Japan Events in March 2027: What's On, Where, and Whether It's Free

March 2027 in Japan is the month of fire, running and blossoms. The first half belongs to the giant torches of Omizutori at Todaiji (Mar 1–14) and to plum blossoms; Sunday Mar 7 is the 20th Tokyo Marathon; from Mar 14 Osaka hosts the Grand Sumo Haru Basho (Mar 14–28); and the month ends with AnimeJapan 2027 (Mar 27–28), its first edition outside Tokyo, as cherry blossoms open from Fukuoka northwards. Omizutori, marathon-watching and most cherry-blossom spots are free; sumo, AnimeJapan and Art Fair Tokyo need tickets, and some plum gardens charge admission.

As of 2026-10-11 — every linked row is confirmed on its own page. For the whole year see the 2027 event calendar; to search by date use the calendar.

March 2027 at a glance

Sources: official pages of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, Japan Sumo Association, Todaiji, the AnimeJapan association, Mito Convention & Visitors Bureau, Atami tourism association, INJ and the Japan Meteorological Agency (checked 2026-10-11).

The honest short-list — which one is for you?

For most first-timers: the Kansai double — Omizutori in Nara plus the Haru Basho in Osaka. The two cities are about an hour apart by train, so a weeknight at Nigatsudo and sumo in Namba the next day is an easy pairing. If sakura is the goal, push your dates to the final week and read the 2027 cherry blossom forecast guide first.

From plum to cherry: the order of March flowers

March is the month ume ends and sakura begins. The Atami Plum Garden festival runs Jan 9 – Mar 7, 2027 (Atami tourism association); Kairakuen in Mito has about 3,000 plum trees of some 100 varieties, with another 800 trees of 60 varieties at the neighbouring Kodokan school (Mito Convention & Visitors Bureau) — its 2027 dates are not announced; the 130th edition ran Feb 11 – Mar 22, 2026. The JMA's normal first-bloom dates for cherry (1991–2020) are Fukuoka Mar 22, Tokyo Mar 24, Nagoya Mar 24, Kyoto Mar 26, Osaka Mar 27, with full bloom roughly a week later — so to see sakura within March, aim for the final week and start in the south. Chidorigafuchi, the 700-metre moat walk beside the Imperial Palace, and Himeji Castle, the white keep framed by blossoms, both peak late March into early April. For the full-year picture see the seasonal calendar of blossoms, leaves and lights.

Fire and prayer: how to do Omizutori

Shunie at Todaiji's Nigatsudo hall runs Mar 1–14, with the otaimatsu torches carried up every night and the water-drawing rite itself around 1:30 a.m. on Mar 13 (the night of Mar 12), when sacred water is drawn from the Wakasa well (Todaiji; Agency for Cultural Affairs). Todaiji's 2026 notice gave the evening procession (shoya jodo) as 19:00 on Mar 1–11 and 13 (torches on the balcony around 19:25), 19:30 on Mar 12 (around 20:10) and 18:30 on Mar 14 (around 18:40). The lawn and plaza below the hall have a capacity cap: once full, newcomers go to a second viewing area, and once that is full nobody else can watch. No reservations and no place-holding. Mar 12 is traditionally the pilgrimage day of the temple's confraternities, so general visitors are rotated through the plaza for a very short view — the temple's own wording is that it "recommends other days". The 2027 notice usually appears on the official site in February; read our Todaiji visitor guide and the temple's latest notice before you go.

Run and watch: the Tokyo Marathon and the Haru Basho

The Tokyo Marathon 2027 is on Sunday Mar 7, gun at 9:10, from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to Tokyo Station. It is the 20th edition, with a record 40,000 runners and an entry fee of ¥19,800 for residents or US$230 for overseas runners (Tokyo Marathon Foundation). The general lottery closed on Aug 28, 2026, so in March the only option is to watch: central roads close for the 7-hour limit (to 16:10). A week later, on Sun Mar 14, the Nagoya Women's Marathon starts and finishes inside Vantelin Dome Nagoya and doubles as a selection race for the 2027 Beijing World Championships and the LA 2028 Olympics. The full-season table is in our Japan marathons guide.

The Haru Basho runs Sunday Mar 14 to Sunday Mar 28 at EDION Arena Osaka (Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium). The Japan Sumo Association's annual schedule lists advance sales from Saturday Feb 6, 2027 and the banzuke announcement on Mar 1. Seat types and how the sales work are in how to buy sumo tickets. One change to note: the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix was held in March in 2026 (Mar 27–29) but moves to Apr 9–11 in 2027 (F1 official calendar) — if you had planned Suzuka for March, re-check.

Osaka's big month: AnimeJapan's first edition outside Tokyo

AnimeJapan 2027 is on Sat Mar 27 – Sun Mar 28 at Intex Osaka (AnimeJapan association). Public days run 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) in Halls 2–6AB; business days are Fri Mar 26 10:00–18:00 and Sat Mar 27 10:00–17:00 in Hall 1. It is the first time the show leaves Tokyo Big Sight, and it lands in the same month as the sumo tournament and the first sakura. Hina Matsuri on Mar 3 is a home festival, but towns stage big public displays: Katsuura in Chiba lines about 1,800 dolls up the 60 stone steps of Tomisaki Shrine (last edition Feb 21 – Mar 3, 2026; confirm 2027 officially).

Planning tips for March

• All Nozomi trains are reserved-seat only over the Spring Equinox weekend (Mar 20–22). JR Central runs every Tokyo–Hakata Nozomi as all-reserved from Sat Mar 20 to Mon Mar 22, 2027 (a substitute holiday). An unreserved ticket gets you onto a Nozomi only as standing room in the deck, not a seat; Hikari, Kodama and other trains keep their unreserved cars as usual. Book Kansai trips for those three days in advance.
• Graduation and spring break overlap. Japan's school year ends in March, and the last week of March into early April is a domestic travel peak. Kyoto and Osaka beds are priciest at month-end when sakura and sumo coincide — Nara or Kobe with a train commute is the realistic base.
• Dress "coat by day, down by night". Tokyo's March normals are 9.4 °C mean, 14.2 °C high, 5.0 °C low and 116 mm of rain (JMA). Nigatsudo at night and a marathon kerb need winter gear; a plum garden at noon needs only a light coat.
• Three things need tickets. The Haru Basho (sales from Feb 6), AnimeJapan (ticket types not yet announced) and Art Fair Tokyo (prices: confirm officially). Plum gardens vary: Kairakuen charges admission (confirm officially), and Atami Plum Garden charged ¥300 only between 8:30 and 16:00 during the 2026 festival, then went free from Feb 25 (confirm 2027 officially). Omizutori, marathon spectating, the parade and most cherry-blossom spots are free (parts of Himeji Castle are ticketed).

See the year: 2027 events list · calendar by date

Update log: 2026-10-11 first edition, from official announcements by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, Japan Sumo Association, Todaiji, the AnimeJapan association, JR Central and the JMA. 2027 dates for the Mito plum festival and the St. Patrick's Day Parade were not yet announced.