Events This Month in Japan

Ono Hiyoshi Shrine Sanno Festival

Marvel at lion dances and demons at this unique festival with wonderfully unusual costumes.

Yamaguchi Gion Matsuri

The highlight of this festival is an elegant dance performed in heron costumes.

Minato Maizuru Chatta Fireworks Festival

This event finishes with a display of fireworks launched from a ship in the bay.

Nagasaki Port Festival

A summer festival in one of Japan's most beautiful seaside spots.

Tobata Gion Oyamakasa Festival

See the tall Yamagasa floats illuminating the Tobata night.

Hita Gion Festival

See the enormous yamaboko floats parade around the historic town of Hita.

Nagoya July Grand Sumo Tournament

The fourth of Japan's six largest Sumo tournaments in Nagoya.

The Japan International Birdman Rally

People in human powered flying machines throw themselves off a jetty and into a lake.

Naoetsu Gion Festival

In July each year, there are a number of Gion festivals that happen throughout Japan (the most famous of which happens in Kyoto). This one happens in Joetsu City in Niigata. What happens? The …

Gion Festival 2025

Gion Festival is a month-long festival in Kyoto.

Umeda Yukata Festival

It's summer in the city, and Umeda's annual Yukata Festival is back.

Kyoto Honganji Temple Bon Dance

Modern music meets traditional at this Bon Odori dance just north of Kyoto Station.

Sumiyoshi Festival

A purification ritual and portable shrine festival at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine.

Kuroishi Neputa Festival

See the parade of floats at this beautiful festival.

Sapporo Summer Festival

Home to the biggest beer garden in Japan.

Nijō Castle NAKED Summer Festival 2025

The art collective NAKED are doing what they do best and turning another historical landmark into a fun, festival paradise.

Shirahama Fireworks Festival 2025

Held in Wakayama since 1948, this festival sees over 2,500 fireworks light up the sky.

Van Gogh’s Home: The Painter’s Legacy, the Family Collection, the Ongoing Story

How did Van Gogh’s art survive to reach us today? Van Gogh’s Home traces the journey of his works.

Kyoto Kyo No Tanabata

A look at the city’s most atmospheric summer events.

Gujō Odori Dance Festival

Experience the Gujo Odori dance festival, one of Japan's top three bon dance festivals and now a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Rich in tradition with plenty to see, this event is a …

Yayoi Kusama Print Works: Repetition and Proliferation

Explore Yayoi Kusama's transformative prints at this Kyoto exhibition showcasing around 330 works.

Tanbo Art

See some of the largest forms of living art - fields grown into enormous murals.

Osaka Expo 2025

What new technologies and innovations will you find at Expo 2025?

Gundam Pavillion at Osaka Expo 2025

From a 17-meter RX-78F00/E Gundam statue to an immersive, reservation-only pavilion experience, this exhibit reimagines Gundam’s Universal Century as something within reach.