
Koinobori at Ōboke Gorge
View the iconic koi carp streamers hanging above Yoshino River at Ōboke Gorge.
View the iconic koi carp streamers hanging above Yoshino River at Ōboke Gorge.
Walk a mile in Japan and you’ll come across another regional food specialty you just have to try. Running concurrently with the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, and situated at the same location, the …
Hiroshima Toukasan Matsuri is a yukata festival. Yukata are the light and often bright kimonos worn by both men and women in Japan during the warm summer months. The Toukasan Festival marks the …
One of Kanazawa's top annual festivals, held over three days.
Taking place in Akita City, this beer festival features brewers from the northern part of Honshu. Brewers in attendance include North Island from Hokkaido, Iwate-kura, Tazawa-ko and the host …
The two days of the Horikawa festival feature quite different but equally impressive processions. Schedule Day one features an after-dark procession with taiko drums accompanying a parade of …
If you’re a bit puzzled what a ‘Gatalympics’ might be then an easier way to think of this festival is ‘fun with mud’. The event takes place on the mudflats on the …
Follow along a parade of horses as they trot from shrine to shrine in Morioka.
Don’t let the name fool you, the Hiroshima Flower Festival is a lot more than a simple flower show. Across multiple venues through the city, there will be stage performances, a …
The Izawanomiya Otaue Festival takes place on June 24 each year at Izawanomiya (Izawa Shrine) — one of the 123 shinto shrines that makes up the giant Ise Grand Shrine complex in Mie …
Join the locals dressed in yukata (light cotton summer robes) and hit the food stalls.
See dancers from all five of Kyoto's hanamachi (geisha districts) on stage together.
The Aizen Festival is touted as the first major summer festival in Osaka of the year. Along with the Tenjin Festival and the Sumiyoshi Festival, it’s also known as one of the three big …
Approximately 50 sake brewers from around Japan will be serving 150 different varieties of nihonshu along with food from 20 popular Japanese restaurants. In addition to booze and grub, there will …
Take a seat on the Miyakawa river in Ise for one of the three biggest fireworks festivals in Japan. There are over 10,000 fireworks to be launched and pyrotechnicians from across the country …
Hakata Gion Yamasaka is a festival with a 750 year history that features fundoshi (that ever popular festival garment) clad men race elaborately decorated floats that weigh in at 1 ton. The event …
For the first time in three years, the Tonegawa Fireworks Festival will be held at Sakai Riverside Park. While usually happening in mid-July, this year they postponed the event to September due …
Compared to other festivals around the country, with only 3,000 fireworks, the Nagoya Port Fireworks Festival seems relatively small. Despite this, the scenic location for the event and its …
As a port, Kuchinotsu began to flourish upon the arrival of the European traders. The town owes much to the sea so each year a Marine Festival is held. The festival is now a one-day event with …
Held every July, this is the fourth of Japan’s six annual Sumo Tournaments, known as honbasho. With sumo rankings released a few weeks before, it’s a chance to see the traditional …
Taking place in the picturesque Kiso township of Nagano Prefecture, the Mikoshi Matsuri is an annual event involving approximately 100 wooden mikoshi (portable, shoulder-borne shrines). The …
The historic town of Hita in Oita prefecture is venue for the Hita Gion Matsuri in late July. Gion festivals are held throughout Japan in July, but each brings a touch of local flavor with …