Japan Festivals & Events 2026: Complete Calendar
Japan festivals 2026: Gion Matsuri, Awa Odori, Nebuta, autumn foliage matsuri and more. Dates, locations and what to expect at each event.
Japan has one of the densest festival calendars in the world. Matsuri (祭り) range from neighbourhood shrine processions to UNESCO-listed spectacles drawing half a million people in a single night. Knowing which festivals happen when, and where to position yourself, is the difference between catching a once-a-year float procession and arriving the week after it ends.
Japan's festival seasons
Spring (March–May): Cherry blossom (sakura) season drives the biggest travel surge of the year. Hanami picnics appear in parks from late March; shrine festivals like Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto mark the transition to summer. Dates shift by up to two weeks each year depending on winter temperatures.
Summer (June–August): The peak matsuri season. Gion Matsuri fills all of July in Kyoto, culminating in the Yamaboko Junko float procession on 17 July. Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori, Awa Odori in Tokushima, Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka: the major summer festivals cluster in late July and early August. Fireworks (hanabi) displays run through August at rivers and harbours across the country.
Autumn (September–November): Autumn foliage (koyo) rivals cherry blossom for colour and draws comparable crowds. Festivals shift toward harvest and thanksgiving themes: Kishiwada Danjiri in Osaka Prefecture (September), Nikko Autumn Festival (October), Jidai Matsuri in Kyoto (October). Foliage peaks in Nikko in mid-October and Kyoto in mid-November.
Winter (December–February): Sapporo Snow Festival (early February) is the headline event: 2 million visitors, illuminated snow sculptures, international ice carving competition. New Year (shogatsu) is the most important cultural observance: Hatsumode first-shrine visits happen 1–3 January at every shrine in the country.
Upcoming events
- Matsumoto Castle Taiko Festival Japan · nagano
Matsumoto Castle Taiko Festival 2026, 1–2 Aug. Taiko groups from across Japan in the castle grounds. Lit castle walls at night. Free to attend.
- Miyajima Water Fireworks Festival 2026 Japan · miyajima
Miyajima Water Fireworks Festival 2026, 1 Aug. Around 3,000 shells burst above the floating torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine. Free to watch.
- Aomori Nebuta Festival Visit website ↗ Japan · aomori
Aomori Nebuta Festival 2026, 2–7 August. Giant illuminated floats up to 9m tall parade through Aomori with thousands of dancers and taiko drummers.
- Nara Tokae Lantern Festival 2026 Japan · nara
Nara Tokae 2026, 5–14 Aug. Around 7,000 stone lanterns lit throughout Nara Park and Kasugataisha Shrine each evening. Free entry to the park.
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony Japan · hiroshima
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony 2026, 6 August. Annual ceremony marking the 8:15am bombing - silence, the Peace Bell, and doves. Open to all.
- Sendai Tanabata Festival Visit website ↗ Japan · sendai
Sendai Tanabata Festival 2026, 6–8 Aug. Japan's largest Tanabata - arcades filled with thousands of enormous paper streamers in five colours.
- Toro Nagashi - Hiroshima Lantern Floating Japan · hiroshima
Toro Nagashi Hiroshima 2026, 6 Aug. Paper lanterns floated down the Motoyasu River beside the Atomic Bomb Dome at the Peace Memorial Ceremony. Free.
- Awa Odori Festival Japan
Awa Odori Festival 2026, 12–15 Aug. Japan's largest dance festival - 100,000 performers and 1.3 million spectators over four nights in Tokushima.
- Gozan no Okuribi (Daimonji) Japan · kyoto
Gozan no Okuribi 2026, 16 Aug. Five bonfires close Obon on Kyoto's mountains. The 大 character blazes on Daimonji-yama. Free to watch.
- Awa Odori - Koenji Japan · tokyo
Awa Odori Koenji 2026, 29–30 Aug. Largest Awa Odori outside Tokushima - 10,000 dancers and one million spectators in Tokyo's Koenji district.
- Sapporo Autumn Fest Japan · sapporo
Sapporo Autumn Fest 2026, 11 Sep–3 Oct. Over 100 stalls in Odori Park serving Hokkaido seafood, wagyu, soup curry, ramen and wine for three weeks.
- Kanazawa Jazz Street Japan · kanazawa
Kanazawa Jazz Street 2026, 12–13 Sep. Free outdoor jazz at 30+ venues across Kanazawa - one of Japan's largest jazz festivals. Free entry.
- Kishiwada Danjiri Festival Japan · osaka
Kishiwada Danjiri Festival 2026, 19–20 Sep. Huge wooden floats pulled at speed through Kishiwada - dangerous and spectacular. Day trip from Osaka.
- Nagasaki Kunchi Festival Japan · nagasaki
Nagasaki Kunchi Festival 2026, 7–9 Oct. Dragon boat dances and a Dutch ship float at Suwa Shrine showcase Nagasaki's mixed heritage. Free to watch.
- Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) Japan · takayama
Takayama Autumn Festival 2026, 9–10 Oct. Eleven yatai floats with karakuri puppets through Takayama's Edo-era streets. Evening lantern procession.
- Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival Japan · okinawa
Naha Great Tug-of-War 2026, 11 Oct. Guinness record - teams pull a 200-metre, 40-tonne straw rope along Kokusaidori in central Naha. Free.
- Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Fighting Festival) Japan · kobe
Nada no Kenka Matsuri 2026, 14–15 Oct. Three mikoshi crashed into each other at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in Himeji. Japan's most intense festival.
- Nikko Autumn Festival Japan · nikko
Nikko Autumn Festival 2026, 17 Oct. 1,200 samurai in Edo armour carry portable shrines through Nikko Tosho-gu's cedar avenues. Autumn foliage at peak.
- Hirosaki Castle Chrysanthemum Festival Japan · aomori
Hirosaki Castle Chrysanthemum Festival 2026, 20 October–10 November. Over 3,000 sculpted chrysanthemum plants through the castle park. Free entry.
- Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) Japan · kyoto
Jidai Matsuri 2026, 22 Oct. Two thousand in Heian-to-Meiji costume march from Kyoto Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine. Free to watch.
- Ohara Matsuri Japan · kagoshima
Ohara Matsuri 2026, 2–3 Nov. Twenty thousand in yukata perform Ohara-bushi and Iso Ondori dances along Kagoshima's main street. Free to watch.
- Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu Japan · hakone
Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu 2026, 3 November. Hundreds march 12km along the Tokaido in Edo-era costume from Odawara to Moto-Hakone. Free to watch.
- Hakodate Christmas Fantasy Japan · hakodate
Hakodate Christmas Fantasy 2026, 1–25 Dec. Giant Christmas tree on the waterfront with nightly harbour fireworks - Japan's top winter illumination.
- Arashiyama Hanatoro Japan · kyoto
Arashiyama Hanatoro 2026, 8–17 Dec. Bamboo groves and temples lit with thousands of lanterns. Free to walk; some venues charge entry.
- Sendai Pageant of Starlight 2026 Japan · sendai
Sendai Pageant of Starlight 2026, 12–31 Dec. 600,000 LED lights illuminate Jozenji-dori's zelkova trees - Tohoku's finest winter illumination.
- Hatsumode - New Year Shrine Visits Japan
Hatsumode 2027, 1–3 January. Japan's most important annual tradition - millions visit shrines and temples in the first three days of the new year.
- Sapporo Snow Festival Visit website ↗ Japan · sapporo
Sapporo Snow Festival 2027, 5–11 February. Japan's most famous winter festival - ice and snow sculptures across three Sapporo sites. Free entry.
- Cherry Blossom Season - Tokyo Japan · tokyo
Cherry Blossom Tokyo 2027, late March–early April. Peak bloom at Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, and Chidorigafuchi. Book hotels months ahead.
- Cherry Blossom Season - Kyoto Japan · kyoto
Cherry Blossom Kyoto 2027, late March–early April. Hanami at Maruyama Park, Philosopher's Path, and Nijo Castle. Book accommodation well in advance.
- Gion Matsuri Visit website ↗ Japan · kyoto
Gion Matsuri 2027, all July. Kyoto's greatest festival - Yoiyama evenings (16–17 Jul) and the Yamaboko Junko float procession on 17 Jul.
- Fuji Rock Festival Visit website ↗ Japan
Fuji Rock Festival 2027, 23–25 Jul. Japan's largest outdoor festival - international acts across multiple stages at Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata.
- Aomori Nebuta Festival Visit website ↗ Japan · aomori
Aomori Nebuta Festival 2027, 2–7 Aug. Giant illuminated floats up to 9m tall parade through central Aomori with thousands of dancers and drummers.
- Awa Odori Festival Japan
Awa Odori Festival 2027, 12–15 Aug. Japan's largest dance festival - 100,000 performers and 1.3 million spectators in Tokushima.
- Autumn Foliage - Nikko Japan · nikko
Autumn Foliage Nikko 2027, late October. Cedar avenues and temple precincts turn vivid red and gold - one of the most dramatic displays near Tokyo.
- Autumn Foliage - Kyoto Japan · kyoto
Autumn Foliage Kyoto 2027, mid–late Nov. Maples and ginkgo turn crimson at Eikan-do, Tofuku-ji, and Arashiyama. Peak colour around 15–30 November.
Recently past
These events have just concluded; dates listed for 2027 planning.
- Tenjin Matsuri
osaka
- Gion Matsuri
kyoto
- Hakata Gion Yamakasa
fukuoka
- Yosakoi Soran Festival
sapporo
- Sanno Matsuri
tokyo
- Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Matsuri
kanazawa
- Aoi Matsuri
kyoto
- Sanja Matsuri
tokyo