Japan's Best Summer Matsuri
The three great festivals
Japan's summer belongs to the matsuri. The headline acts are the three great festivals: Gion Matsuri in Kyoto, with its towering wooden floats parading on July 17; Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka, ending in a river boat procession and fireworks on July 25; and Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri in May. Each blends centuries of ritual with street-party energy.
Dance and fire
For sheer spectacle, Aomori Nebuta sends glowing warrior floats through the streets in early August, while Awa Odori in Tokushima turns a whole city into a dancing crowd of 100,000. Don't miss Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka, where teams race one-ton floats at dawn.
Fireworks nights
No summer is complete without hanabi. The Sumida River Fireworks light up the sky behind Tokyo Skytree, drawing huge crowds in yukata.
How to enjoy them
- Arrive early for fixed-route processions and fireworks; prime spots vanish fast.
- Many festivals welcome visitors to join in — Awa Odori and Nebuta both have open dance groups.
- Stay hydrated; Japanese summers are hot and humid.
Pick a festival, build your trip around it, and you'll see Japan at its most joyful.
Tous les événements
Gion Matsuri (Yamaboko Junko Float Procession)
Kyoto's grandest festival fills July with towering wooden floats, lantern-lit evening parties, and 1,100 years of tradition.
2026/07/17 KyotoGratuit
© Salvador Fernández · GoogleTenjin Matsuri
Osaka's thousand-year river festival ends with a flotilla of lantern-lit boats and fireworks reflected on the Okawa River.
2026/07/25 06:00 OsakaGratuit
© R yu · Google
OfficialAomori Nebuta Matsuri
Giant illuminated warrior floats are paraded through Aomori nightly as chanting dancers leap alongside in a blaze of color.
2026/08/02 10:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Fisherman · CC BY-SA 3.0Awa Odori Dance Festival
Japan's most famous dance festival: 100,000 dancers and a million spectators fill Tokushima with rhythm every August.
2026/08/12 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 坂口博紀（さかグルメっち） · GoogleSumida River Fireworks Festival
Tokyo's most famous fireworks: 20,000 shells light up the sky over the Sumida River with Skytree as the backdrop.
2026/07/25 10:00 TokyoGratuit
© Mark Williams · GoogleHakata Gion Yamakasa
Fukuoka's adrenaline-fueled finale: teams race one-ton festival floats through the dawn streets of Hakata.
2026/07/14 19:59 FukuokaGratuit
© Nattarat Juntien · Google