OfficialOn now© Douggers · Public DomainA 1,300-year-old torchlit tradition: Gifu's Imperial cormorant masters work leashed birds on the Nagara River nightly, May 11-October 15, 2026.
2026/05/11 19:45 Across JapanShared sightseeing boat (2026 rates): ¥4,200 adults / ¥2,100 children on regular days; ¥5,100 adults / ¥2,600 children on peak dates. Watching for free from the riverbank is also possible.
OfficialThis weekend© Umako · Public domainSome 600 people parade in full samurai costume through Aizuwakamatsu in a 'Lord's Procession' honouring the clan that made a famous last stand in Japan's last civil war.
2026/09/19 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialThis weekend© ヒタチギ · CC BY-SA 4.0Chiba'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.
2026/09/19 13:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialThis weekend© そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0Kumamoto's biggest autumn festival runs Sept 20-21, 2026: about 60 decorated parade horses and a twice-daily armored procession fill the streets, free to watch.
2026/09/20 06:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© tenaciousme from Toronto, Canada · CC BY 2.0The beachside successor to TAICOCLUB — a genre-spanning electronic festival in front of Izu's Shirahama Beach.
2026/09/26 11:00 Across JapanTickets ¥16,000–22,000; Under-23 ¥13,000 (accommodation separate)
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY 2.5Matsue's castle and canals glow with lanterns every weekend from Sept 26-Oct 18, 2026, 18:00-21:00 -- a quiet, romantic alternative to Japan's big-city illuminations.
2026/09/26 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Nihonmatsuri · CC BY 4.0Seven towering floats, each carrying 300+ glowing red lanterns, parade through Fukushima nights to the beat of taiko in one of Japan's three great lantern festivals.
2026/10/03 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 3.0Marimo Festival 2026 runs 8–10 October at Lake Akan, Hokkaido. Every ceremony is free to watch: Ainu elders open with kamuinomi prayers, a torchlit parade winds along the lake on the second night, and on the final morning the marimo are carried by dugout canoe back into the water — a rite held every year since 1950 to protect a Special Natural Monument.
2026/10/08 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© katorisi · CC BY 3.0Fourteen giant wooden floats, each topped by a towering doll of a legendary hero, are hauled through the canal-side 'Little Edo' streets of Sawara to lilting Sawara-bayashi music every autumn - October 9-11 in 2026 - in one of the Kanto region's three great float festivals, just a day-trip from Tokyo.
2026/10/09 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Kanchi1979 · CC BY-SA 4.0Konpira-san's biggest festival (Oct 9-11, 2026): once a year the mountain deity 'comes down' -- a ~600-strong procession carries the mikoshi 2km through Kotohira by torchlight.
2026/10/09 16:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Internet Archive Book Images · No restrictionsSome 33,000 round kochia bushes turn Miharashi Hill a blazing crimson each October, a fluffy red carpet rolling toward the Pacific Ocean.
2026/10/10 09:30 Across JapanAdults (high-school+) from ¥450; price rises during peak kochia season
OfficialUpcoming© photo: Qurren (talk) Taken with Canon PowerShot G9 X · CC BY-SA 3.0One of the world's most respected boutique raves — a Funktion-One sound system in the Gunma mountains, lineup kept secret.
2026/10/10 12:00 Across Japan~¥23,000 (Under-28) to ¥29,000; includes camping
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0Three portable shrines are violently crashed together as seven ornate floats clash in Japan's most famous 'fighting festival.'
2026/10/14 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0Fifty-four golden, 5.5-metre taiko-dai floats are hoisted by 150-strong crews in one of Shikoku's three great festivals.
2026/10/16 08:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Subramaniam K V · CC BY 3.0Walk ancient moss-covered pilgrimage paths through the forested Kii Mountains to sacred Kumano shrines, a UNESCO World Heritage route.
2026/10/17 08:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0One of Japan's three great 'fighting' festivals, where teams ram a giant drum-float and mikoshi together to a thundering 'ton-ten-ton' beat.
2026/10/24 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Cobalt Fox · Public DomainOne of the Kanto region's largest illuminations blankets a hillside German-themed park in millions of lights, best seen from its observation wheel.
2026/10/31 16:00 Across JapanPaid: adults ¥1,500, children (age 4–elementary) ¥800; parking from ¥1,000.
OfficialUpcoming© Jorge Láscar from Australia · CC BY 2.0Japan's largest illumination floods a European-style canal town with millions of lights every night of the year across this Nagasaki resort.
2026/11/01 17:00 Across JapanPark admission ticket required (varies by plan)
OfficialUpcoming© Sanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0The original Kagoshima Ohara Matsuri (Nov 2–3, 2026) fills Tenmonkan with 16,500+ dancers — not to be confused with Tokyo's May Shibuya version.
2026/11/02 18:50 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Cobalt Fox · Public DomainOne of Japan's three great fireworks competitions, where rival pyrotechnicians fire 20,000 shells over the Sakuragawa river to be crowned the nation's best.
2026/11/07 17:30 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© C2revenge · CC BY-SA 4.0Every 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.
2026/11/10 18:30 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© senngokujidai4434 · CC BY 2.0Izumo Taisha's Kamiari-sai 2026 runs from the Kamimukae welcoming rite at 19:00 on Wednesday, November 18 to the Karasade send-off rite at 16:00 on Wednesday, November 25.
2026/11/18 19:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© David Stanley · CC BY 2.0From nightly hour-long showings at Takachiho Shrine to the free two-day, all-33-dance Yokagura Matsuri and month-long hamlet sessions each winter, Takachiho Yokagura is one of Kyushu's most accessible sacred night rituals -- a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property since 1978.
2026/11/22 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Daisuke tashiro from Japan · CC BY-SA 2.0Wild Japanese macaques bathe in a steaming mountain hot spring as snow falls around them — the world-famous 'snow monkeys' of Nagano, most iconic in winter.
2026/12/01 08:30 Across JapanPark admission around ¥800; the 'Snow Monkey Pass' (~¥3,500) bundles transport and entry.
OfficialUpcoming© Suicasmo · CC BY-SA 4.0At one of Japan's top hot-spring towns, kimono-clad locals cool the scalding spring water with long wooden paddles in time to folk songs — a centuries-old daily ritual at Netsunoyu.
2026/12/01 09:30 Across JapanAdults ¥700, elementary children ¥350
OfficialUpcoming© Wikimedia Commons · Public domainSix lantern-lit floats are hauled up steep Dango-zaka as winter fireworks burst overhead — one of Japan's three great float festivals and a UNESCO heritage event.
2026/12/03 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Ito'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.
2026/12/19 16:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0Wind, snow and ice encase the alpine firs into surreal white 'snow monsters'; ride the ropeway up and see them glow under colored floodlights at night.
2026/12/26 17:00 Across JapanFree outdoors; Zao Ropeway round-trip fare (several thousand yen) to reach the summit juhyo.
OfficialUpcoming© Ogata Kōrin · Public domainFamous as Japan's earliest-blooming plum grove, Atami Bairin opens its winter ume from early January with taiko, geisha dances and hot-spring charm.
2027/01/09 09:00 Across JapanModest garden admission during the festival (recent years a few hundred yen).
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0One of Japan's three great fire festivals: villagers defend a giant wooden shrine with blazing torches as attackers try to set it alight in a wild snowbound battle.
2027/01/15 19:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0A 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.
2027/01/17 08:00 Across JapanEntry fees vary by distance; 2027 fees and the entry window were not yet posted when checked (see Ito City's official page). Free to watch.
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0The 52nd Sounkyo Onsen Ice Waterfall Festival runs 23 January to 7 March 2027 (official). In a Daisetsuzan gorge, ice domes and towers fill a riverside field, lit nightly in shifting colors with weekend fireworks over the snow.
2027/01/23 Across JapanThe cooperation fee for 2027 (52nd edition) has not been announced as of 2026-09-18. For the 51st edition in 2026 it was ¥1,000, with the site open 17:00–21:30 on weekdays and 11:00–21:30 at weekends and on holidays (last entry 21:15).
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Ito'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.
2027/01/23 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Yoyogimura · CC BY-SA 4.0Kobe Luminarie 2027 runs Jan 29 (Fri) – Feb 7 (Sun), 2027 — the 32nd edition. You can see the light arches free from the surrounding streets; the special paid zones at Meriken Park need a ticket (advance ¥500 weekday / ¥750 weekend, as of July 2026). All three venues are walkable from Sannomiya Station.
2027/01/29 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0Sumo wrestlers and celebrity 'lucky men' hurl tonnes of beans from Naritasan's great hall, where the chant is only 'fortune in' — no demons to expel.
2027/02/03 11:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Cobalt Fox · Public DomainNagasaki Lantern Festival 2027's official dates: Feb 5–21 (17 days), free to view. ~15,000 red Chinese lanterns and giant zodiac lantern objects light central Nagasaki nightly from 17:00–22:00, with a daily dragon dance and parades.
2027/02/05 17:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Kirin7739 · CC0Dates for the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival 2027 had not been announced as of September 18, 2026. The 2026 edition (the 36th) ran February 7 to March 8, a 3-minute walk from Kawazu Station in Izu.
2027/02/06 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Rarisan · CC0Hundreds of candlelit snow igloos glow across Yokote while children inside invite passersby in for sweet sake — plus 4,000 mini-kamakura lighting the riverbed.
2027/02/12 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0Demon-masked 'namahage' brandishing torches stampede down a snowy mountainside at Shinzan Shrine in a fierce, firelit Oga winter spectacle.
2027/02/12 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Etwas Neues · CC BY-SA 3.0Roughly 3,000 plum trees in over 60 varieties scent one of Japan's Three Great Gardens, drawing crowds for taiko, tea ceremony and geisha dances.
2027/02/13 08:00 Across JapanInner garden ~¥300 for non-residents; festival grounds largely free.
OfficialUpcoming© Immanuelle · CC BY 4.0Every 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.
2027/02/14 12:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0Every February 17-20, dozens of Enburi troupes dance through Hachinohe in tall black eboshi hats to summon an early spring and good harvest - a roughly 800-year-old rite tracing to the Kamakura era, now a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
2027/02/17 07:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Ito'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.
2027/02/20 09:00 Across JapanEntry for the open division was 5,000 yen per team including accident insurance (14th edition guidelines). The fee for the 15th edition has not been announced. The defending champions enter free.
OfficialUpcoming© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainThousands of loincloth-clad men pack a freezing temple hall at midnight, surging to seize two sacred shingi sticks flung into the throng — one of Japan's wildest rites.
2027/02/20 22:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 3.0On March 3 across Japan, families display tiered hina dolls of the Heian court to wish for girls' health, amid peach blossoms and sweet hishi-mochi.
2027/03/03 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0Japan's hot-spring capital throws its biggest party of the year — a fire festival on Mount Ogi, free baths across the city and a mikoshi parade thanking the springs.
2027/04/01 11:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 江戸村のとくぞう (Edomura no Tokuzo) · CC BY-SA 4.0The 53rd Shingen-ko Festival is expected in Kofu in April 2027, but the exact dates are still unannounced as of September 2026. Casting is set: actor Maki Miya as Takeda Shingen — only the third woman in the role — and opera singer Kohei Yamamoto as Yamamoto Kansuke.
2027/04/02 12:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© teru · Public domainOn the night of April 19, hundreds of near-naked men carry a giant drum on a tall wooden tower through Hida-Furukawa while rival neighborhood teams charge in to plant their small drums against it - the wild Okoshi-daiko, heart of a UNESCO-listed festival that also parades nine ornate floats on the 20th.
2027/04/19 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0Around 2,600 cherry trees encircle Hirosaki Castle's moats, famous for petal-carpeted 'flower rafts' and dazzling nighttime illuminations.
2027/04/23 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 要塞騎士 · CC0A beloved open-air house & techno festival held over Golden Week on a hilltop in Higashi-Izu (next edition dates TBA).
2027/05/01 10:00 Across JapanMulti-tier passes plus camping/parking (see official site)
OfficialUpcoming© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0Giant kites duel over the Nakatajima dunes by day; by night, illuminated palace-style floats and brass bands fill downtown Hamamatsu.
2027/05/03 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© Hajime NAKANO · CC BY 2.0Hundreds of riders in full samurai armour thunder across Fukushima's coast for armoured horse races and a wild scramble to catch sacred flags shot into the sky.
2027/05/29 09:00 Across JapanThe main-day grounds (Hibarigahara) are ticketed for grandstand seating; street processions are free to watch. Exact 2027 dates (last weekend of May) confirmed in advance.
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Held 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).
2027/07/04 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 8-Forest · CC BY-SA 4.0For five days every July 31-August 4, 27 towering, gold-leafed floats and three shrines' mikoshi processions fill Hachinohe's streets - a 300-year-old harvest-thanksgiving festival and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage that draws over a million visitors.
2027/07/31 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialUpcoming© 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Ito'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.
2027/08/08 19:30 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© おにく · CC BY-SA 3.0Japan's largest illumination: millions of LEDs transform a flower park near Nagoya into glowing tunnels and light shows.
2026/01/15 17:00 Across JapanAdmission around 2,500 yen (includes a park voucher)
OfficialPast event© kimubert · CC BY 2.0Glowing arches of hundreds of thousands of lights fill Kobe each winter, a moving memorial turned beloved festival.
2026/01/23 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© 雷太 · CC BY 2.0A UNESCO World Heritage village of steep thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses, nestled in a mountain valley that turns magical under snow.
2026/02/15 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Brett Fagan · CC0Kobe's waterfront glitters after dark — the red Port Tower, illuminated promenade and bay views make for a relaxed romantic evening.
2026/06/28 17:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Cesar I. Martins · CC BY 2.0Mt Fuji 2026: Yoshida & Subashiri open July 1, Fujinomiya & Gotemba July 10 (all close Sept 10). ¥4,000 fee, reservation, and gate rules — every trail.
2026/07/01 Across JapanA trail-entry fee applies (around 2,000-4,000 yen); mountain-hut stays extra
OfficialPast event© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0One of the Kanto region's largest Tanabata festivals, where central Hiratsuka disappears beneath giant, gaudy bamboo streamers up to ten metres tall.
2026/07/03 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Suicasmo · CC BY-SA 4.0A mountain hot-spring resort near Mt. Fuji, combining steaming onsen, a sculpture park, a pirate-ship lake cruise and ropeway views.
2026/07/04 09:00 Across JapanOnsen and museum entries vary; a Hakone Free Pass saves on transport
OfficialPast event© 663highland · CC BY 2.5An island in the Seto Inland Sea reborn as living art, with Tadao Ando museums, a Yayoi Kusama pumpkin and outdoor installations.
2026/07/05 10:00 Across JapanMuseum tickets vary; Chichu Art Museum needs advance booking
OfficialPast event© Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0World-touring taiko troupe DRUM TAO performs a 45-minute show at its own open-air theatre, perched at 1,036m in the grasslands of Aso-Kuju National Park. Thunderous drumming, athletic choreography and sweeping highland views.
2026/07/07 14:00 Across JapanAdults (junior-high+) ¥4,500; children (4+) ¥2,500; under 3 free. Spring/autumn shows at 14:00.
OfficialPast event© Nesnad · CC BY 4.0German beer festivals tour Japan's cities each year with imported brews, sausages and live oompah bands.
2026/07/08 12:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© 663highland · CC BY 2.5A celebrated contemporary art festival scattered across the islands of the Seto Inland Sea, blending installations with fishing-village life.
2026/07/13 09:00 Across JapanPassport tickets cover many sites; some works charge separately
OfficialPast event© Internet Archive Book Images · No restrictionsTwelve fan-shaped portable shrines representing the gods meet a procession of giant 50-kilogram flaming torches before Japan's tallest waterfall — one of the country's three great fire festivals.
2026/07/14 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Σ64 · CC BY 3.0A four-day camping techno & house festival in the Fukushima highlands, running nonstop through the night since 2009.
2026/07/17 13:00 Across Japan4-day full pass ~¥25,000; Under-25 ¥14,000; Tohoku-resident ¥15,000
OfficialPast event© skyseeker · CC BY 2.0A pristine alpine valley in the Northern Japan Alps, with the Kappa Bridge, clear Azusa River and jagged peaks rising all around.
2026/07/18 06:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© さかおり (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0Around 600,000 sunflowers blaze across the Yatsugatake foothills, lit up after dark for a glowing field beneath the night sky.
2026/07/25 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Hasui Kawase · Public domainSado Island's 140th Kozan Matsuri (Jul 25-26) pairs a gold-mine shrine ritual with a town-wide Okesa dance through Aikawa and fireworks over the harbor.
2026/07/25 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Marho · CC BY-SA 4.0A Guinness-record wall of taiko drums thunders through Morioka as thousands of dancers chant 'Sakkora choiwayasse!'
2026/08/01 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Rosino · CC BY-SA 2.0Hirosaki's own summer lantern parade (Aug 1–7, 2026) — fan-shaped floats and a calmer chant that set it apart from nearby Aomori Nebuta.
2026/08/01 19:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Raita Futo · CC BY 2.0The Hakodate Port Festival 2026 is over - it ran 1-5 August 2026. The festival is held on the same calendar dates every year, so the 2027 edition falls on Sunday 1 - Thursday 5 August 2027. Free to attend, 5 minutes' walk from JR Hakodate Station.
2026/08/01 19:45 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.021,000 fireworks over Lake Shinji across two nights (Aug 1-2, 2026) -- one of western Japan's biggest lake firework shows, with a drone show opening night one.
2026/08/01 20:00 Across JapanPaid reserved seating in 3 lakeside areas (Kohoku, Shirakata, Konan) went on sale June 6, 2026; free public viewing spots are also available around the lake.
OfficialPast event© Fisherman · CC BY-SA 3.0Aomori Nebuta 2026 reserved viewing seats: ¥4,000 prices, the 2026 sale dates (lottery + Jun 27 first-come), how to buy, and access from Tokyo.
2026/08/02 19:00 Across JapanReserved viewing seat ¥4,000 (Aug 7 daytime + fireworks set ¥9,500); handling fee added
OfficialPast event© Fisherman · CC BY-SA 3.0Giant illuminated warrior floats are paraded through Aomori nightly as chanting dancers leap alongside in a blaze of color.
2026/08/02 19:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Cp9asngf · CC BY-SA 3.0Nagaoka'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.
2026/08/02 19:20 Across JapanReserved seats sold out; official resale only (Japan residents), approx. ¥1,000-¥48,000 face value by tier
OfficialPast event© Cp9asngf · CC BY-SA 3.0One of Japan's three great fireworks festivals, famed for the colossal 'Phoenix' shells fired across the Shinano River as a prayer for peace.
2026/08/02 19:20 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0Akita's Kanto Matsuri lights up Kanto Odori with about 280 bamboo poles and 10,000 lanterns, balanced on foreheads, hips and palms like glowing rice sheaves.
2026/08/03 18:45 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© hildgrim · CC BY-SA 2.0Performers balance towering bamboo poles strung with dozens of glowing lanterns on their palms, foreheads and shoulders.
2026/08/03 18:50 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© No machine-readable author provided. Crown of Lenten rose assumed (based on copy · Public domainSome 10,000 dancers twirl flower-adorned straw hats to the rhythmic cry of 'Yassho, makasho!' in one of Tohoku's biggest parades.
2026/08/05 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0Sendai Tanabata Festival 2026 (Aug 6–8): the fixed dates, the giant paper streamers, the Aug 5 fireworks, 5-min access from Sendai Station, and what to see.
2026/08/06 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Nesnad · CC BY 3.0Japan's grandest star festival drapes Sendai's arcades in thousands of giant, handmade paper streamers.
2026/08/06 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© m-sasaki · CC BY 4.0Fukushima Waraji Matsuri 2026 (Aug 7–9) parades a 12m, 2-ton straw sandal past the station before offering it to Haguro Shrine.
2026/08/07 18:30 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© DAI-nk · CC BY-SA 3.0Niigata Matsuri 2026 runs Aug 7–9: a 15,000-dancer folk parade on the 7th, then a Shinano River fireworks finale on the 9th.
2026/08/07 19:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Kounosu · CC BY-SA 3.0Yosakoi Festival 2026 (Aug 9–12, Kochi): Otesuji grandstand seat prices, the 2026 sale dates (general sale opens Jun 29), how to buy, and how to get there.
2026/08/09 13:15 Across JapanPaid grandstand seats ¥1,000–¥3,000 per session (group/parasol tables ¥15,000–¥50,000)
OfficialPast event© Midori (Wikimedia user) · CC BY-SA 3.0The original yosakoi: 200+ teams and ~18,000 dancers with naruko clappers thunder through Kochi's streets across four August days.
2026/08/09 17:00 Across JapanFree to watch on the streets; paid reserved (shaded) seats sold for the main venues.
OfficialPast event© Kounosu · CC BY-SA 3.0Awa Odori 2026 (Aug 12–15, Tokushima): grandstand seat prices, the 2026 on-sale dates, how to buy via Ticket Pia, and how to get there.
2026/08/12 18:00 Across JapanReserved grandstand ¥1,000 (C) – ¥3,000 (S); Minami-uchimachi SS ¥6,000 / Special ¥15,000
OfficialPast event© Rosino · CC BY-SA 2.0Japan's most famous dance festival: 100,000 dancers and a million spectators fill Tokushima with rhythm every August.
2026/08/12 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© KASEI · CC BY-SA 3.0Tottori's Guinness-record umbrella dance returns Aug 13–14, 2026 for its 62nd edition — free to watch along the city-center parade route.
2026/08/13 18:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Cobalt Fox · Public DomainAround 40,000 fireworks erupt over Lake Suwa, their booms echoing off the surrounding mountains in one of central Japan's most spectacular summer displays.
2026/08/15 19:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0Masked dancers in black hikosa-zukin hoods and deep amigasa hats sway through torchlit streets at one of Japan's three great Bon Odori, 700+ years old.
2026/08/16 19:30 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© MIKI Yoshihito from Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan · CC BY 2.0A thousand women dance through summer night with golden paper lanterns glowing on their heads — Kumamoto's most ethereal festival.
2026/08/16 20:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Marco Tambara · CC BY-SA 3.0World-famous taiko ensemble Kodo hosts a three-day island arts festival with thunderous harbour-side concerts under the stars.
2026/08/21 17:00 Across JapanHarbour Concert tickets approx. ¥5,000–7,000 each; fringe events free
OfficialPast event© Akinori Takemoto · CC BY-SA 4.0Roughly 15,000 shells light up the Karasugawa River in under an hour -- the fast, dense fireworks night that opens Gunma's biggest annual festival.
2026/08/22 19:30 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Katsutoshi Misawa (克年 三沢) · CC BY 2.0Twenty towering yatai floats - hand-built from scratch every year and dressed as scenes from kabuki and legend - parade the streets of Shinjo each August 24-26. This 260-plus-year-old UNESCO-listed float festival reaches a milestone in 2026: its 270th staging.
2026/08/24 15:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Sakaori (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0To mark the close of Mt. Fuji's climbing season, around seventy three-meter torches blaze along the streets of Fujiyoshida — counted among Japan's three most unusual festivals.
2026/08/26 15:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Prosperosity · CC BY-SA 3.0Noboribetsu's hot-spring Hell Festival returns Aug 29-30, 2026: a giant demon float, the 1-ton Oni Mikoshi, mass demon-dancing and fireworks -- free to attend.
2026/08/29 10:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Drivephotographer · CC0Japan's most prestigious pyrotechnic competition, where the nation's top fireworks artisans battle for the Prime Minister's Award.
2026/08/29 17:10 Across JapanReserved seating required for prime spots (paid); riverbank viewing free
OfficialPast event© さかおり · CC BY-SA 4.0By lantern light, faceless dancers in straw hats move with hushed grace to mournful kokyu strings through old Yatsuo's stone lanes.
2026/09/01 17:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Licht Philharmonic Project · © Midori Komai Orchestra Project (official promotional photo, used with permission)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).
2026/09/05 15:00 Across JapanAdvance ¥4,500 / same-day ¥5,000. Nagano residents ¥3,500; junior- and senior-high students ¥2,000; elementary-age and younger free (a free seat ticket is required if the child uses a seat). Post-event archive streaming is also sold on teket (as of 2026-07-21; confirm current details before buying).
OfficialPast event© 掬茶 (Kikucha) · CC BY-SA 4.0Every September 7-9, the samurai town of Kakunodate fills with towering yama floats carrying warrior dolls by day; after dark comes the yamabuttsuke, when two floats that refuse to yield are rammed together in a thunderous, adrenaline-charged test of nerve.
2026/09/07 09:00 Across JapanFree
OfficialPast event© Cobalt Fox · Public DomainThe birthplace of the giant 'sanshakudama', this Niigata shrine festival fires the world's largest fireworks shell — a four-shaku, 800kg behemoth.
2026/09/11 19:30 Across JapanFree