlights include a parade of magnificently carved giant wooden floats, ancient puppets, and colourful costumes.
Experience this amazing festival on our Japan Discovered tour!
Kurama Fire Festival Kyoto
Location: Kyoto
2021: October 22
2022: October 22
Details: This is one of Kyoto’s three most spectacular festivals said to reenact the scene of the enshrined deity greeted after traveling from the Imperial Palace to Kuramanosato village, at the end of the Heian Period. Watch fires are lit at the entrances of local houses. At 6pm the town is lit up with torches carried by children and locals wearing straw warrior sandals and costumes.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
The Japanese Formula One Grand Prix
Location: Suzuka Circuit, Mie
2021: October 10
Details: The Japanese Formula One Grand Prix is held in October over one weekend at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture. This attracts thousands of both domestic and overseas spectators every year so we recommend booking your tickets early to get the best seats at the best price.
Speak with us to include tickets for this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Nada-no-Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival)
Location: Himeji
2021: October 14 – 15
Details: Nada no Kenka Matsuri is the popular name for a festival held at the Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in the town of Shirahama, Himeji City. It came to be called by this name, Kenka Matsuri or ‘Fighting Festival’ because the mikoshi (portable shrines) are jolted against one another when carried on the shoulders of the men in the parade.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Nikko Toshogu Shrine Shuki Taisai Grand Autumn Festival
Location: Nikko
2021: October 16 – 17
Details: This is the autumn festival of Nikko Toshogu, a registered World Heritage Site, where the Shunki Reitaisai Grand Spring Festival is staged on May 17th and 18th. Just as in the Spring Festival, the main attraction in the Grand Autumn Festival is the grand procession of men dressed in samurai costumes (known as Hyakumono Zoroe Sennin Gyoretsu or the Parade of 1,000 Samurai Warriors).
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Jidai Matsuri
Location: Kyoto
2021: October 22
2022: October 22
Details: A grand ancient costume procession where the long history of Japan unfolds before the spectators. A festival held at the Heian Jingu Shrine, the Jidai Matsuri is one of the three largest festivals of Kyoto together.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
November
Winter Grand Sumo Tournament
Location: Fukuoka
2021: November 14 – 28
2022: November 13 – 27
Details: Sumo wrestling, considered by many as Japan’s national sport, was once a form of ritual, dedicated to the Gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest. There are six Grand Tournaments a year, three in Tokyo, and one in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu. A tournament lasts for fifteen days with each competitor or rikishi fighting once every day against a different opponent. The winner of the tournament (rikishi with the best record of wins over losses) is awarded the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of the last match.
Speak with us to include tickets for this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu (Feudal Lord’s Procession in Hakone)
Location: Hakone
2021: November 3
2022: November 3
Details: An annual tourist event held on Culture Day (a national holiday), November 3rd, at Yumoto Onsen, Hakone. A procession of a total of 170 people dressed up as samurai warriors and princesses parades over a distance of some 6 km in the hot spring town. The procession is reproduced in the style of the Daimyo Gyoretsu (feudal lord’s procession) which was also known as sankin kotai during the Edo Period (16031867). The suite of retainers, each assigned with his role, and armed with spear, bow and arrow, or gun, march on as they carry their lord in the palanquin to the words, ‘Down! Down! The Lord comes!’ voiced aloud by those leading the procession.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours.
December
Chichibu Yomatsuri (Chichibu Night Festival)
Location: Saitama
2021: December 2 – 3
2022: December 2 – 3
Details: Chichibu Yomatsuri is a festival of Chichibu Shrine which has a history of more than 2,000 years. It is one of Japan’s three greatest Hikiyama (float) festivals, together with the Gion Matsuri of Kyoto (July 1st31st) and the Takayama Matsuri of Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture (April 14th and 15th, and October 9th and 10th).
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours
Kasuga Wakamiya On Matsuri
Location: Nara
2021: December 15 – 18
2022: December 15 – 18
Details: The On Matsuri is a festival held at Wakamiyajinja Shrine which stands in the precincts of the Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine. It was first organized in the 12th Century when an epidemic prevailed, and prayers were offered at this festival for the eradication of the plague and also for the blessing of a rich harvest. This historic festival continues to be one of the largest annual events of Nara Prefecture, attracting a great many tourists.
Speak with us to include this event to any of our Self Guided tours
