Gujo Odori traces to the early Edo period, when the lord of Gujo-Hachiman gathered the villages' Bon dances into the castle town to foster harmony across the rigid class system. A clear explainer of why 'dancing beyond rank' has endured for 400 years.
Gion Matsuri began in 869 as the Gion Goryo-e, a rite to drive out plague. Held by Yasaka Shrine (the former Gion shrine of Gozu Tenno), it has run for over 1,150 years. A short, clear explainer of why it endures.
Tanabata — the wish-on-a-star festival — fills July and early August with paper streamers and bamboo. Here's the verified 2026 calendar: Hiratsuka's two-million-visitor weekend (Jul 3–5), Sendai's giant August display, and Tokyo's own celebrations.
From Aomori's glowing Nebuta floats to Tokushima's all-night Awa Odori, here are the verified, dated summer 2026 festivals to build your July–August trip around — with exactly when and where each one happens.
From thundering armoured horse races in Fukushima to lord's processions and onsen fire, here's how to build a trip around Japan's most stirring historical festivals — most of them far north of the usual tourist trail.
Japan loves ranking its festivals in threes — the three great fire festivals, the three great float festivals, and more. Here's what each trio means and how to plan a trip around the very best.
What a matsuri actually is, the main types (floats, dance, fire, lantern), how to read one — and a starter set of the very best to build a trip around.
Hokkaido is a year-round festival island — ice sculptures in February, dancing in June, and beer gardens all summer.
Time your trip around the giants — Gion in Kyoto, Tenjin in Osaka, Nebuta in Aomori, and Awa Odori in Tokushima.
One 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 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© KUNIYOSHI · GoogleOver 30,000 golden lanterns light the approach to Yasukuni Shrine across four summer nights, with Aomori nebuta floats and bon-odori dancing.
2026/07/13 09:00 TokyoGratuit
© N K · GoogleTwelve 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 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© BWV324 · GoogleFukuoka's adrenaline-fueled finale: teams race one-ton festival floats through the dawn streets of Hakata.
2026/07/14 19:59 FukuokaGratuit
© Nattarat Juntien · GoogleLe Gion Matsuri 2026 se déroule tout le mois de juillet au sanctuaire Yasaka de Kyoto. Le yoiyama du Saki Matsuri a lieu du July 14-16 et le défilé de chars le July 17 à 9:00 ; le yoiyama de l'Ato Matsuri a lieu du July 21-23 et le défilé le July 24 à 9:30. Dates, horaires et accès vérifiés.
2026/07/17GratuitOfficial
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 · GoogleA summer seaside festival at Yamashita Park with parades, a lit-up boat procession and fireworks over Yokohama Bay.
2026/07/18 07:00 YokohamaGratuit
© Kuro Manabu · GoogleOtaru's biggest summer festival fills the port with the mass 'Shio Nerikomi' dance and a closing fireworks display.
2026/07/24 02:00 SapporoGratuit
© ALFRED PHOTO FOUNDATION · GoogleOsaka'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 · GoogleOne of Japan's three great river festivals — lantern-laden 'makiwara' boats glide across the Tenno River by night.
2026/07/25 09:00 NagoyaGratuit
© おおゆき · GoogleBy night, daytime banner floats transform into 'lantern pyramids' — 12 tiers of 309 glowing lanterns swaying as bearers race them through Kitakyushu.
2026/07/25 09:30 FukuokaGratuit
© 酒吞童子WALKER · GoogleTokyo'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 · GoogleNagoya's quirky downtown district throws a lively summer festival with cosplay, world dance and a wet 'kara-okuri' parade.
2026/08/01 01:00 NagoyaGratuit
© YICHENG LIN (Joe) · GoogleKitakyushu's biggest summer festival sends massive 'Wasshoi' dance parades and mikoshi through Kokura, capped by fireworks.
2026/08/01 06:00 FukuokaGratuit
© 戴永聯 · GoogleA Guinness-record wall of taiko drums thunders through Morioka as thousands of dancers chant 'Sakkora choiwayasse!'
2026/08/01 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 郭琨山 · GoogleHakodate's port festival opens with fireworks over the bay and fills the streets with the lively 'Ika Odori' squid dance.
2026/08/01 10:45 SapporoGratuit
© Kwan Lee · GoogleBilled as Japan's noisiest festival: dozens of lantern-lit festival cars thunder through Kuwana to a relentless din of drums and gongs deep into the night.
2026/08/02 09:30 NagoyaGratuit
© ゆっくり考える · Google
OfficialPlaces de visionnage réservées Aomori Nebuta 2026 : prix de ¥4,000, dates de vente 2026 (tirage + premier arrivé le Jun 27), comment acheter et accès depuis Tokyo.
2026/08/02 10:00 Partout au JaponPlace de visionnage réservée ¥4,000 (combiné journée + feux d'artifice Aug 7 ¥9,500) ; frais de gestion en sus
© Fisherman · CC BY-SA 3.0
OfficialComment acheter des places de tribune payantes aux matsuri d'été du Japon en 2026 : tirage au sort vs premier arrivé, prix, calendrier de mise en vente et liens officiels.
2026/08/02 10:00Places de tribune payantes à partir de ¥1,000 (variable selon le festival et la catégorie)
© MIKI Yoshihito · CC BY 2.0OfficialGiant 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 3.0Performers balance towering bamboo poles strung with dozens of glowing lanterns on their palms, foreheads and shoulders.
2026/08/03 09:50 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 川井ぼん · GoogleSome 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 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Majin · Google
OfficialFestival Tanabata de Sendai 2026 (Aug 6–8) : dates fixes, les serpentins de papier géants, les feux d'artifice du Aug 5, accès en 5 min depuis la gare de Sendai et que voir.
2026/08/06 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0Japan's grandest star festival drapes Sendai's arcades in thousands of giant, handmade paper streamers.
2026/08/06 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Alean CHANG · GoogleA Tokyo arcade strung with giant handmade papier-mache figures of pop characters and topical themes, one of the city's most beloved summer street festivals.
2026/08/07 01:00 TokyoGratuit
© K K · Google
OfficialYosakoi Festival 2026 (Aug 9–12, Kochi) : prix des places de tribune d'Otesuji, dates de vente 2026 (vente générale ouvre le Jun 29), comment acheter et comment s'y rendre.
2026/08/09 04:15 Partout au JaponPlaces de tribune payantes ¥1,000–¥3,000 par session (tables groupe/parasol ¥15,000–¥50,000)
© Kounosu · 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 08:00 Partout au JaponFree to watch on the streets; paid reserved (shaded) seats sold for the main venues.
© lontongstroong · Google
OfficialAwa Odori 2026 (Aug 12–15, Tokushima) : prix des places de tribune, dates de mise en vente 2026, comment acheter via Ticket Pia et comment s'y rendre.
2026/08/12 09:00 Partout au JaponTribune réservée ¥1,000 (C) – ¥3,000 (S) ; Minami-uchimachi SS ¥6,000 / Special ¥15,000
© Kounosu · CC BY-SA 3.0Japan'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） · GoogleLa Tetsuya Odori toute la nuit du Gujo Odori 2026 se déroule pendant l'Obon, du Aug 13-16, de 8 pm à 4-5 am. La scène est la vieille ville-château de Gujo-Hachiman à Gifu, à environ 20 min à pied de la gare de Gujo-Hachiman. Dates, lieu et accès vérifiés pour débutants.
2026/08/13 11:00GratuitOfficial
One of Edo's three great festivals returns to its full triennial form in 2026, with 50+ mikoshi paraded as spectators drench bearers in purifying water.
2026/08/15 22:30 TokyoGratuit
© 千上 · GoogleThousands of memorial lanterns drift down the Oi River below Arashiyama as the 'Torii-gata' bonfire of the Gozan Okuribi blazes on the hillside above.
2026/08/16 10:00 KyotoGratuit
© M L Wong · GoogleA thousand women dance through summer night with golden paper lanterns glowing on their heads — Kumamoto's most ethereal festival.
2026/08/16 11:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Ookami Nanaya · GoogleTo 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 06:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 쿰척 · GoogleNagoya's huge late-summer dance festival fills the city center with hundreds of energetic teams in a riot of color and choreography.
2026/08/28 02:00 NagoyaGratuit
© SPCA663 Little B · GoogleOkinawa's biggest eisa festival, where drum troupes from across the islands perform thunderous traditional dance under summer skies.
2026/08/28 06:00 OkinawaGratuit
© MOTOJI YAMAMOTO · GoogleNara's energetic summer counterpoint — vivid street-dance teams parade past Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha and Sanjo-dori.
2026/08/29 02:00 NaraGratuit
© Zach Holloway · GoogleTokyo's biggest samba parade fills Asakusa with feathered dancers and thundering bateria as competing teams vie for the championship along Umamichi Street.
2026/08/29 04:00 TokyoGratuit
© ぴぴねこ · GoogleTokyo's own Awa dance takes over Koenji's backstreets as 10,000-plus dancers in 'ren' troupes whirl through the summer night.
2026/08/29 08:00 TokyoGratuit
© 加藤展康 · GoogleBy lantern light, faceless dancers in straw hats move with hushed grace to mournful kokyu strings through old Yatsuo's stone lanes.
2026/09/01 08:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Naka Hiro · GoogleFor seven nights, around 500 food and game stalls line Hakozakigu's approach as a million visitors mark autumn's arrival — Fukuoka's great harvest festival.
2026/09/12 01:00 FukuokaGratuit
© 筑前國一之宮 筥崎宮 · GoogleTeams haul massive wooden festival floats at full sprint through Kishiwada's streets in one of Japan's most thrilling matsuri.
2026/09/18 21:00 OsakaGratuit
© アナム博士! · GoogleSome 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 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 黄少龙 · GoogleAround 100 fishing boats escort three deities' mikoshi across the sea at this World Heritage shrine's grand autumn festival.
2026/10/01 FukuokaGratuit
© 村田誠一 · GoogleSeven 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 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Yuichi Otake · GoogleA 380-year-old shrine festival blending Japanese, Chinese and Dutch flair — spinning dragon dances, whirling umbrella floats and roaring 'Motte-koi' chants.
2026/10/06 22:00 FukuokaGratuit
© M's Factory · GoogleEleven gilded Edo-era floats parade through old Takayama by day, then glow with 100+ lanterns at dusk in one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals.
2026/10/09 NagoyaGratuit
© kari one · GoogleNagoya's biggest autumn party crowns Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu in armor, leading a 600-strong procession from the station to Nagoya Castle.
2026/10/10 01:00 NagoyaGratuit
© SPCA663 Little B · GoogleJoin thousands pulling the world's largest straw rope through Naha in this Guinness-record Okinawan autumn festival.
2026/10/11 02:00 OkinawaGratuit
© JCHuang · Google
OfficialTens of thousands grab a Guinness-record 200m rope and heave for 30 minutes in the middle of Naha's main road — Okinawa's most thunderous autumn spectacle.
2026/10/11 05:30 OkinawaGratuit
© Yuet Man Lee · CC BY-SA 4.0Three portable shrines are violently crashed together as seven ornate floats clash in Japan's most famous 'fighting festival.'
2026/10/14 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© k (ken5) · GoogleFifty-four golden, 5.5-metre taiko-dai floats are hoisted by 150-strong crews in one of Shikoku's three great festivals.
2026/10/15 23:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 野本貴士 · GoogleIn Tokyo's 'Little Edo', towering tiered floats with revolving dolls roll past kurazukuri warehouses and clash in 'Hikkawase' flute-and-drum face-offs.
2026/10/17 01:00 TokyoGratuit
© Dwi Apriany · GoogleA 2-km parade of 2,000 people in meticulously accurate costumes marches through 1,000 years of Kyoto history, from Heian nobles to Meiji revolutionaries.
2026/10/22 03:00 KyotoGratuit
© H ! O · GoogleMen in loincloths haul flaming 80-kg torches through a mountain village after dark in one of Kyoto's wildest, most primal night festivals.
2026/10/22 09:00 KyotoGratuit
© Nishimura T. · GoogleHakata's 1,200-year-old harvest thanksgiving, with an ox-drawn carriage and children in court dress parading from Kushida Shrine.
2026/10/23 01:00 FukuokaGratuit
© Nattarat Juntien · GoogleOne 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 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© セントラルホテル伊万里 · GoogleThree costumed demons roam the streets of hillside Onomichi, tapping children with sticks to bring them good health.
2026/11/01 HiroshimaGratuit
© ドンキードンキー · GoogleThe Yaeyama Islands' biggest festival fills central Ishigaki with a citizens' parade, island music and a closing fireworks display over the harbour town.
2026/11/01 02:00 OkinawaGratuit
© Ryu S. · GoogleFourteen colossal lacquered floats — golden lions, samurai helmets and dragons up to 7 m tall — are dragged through town and onto a beach where they sink in sand.
2026/11/02 10:30 FukuokaGratuit
© unison · GoogleOn November's rooster days, Asakusa's Otori Shrine fills with stalls selling glittering 'kumade' rakes meant to scoop up luck and fortune for the year ahead.
2026/11/07 01:00 TokyoGratuit
© Akihito Yoshida · GoogleOne of Japan's three great float festivals: six lantern-lit floats are hauled up a steep hill in the December cold while winter fireworks burst overhead.
2026/12/02 05:00 TokyoGratuit
© 鈴木隆一 · GoogleSix 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 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 鈴木隆一 · GoogleA 890-year-old festival whose daytime parade marches costumes from the Heian through Edo eras through central Nara.
2026/12/15 NaraGratuit
© 龍-Ryu- · GoogleSome two million Osakans cross the arched Sorihashi bridge to greet the year at 'Sumiyossan,' head shrine of Japan's 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines.
2026/12/31 13:00 OsakaGratuit
© 佳央大北 · GoogleKyoto's head Inari shrine welcomes some 2.5 million New Year worshippers who pray for prosperity beneath endless tunnels of vermilion torii.
2026/12/31 14:00 KyotoGratuit
© bobby Newcomb · GoogleRoughly three million people stream through the towering torii to pray at Tokyo's grandest shrine in the first three days of the year.
2026/12/31 14:00 TokyoGratuit
© Lawrence · GoogleOne 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 10:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 雲 · GoogleIn 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 04:00 Partout au JaponCooperation fee around ¥500 (junior-high+); free for younger children.
© 藤川一志 · GoogleSculptors spray the clear blue waters of Lake Shikotsu onto frames to build towering turquoise ice domes and tunnels, glowing in jewel tones after dark.
2027/01/30 01:00 SapporoDonation around ¥500 (high-school age+); free for younger children.
© namsuk Kim · GoogleKyoto's most famous Setsubun rite, where a masked exorcist drives off blue, red and yellow demons in an ancient court ceremony, ringed by 800 food stalls.
2027/02/02 09:00 KyotoGratuit
© _sun sat_ · GoogleSumo 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 02:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Yuki Nishijima · GoogleHokkaido's second-biggest snow fest pairs colossal stage-sized snow sculptures by the Ishikari River with an international ice-carving championship.
2027/02/05 SapporoGratuit
© carl hong · GoogleDemon-masked 'namahage' brandishing torches stampede down a snowy mountainside at Shinzan Shrine in a fierce, firelit Oga winter spectacle.
2027/02/12 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© michihiro kono · GoogleHundreds of candlelit snow igloos glow across Yokote while children inside invite passersby in for sweet sake — plus 4,000 mini-kamakura lighting the riverbed.
2027/02/15 09:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© リディア · GoogleThousands 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 13:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Kam Kam · GoogleJapan'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 02:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© Yoko Horita · GoogleThirteen three-tiered floats with karakuri puppets parade below Inuyama Castle, glowing with lanterns under the cherry blossoms.
2027/04/03 NagoyaGratuit
© 白蓮 · GoogleTwelve ornate Edo-era yatai floats with karakuri puppets parade through old Takayama, glowing with around 100 lanterns each at the night festival.
2027/04/14 NagoyaGratuit
© 日枝神社 · GoogleThree 12-metre, 20-ton wooden floats — among Japan's largest — are hauled through Nanao's narrow streets.
2027/05/03 KanazawaGratuit
© I& Nakamura · GoogleGiant kites duel over the Nakatajima dunes by day; by night, illuminated palace-style floats and brass bands fill downtown Hamamatsu.
2027/05/03 01:00 Partout au JaponGratuit
© 里奈 · GoogleOne of Japan's biggest festivals: around 2 million people watch 750-plus troupes parade with shamoji clappers, flower floats and stage shows over May 3–4.
2027/05/03 01:00 FukuokaGratuit
© 약간tv · GoogleA 1,400-year-old imperial procession of 500 people in Heian-era robes winds 8km through Kyoto, oxen and ox-carts adorned with hollyhock leaves.
2027/05/15 01:30 KyotoGratuit
© SK Y · GoogleOne of Hokuriku's three great festivals: six towering 6-metre warrior floats crowned with giant musha-ningyo figures are hauled through old port-town streets.
2027/05/18 23:00 KanazawaGratuit
© 吉岡宣幸 · GoogleHundreds 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 Partout au JaponThe 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.
© 目黒浩文 · GoogleKanazawa's grandest festival reenacts feudal lord Maeda Toshiie's triumphant entry into the castle, with a costumed warrior procession, tea ceremonies and lantern-lit dances.
2027/06/04 KanazawaGratuit
© 山田真太郎 · GoogleHeld in full only in even-numbered years, Hie Shrine's grand procession sends a 500-strong parade of courtly costumes and portable shrines on a ten-hour route past the Imperial Palace and Ginza.
2028/06/07 22:30 TokyoGratuit
© 旨すぎ太 · GoogleHokkaido's winter wonderland: giant snow and ice sculptures fill Odori Park, drawing over two million visitors each February.
2026/02/04 01:00 SapporoGratuit
© Brandon Hung · GoogleMonks brandish giant flaming torches along Todaiji's Nigatsudo balcony each March, showering sparks over the crowd in a 1,200-year-old rite.
2026/03/12 10:00 NaraGratuit
© ヒロナカダ · GoogleOkinawa's Golden Week dragon-boat festival packs Naha's port with thundering paddle races, music stages and fireworks over the harbor.
2026/05/03 OkinawaGratuit
© くどかず · GoogleA vibrant Golden Week celebration along Peace Boulevard, with flower parades, yosakoi dancing, music stages and a giant flower tower.
2026/05/03 00:30 HiroshimaGratuit
© Alessandro Fossati · GoogleOne of Tokyo's three great festivals: hundreds of portable shrines parade through Akihabara and the old Edo districts.
2026/05/08 23:00 TokyoGratuit
© Eduardo Silva · GoogleAsakusa's wildest weekend: nearly 100 portable shrines and two million people flood the streets around Senso-ji Temple.
2026/05/15 02:00 TokyoGratuit
© Guanchul Guanchunao · GoogleA grand samurai procession reenacts a feudal lord's entry into Kanazawa, complete with armor, geisha and lantern-lit floats.
2026/06/05 05:00 KanazawaGratuit
© MIYATA Tadaaki (AndeshM) · GoogleHiroshima's beloved summer kickoff: locals don yukata and fill the downtown streets for three festive nights.
2026/06/05 07:00 HiroshimaGratuit
© 助さん、角さん · GoogleSapporo erupts in color as thousands of dancers perform high-energy yosakoi routines through the streets each June.
2026/06/10 01:00 SapporoGratuit
© Brandon Hung · Google