

The Dontosai Festival, known as the Matsutaki Festival for Osaki Hachimangu Shrine, is a fiery New Year festival unique to Miyagi. What happens? Every year on January 14, festival goers burn …
The Kōrankei Gorge is home to around 4,000 color-changing maples. This year there will be illuminations from sundown until 9 p.m. throughout November as part of the annual autumn festival. There …
Held over the course of a week, the Kamiari Festival draws worshippers from across Japan, but the most important guests are the gods. Gathering to hold matchmaking discussions, the eight million …
Okinawa is a crossroads of the seas. Over thirty different nationalities make Okinawa City their home, and the Okinawa International Carnival celebrates all of them. Previous years have seen …
Get your koyo groove on with six weeks of awesome autumnal foliage and a shedload of great local deals in Karuizawa, Nagano. During the long-running festival the town goes all out to ensure that …
The Nigohachi Festival (ni-go-hachi means two-five-eight) is an autumn festival that takes place in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture. The road is closed in front of the Higashiomi city office, with a …
The magic word here is samurai. And World Heritage Site. Experience the grandeur of the Shogun’s army in the grounds of the vast and gorgeous Toshogu Shrine. The Shuki Taisai Grand Autumn …
The city of Hannan in Osaka prefecture hosts a unique festival in Autumn each year in which 20 yagura – towers that are typically stationary at the center of a festival – are carried …
This vibrant celebration of Nagasaki’s multicultural history is the event in the area’s autumn calendar. Dating back nearly 400 years, the Kunchi Festival is three days long and draws …
Continuing a tradition that has taken place at Osawa Pond next to Daikakuji since the Heian era, this event gives you the chance to float on a boat in the pond under a clear autumn moon. If the …
Note: For 2022, pre-registration by lottery will be required. If you’ve never shaken off your childhood fascination with planes or just enjoy seeing fighter jets scream overhead, definitely …
Update: For 2022, the festival will go ahead but on a reduced scale. There will be no procession, boat or otherwise, or shrine ritual available to the public. A melancholy and sombre festival, …
Update: For 2022, before boarding the ferry to Sado Island, you must complete a PCR or RAT Covid-19 test and fill out a form. More details on their website (Japanese). Every year since 1988, the …
The fireworks festival on August 3 2022 has been postponed till August 9 due to heavy rain. Goshogawara hosts the third of the famous Nebuta festivals in Aomori. The others being Aomori Nebuta in …
The Hirosaki Neputa Festival is a lower-key (but still spectacular) sibling of the much rowdier Nebuta Festival in Aomori City. While the Aomori floats are a lot more free-form, Neputa floats in …
Kuroishi, a town on the central Tsugaru Plain of Aomori Prefecture holds its own Nebuta festival (called Neputa in these parts) on July 30th and August 5th each year. The parade features more …
This is a horse race which takes place in Shiojiri City on the grassy Takabocchi Plateau. With around 80 competitors from throughout Japan, organizers claim that it is the highest altitude horse …
Hirakawa city in Aomori Prefecture hosts a Nebuta Festival at the beginning of August each year. While the Aomori City has the crowds, Hirosaki has the refined tradition and Goshogawara has …