There are various festivals all over Japan. Many festivals are traditional ones with long histories and have different characteristics according to the region. If you are planning to visit Japan, make sure to make a schedule such that you have time to enjoy festivals in Japan! We introduce ten of the most famous festivals in Japan by season.
┃Spring: March to May
Kanda Matsuri festival is considered to be one of the Big Three Traditional Festivals of Japan. During the festival, the Kanda and Nihonbashi areas are really filled with excitement.
The main events of the festival are the big parade with several thousand people in traditional costumes and 200 gorgeous portable shrines that are carried around from morning through evening, accompanied by large shouts of encouragement.
Another feature of the festival is an “onna mikoshi” portable shrine, which is carried by women only.
The festival is held once every two years and the next one is scheduled to be held in 2025.
Period of the festival: May 14 and 15, 2025
https://www.kandamyoujin.or.jp/kandamatsuri/
https://www.kandamyoujin.or.jp/
| URL | https://www.kandamyoujin.or.jp/ |
“Takayama Matsuri” is a generic term used to refer to “Sanno Matsuri” in April and “Hachiman Matsuri” in October, which are both held in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture. The festival has a long history of more than 300 years. “Takayama Matsuri” is considered to be one of the three most beautiful festivals in Japan. The gorgeous main dashi (yatai) floats have been designated as a national important cultural property, and it is also registered on the UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage as “Takayama Matsuri no Yatai Gyoji (Yatai event of Takayama Matsuri).”
Other highlights of the festival are a grand parade with people in ancient costumes and karakuri-ningyo dolls, which move around as if they are alive.
Dates of the festivals: April 14 and 15 (Sanno Matsuri) and October 9 and 10 (Hachiman Matsuri) every year.
| URL | https://www.hida.jp/english/ |
┃Summer June to August
Dubbed one of Tohoku’s Three Great Festivals, this festival attracts over 2.2 million visitors every year. Dancers called “haneto” dance surrounding “nebuta” (immense, human-shaped lantern floats) with shouts and parade the streets, which looks dynamic and energetic. You can even rent out a costume and participate in the event as one of the haneto.
Event date: August 2–7, 2025 (Same schedule each year)
| URL | https://www.nebuta.jp/foreign/english.html |
Held at Isagawa-jinja Shrine in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, the Saikusa Festival is said to be Japan’s oldest festival, dating back to the year 701. During the ritual, sake barrels adorned with lily flowers are offered to the gods in a prayer ritual to ward off epidemics.
Dates: June 16–18, 2025
| URL | https://isagawa-jinja.jp/en/omatsuri/#linktop |
Over a thousand years old, the Gion Matsuri hosts a month of various festivities at Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine from July 1 to 31. Among them, the “Yamahoko Junko” float processions on July 17 (first procession) and July 24 (second procession) are a must-see. You’ll witness over thirty dazzling Yamahoko floats weighing up to 12 tons parade around the city of Kyoto.
Event date: July 1–31, 2025 (Same schedule each year)
| URL | http://www.gionmatsuri.or.jp/foreign/en/ |
Held at Osaka Tenmangu Shrine in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, the Tenjin Festival (Tenjin Matsuri) is one of the “Three Major Shinto Festivals of Japan” (along with Kyoto’s Gion Festival and Tokyo’s Kanda Festival), and also one of Osaka’s three major summer festivals (along with the Ikutama Summer Festival at Ikukunitama-jinja Shrine and the Sumiyoshi Festival at Sumiyoshi Taisha). Boasting over 1,000 years of history, this grand festival attracts large numbers of visitors from both Japan and abroad every year.
Dates: July 24–25, 2025
| URL | https://osakatemmangu.or.jp/saijireki/tjm |
The Yosakoi Festival (Yosakoi Matsuri), held in Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, is considered one of the three major festivals of Shikoku (along with Tokushima’s Awa Odori and Niihama’s Taiko Festival). The energetic Yosakoi dance, performed with wooden clappers called naruko and lively chants, originated in Kochi and has since spread throughout Japan. Around 200 teams and 20,000 dancers fill the city with vibrant performances.
Dates: August 9–12, 2025
| URL | http://www.cciweb.or.jp/kochi/yosakoiweb/ |
Awa Odori is a traditional dance originating in Tokushima Prefecture centuries ago and now enjoyed in various regions throughout Japan. As the birthplace of the festival, Tokushima City’s Awa Odori attracts over a million visitors from around Japan and abroad. During the period of time of the festival, the city center is full of a festival spirit. If you want to dance for yourself, join “niwaka-ren,” groups which allows drop-in participation!
Event date: August 12–15, 2025 (Same schedule each year)
| URL | https://www-awanavi-jp.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ja |
This festival is another one of Tohoku’s Three Great Festivals. While Tanabata is celebrated on July 7, the Sendai Tanabata Festival is held from August 6 to 8, with the middle day of the festival falling exactly a month after July 7, according to the traditional lunar calendar. Tanabata decorations made from traditional washi paper will fill the entire city. Every year, over two million visitors come to see and enjoy of these kaleidoscopic ornamentations.
Event date: August 6–8, 2025(Same schedule each year)
| URL | https://www.sendaitanabata.com/ |
┃Autumn September to November
This is a festival for “eisa,” a traditional dance of Okinawa, where selected dancers from all over Japan gather. Walking in formation, the dancers sing and dance eisa, each holding a big Japanese drum. The dynamic dancing of eisa is overwhelming for everyone who sees it. It is Okinawa’s unique festival, where all the participants, including the audience, can have an uplifting experience of becoming one at heart with all the people across the venue.
Dates of the festival: September 12-14, 2025 (tentative)
| URL | https://www.zentoeisa.com/en/info.html |
The Niihama Taiko Festival, held in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, is recognized as one of the three major festivals of Shikoku (along with Tokushima’s Awa Odori and Kochi’s Yosakoi Festival). Gigantic taikodai floats—about 5.5 meters high, 12 meters long, and 3.4 meters wide—are paraded through the city streets.
The highlight of the festival is the “kakikurabe,” a dramatic display where roughly 130 people lift up a taikodai weighing around 2.5 tons.
Dates: October 16–18 (annually)
| URL | https://www-city-niihama-lg-jp.translate.goog/soshiki/kankou/taikomatsuri.html?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ja |
“Karatsu Kunchi” is an annual autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine, which is held November 2-4 every year, for showing gratitude for the harvest. It is also registered on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural properties. The festival features 14 huge, gorgeous dashi (hikiyama) floats, most of which have traditional motifs of kabuto, a traditional Japanese helmet, as well as shishi lions. On the last day, many people parade through the town with loud rallying cries of “en’ya, en-’ya” and “yoi-sa, yoi-sa.”
After sunset, the lanterns are lit, creating a mesmerizing view.
Dates of the festival: November 2-4 every year.
| URL | https://www.karatsu-kankou.jp/en/feature/karatsukunchi/ |
┃Winter December to February
“Sapporo Yuki Matsuri “is a great winter event in Japan, which attracts more than two million visitors from Japan and other countries every year. At various venues, including Odori Park, snow statues of various sizes are displayed. The high-quality snow statues, including ones incorporating the trend of the year and large-scale statues of over 15 meters in height, are really overwhelming!
There are also other events children can enjoy, such as a slide made out of snow and projection mapping.
Period of the festival: February 4-11, 2025
| URL | https://www.snowfes.com/ |
“Nagasaki Lantern Festival” has its main sites in the city, including Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, decorated with 15,000 lanterns. This festival started as an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) in Chinatown. Every aspect of the view of the large-scale objets d’art of many colors along with lanterns filling the space above people’s heads is just instagrammable! Each venue has a different atmosphere, so those who come will never feel jaded.
“Emperor’s Parade” comprises about 150 people in gorgeous Chinese costumes going around the area.
Festival period: January 29 – February 12, 2025
| URL | https://www.at-nagasaki.jp/lantern-festival |
Held in winter at Shinzan-jinja Shrine in the Kitaura district of Oga City, Akita Prefecture, the Namahage Sedo Festival features the region’s famous Namahage tradition. On New Year’s Eve, men dressed as demon-like beings wearing fearsome masks and straw garments visit homes to admonish children against bad behavior and laziness. During the festival, Namahage perform ritual dances with torches, offering prayers for good health, and a bountiful harvest and fishing season.
Dates: February 7–9, 2025
| URL | https://oganavi.com/sedo/en/ |
