February 2025 Events in Japan

Kayabuki no Sato Snow (Miyama Village) Lantern Festival

An amazing chance to see a remote, snow-covered thatched village illuminated with hundreds of lanterns.

Umekoji Handicrafts Market

Discover handmade treasures and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere at Kyoto’s Umekoji Handicrafts Market, a monthly gathering of artisans and creators.

Shirakawago Winter Light-Up 2025

See a traditional Japanese village lit up bright on a cold winter's night.

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.

Kobe Luminarie 2025

A beautiful light show and memorial in one Kobe event.

Chinese New Year Festivities

Celebrate Lunar New Year in Kōbe.

Dojima Yakushido Setsubun Omizukumi Festival

Instead of bean-throwing, you toss joss sticks into a fire at this traditional Setsubun 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.

Noboribetsu Onsen “Naked Man” Festival

A steamy festival in the depths of the freezing winter

Miyajima Oyster Festival

Chow down on cheap oysters at one of the most beautiful spots in Japan.

Tadami Snow Festival

Tadami has an abundance of snow, from which participants carve giant monuments and statues.

Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival

It gets very, very cold in the far north of Hokkaido, so what better place to have a festival with giant carved ice sculptures?

Namahage Sedo Festival

A festival in which locals dress up as demons and scare the bejesus out of young children.

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.

Mount Omuro Yamayaki

A traditional festival in which the old grass on Mount Omuro is burnt away to allow new grass to grow.

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

Light up a cold winter's day with this lantern festival.

Konomiya Naked Festival

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

Kamihinokinai Paper Balloon Festival

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

Radish Festival

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

Asahikawa Winter Festival

Giant snow sculptures, light projections, fireworks, and hearty winter foods in one of Japan’s coldest cities. Learn what's in store at the Asahikawa Winter Festival

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.

Daito Ohara Water Festival

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

Gonbo (Burdock) Fertility Festival

A fertility festival at Nakayama Shrine in Mie.