Kawasaki Daishi, formally Heikenji, is a head temple of the Shingon Chisan school in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, known across Japan as the temple that wards off misfortune. The main hall opens 5:30-18:00 from April to September and 6:00-17:30 from October to March in the ordinary season. It is 8 minutes' walk from Kawasaki-daishi Station on the Keikyu Daishi Line, with 700 free parking spaces. Founded in 1128, it marks its 900th anniversary with a grand festival on 1-10 May 2027. Checked 2026-09-18.
The Yubari City Coal Mine Museum in Hokkaido is not just a display: you walk into a genuine mine tunnel and touch a real coal seam underground. The 2026 season runs 18 April to 3 November; admission is 1,200 yen for adults and 400 yen for primary schoolchildren; hours are 10:00-17:00 from April to September and 10:00-16:00 from October, last entry 30 minutes before closing, closed Tuesdays. The drum cutter, the only one in Japan preserved in working order, made its final run on 6 May 2026. Verified against official sources on 2026-09-18.
Fukuchiyama Castle in Kyoto Prefecture was built by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1579. Admission is 360 yen for adults and 110 yen for children; it opens 9:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30. The keep was pulled down after the 1873 Castle Abolition Order and rebuilt in November 1986 with about 510 million yen raised from citizens at 3,000 yen a roof tile - roughly 8,500 donors, whose names are still written on the backs of the tiles. 2026 is the 40th anniversary, with a special exhibition until 30 November. Verified against official sources on 2026-09-18.
A guide to Maizuru, Japan's old Imperial Navy port on the Sea of Japan coast of Kyoto Prefecture. Twelve Meiji- and Taisho-era red brick warehouses survive here; eight of them (one by attachment) were designated a national Important Cultural Property on 9 June 2008 as the Former Maizuru Naval District Warehouses, and five open to the public as Maizuru Red Brick Park (including the Brick Museum). Nearby, the Maizuru Repatriation Museum holds 570 records inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World in 2015. Hours, admission, the combined ticket and access, verified against official sources on 2026-09-17.
Every major festival and big-ticket event in Fukuoka, Kitakyushu and Munakata from October 2026 to November 2027 in one date-ordered table — Miare Festival, Hakata Okunchi, the Fukuoka Marathon, the November sumo tournament, Toka Ebisu, Hakata Dontaku, Hakata Gion Yamakasa, Hojoya and the 2027 Kyushu Basho — verified against each organiser's official announcement on 2026-09-13.
Held on the Matsukawa in Ito, Shizuoka since 1956: competitors sit in a one-metre washtub and paddle 400 m from Ideyu Bridge to Fuji-no-Hiroba with a paddle shaped like a rice scoop. The 2026 race was on Sunday 5 July; the 2027 date is not yet announced (as of 2026-09-13).
Ito's annual All-Japan Pillow Fight Championship at the Ito Municipal Gymnasium. The tourist association's calendar lists Sat 20 – Sun 21 Feb 2027, but the 15th edition's official guidelines are not yet published (as of 2026-09-13). From the 14th edition's official rulebook: eight per team (general, libero, three attackers, three support), three 2-minute sets, yukata compulsory, entry fee 5,000 yen per team.
Every major festival, fireworks show and market in Ito, Shizuoka from November 2026 to August 2027, in date order, verified against the Ito Tourist Association's listings on 2026-09-12.
Ito's largest festival honours William Adams (Miura Anjin): lantern floating on the Matsukawa, a taiko battle, then the sea fireworks on 10 August, the city's founding day. 2027 (81st) dates are not yet announced — this page will update.
Every February the whole of Mount Omuro (580 m) above Izu Kogen is set alight. 2027: Sunday 14 February (planned) — ten signal fireworks at noon, then about 40 minutes of flames racing to the summit. Rain or wind pushes it to the next week.
Ito's once-a-year bargain market: Sat 23 Jan 2027 9:00–16:00 and Sun 24 Jan 9:00–15:00 at Matsukawa Fuji-no-Hiroba, selling Izu seafood, dried fish and farm produce at 'ridiculous' prices. 10 min walk from JR Ito Station.
A flat seaside fun-run in Ito, Shizuoka: Sun 17 Jan 2027, starting and finishing at Ito Orange Beach with 2 km, 5 km and 10 km courses plus a family category. About 2,500 runners; 15 min walk from JR Ito Station.
Ito's winter fireworks over the seafront: Sat 19 Dec 2026, 20:30–21:00 at Nagisa Park, paired with the Winter Yosakoi Sozura dance festival and the ITO MARCHE stalls. 10 min walk from JR Ito Station.
Every 10 November, Otonashi Shrine in Ito (Shizuoka) hosts a famously odd festival: a 'bottom sumo' contest where contestants bump hips to festival music. 2026: Tue 10 Nov, 18:30–21:00.
COMITIA 158 runs on Sunday 13 December 2026, 11:00–16:00, at Tokyo Big Sight East Halls 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8. Entry is by catalog — Tia's Magazine 158, ¥1,400 in advance or ¥1,500 on the day, free for under-12s. 6,000 circle slots. (Official COMITIA site, as of 8 September 2026.)
Record heat has pushed several of Japan's best-known summer festivals into spring or autumn in 2026 -- here's what changed, and how to check before your trip.
Chiba's biggest street festival draws up to 800,000 visitors -- and in 2026 it moves from its traditional late-July weekend to September 19-20 because of record summer heat.
Pioneering woman conductor Midori Komai gives her farewell concert on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at Kyowa Wing Hakuba Cultural Hall in Nagano — a one-time-only Hakuba Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and other European favourites. Doors 14:00, performance 15:00–17:00. Advance tickets ¥4,500 (students ¥2,000; under-12 free).
Kokura Gion Daiko 2026 was held July 17-19 around Kokura Castle, Kitakyushu -- free entry, an estimated 300,000 visitors over the three days, 400 years of two-sided drumming. The 2027 dates are not yet announced.
Nagaoka's 2026 reserved seats sold out June 17 — the official resale opens July 6 (Japan residents only). Here's the resale route, the unauthorized-resale warning, and where you can still watch for free.
No official 2026 Halloween announcement from Shibuya City yet (as of July 2026) — details usually land in early October. Confirmed now: a year-round street-drinking ban (6PM–5AM) has covered Shibuya Station since Oct 2024, and 2023–2025 saw escalating crowd-control measures.
Vantelin Dome Nagoya — known as Nagoya Dome until 2021 — is a domed multi-purpose stadium in Higashi-ku, Nagoya with 36,778 seats for professional baseball and an official maximum of 49,185 when the arena floor is opened for other events (both figures as of the 2026 season). It's about a 5-minute walk from Nagoyadome-mae Yada Station on a fully covered route. Below: verified capacity, full address, station access and what's nearby.