Cultural Festival Events in Japan

Miyako Odori Geiko Performance

Celebrate spring in Kyoto with the annual Miyako Odori, a performance by Kyoto's geisha.

Kintaikyō Bridge Festival

Enjoy the festival atmosphere at this traditional and years old recreation of the return of the Daimyo.

Kyo Odori

A performance by the geiko and maiko of Kyoto's Miyagawachō district to welcome spring.

Heian Jingu Reisai Festival

This annual festival features an opportunity to see geiko (the geisha of Kyoto).

Imamiya Shrine Yasurai Festival

Step under the flowers and shake off bad luck at Kyoto’s Yasurai Festival, one of the city’s three most unusual traditional celebrations.

Nagoya Castle Cherry Blossom Festival

Nagoya's biggest spring festival will be taking place on the grounds of the famous Nagoya Castle.

Kiyomizu Temple Seiryu-e Dragon Festival (April)

Watch a dynamic procession featuring a massive dragon puppet at the Seiryu-e Dragon Festival in Kyoto.

Kitano Odori

The first of Kyoto's annual spring geisha performances, performed by the geiko and maiko of Kamishichen.

Kyoto Hanezu Dance and Plum Festival

An enchanting festival with a dark backstory. Witness beautiful plum blossoms and a solemn dance at the Hanezu Odori Dance Festival in Kyoto.

Tagata Shrine Hōnensai “Penis Festival”

Join this annual celebration of Tagata Shrine in Aichi and promote all things phallic.

Kiyomizu Temple Seiryu-e Dragon Festival (March)

The Seiryu-e Festival at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto celebrates the Blue Dragon, a guardian deity thought to protect the city’s east.

Hodare “Penis Festival”

On the second Sunday of March, a 2.2 meter tall phallic-shaped statue that weighs approximately 600kg is paraded around a small village in Niigata.

Baikasai Plum Blossom Festival

Stunning plum blossom, tea ceremonies, and even Geisha make an unmissable event.

Gonbo (Burdock) Fertility Festival

A fertility festival at Nakayama Shrine in Mie.

Daito Ohara Water Festival

Getting soaked with freezing water while half-naked in the middle of winter? Catch Iwate’s Daito Ohara Water Festival.

Radish Festival

Warm up this February at Ōhara’s Sanzen-in Temple, where locals serve steaming soup made from locally grown radish.

Suita Fire Festival

Visit the Suita Fire Festival at Jōkō Enmanji Temple in Osaka for fire rituals, sacred smoke, and blessings for the year ahead.

Kamihinokinai Paper Balloon Festival

Watch the magical sight of of dozens of paper balloons adorning the night sky.

Konomiya Naked Festival

9,000 men, freezing water, and one God-man. Japan’s wildest naked festival is not for the faint-hearted.

Mihara Daruma Festival

Festival food and daruma dolls aplenty. For a daruma market of historic proportions, there's none quite like Mihara City's annual Daruma Festival.

Noboribetsu Onsen “Naked Man” Festival

A steamy festival in the depths of the freezing winter

Demon Festival on Mount Yoshino in Nara

Fancy a dance with a demon? Nara's Kinpusenji Temple offers a unique Setsubun experience with its annual Demon Festival.

Yasaka Shrine Setsubun

Setsubun at Yasaka Shrine's is unusual because it features geiko, geisha from Kyoto.

Heian Jingu Setsubun

One of the best-known Setsubun festivals in Kyoto.