Home / Things to do / Festivals
CULTURE / THE FESTIVAL YEAR
Festivals in Japan
Snow palaces, glowing warrior floats and dance circles give Japan’s festival year its many rhythms. Choose a month or region, then find the celebration you would love to join.
Choose a month
12 guides · Usual months; confirmed dates marked
No guides match both filters. Choose All months or another region.
Explore monumental snow sculptures, illuminated ice or snow-play activities. Choose your main venue, then balance daylight detail with evening atmosphere.Snow sculptures and illuminated ice turn Sapporo into an open-air winter gallery.
Carved floats, mechanical puppets and lantern processions transform old streets. The two editions feature different neighbourhoods and traditions.Carved floats, mechanical puppets and lanterns bring Takayama’s old streets to life.
Portable shrines move through Asakusa with neighbourhood teams, music and dance. Choose the opening procession or a mikoshi-focused day.Neighbourhood teams carry mikoshi through Asakusa, with music, dance and lively crowds.
Browse lantern-lit float neighbourhoods or watch great yamahoko move through historic streets. Shrine rituals offer another side of the celebration.Lantern-lit float displays and grand yamahoko processions fill Kyoto’s historic streets.
Shrine processions lead towards illuminated boats and fireworks on the Okawa River. Choose one viewing area rather than chasing everything.Illuminated boats, shrine processions and fireworks bring Osaka’s riverfront to life.
Join the moving dance circle in Gujo Hachiman, learn the steps and plan the journey home before staying late. The 2026 season has ended; check the next announced programme.Join the dance, then plan your return journey. The 2026 season has ended; check the next announced programme.
Illuminated warrior floats, drums and dancing transform the streets. Choose a close-up procession or the final evening’s waterfront spectacle.Giant glowing warrior floats parade through Aomori to drums and dancing.
Fan-shaped lanterns reveal painted warrior scenes, accompanied by flutes and drums. Changing street routes distinguish the festival’s different viewing days.Fan-shaped lanterns reveal painted warriors to the sound of flutes and drums.
Walk beneath handmade paper streamers, comparing folded cranes, colours and intricate designs. Explore decorations rather than a float parade.Handmade paper streamers fill Sendai’s shopping streets with colour and intricate detail.
Dance groups fill the city with rhythmic steps and music. Choose reserved stands, free performance areas or indoor shows.Dance groups fill Tokushima’s streets and stages with rhythmic steps and live music.
Neighbourhood teams bring distinctive dances and elaborate props to shrine venues and city streets. Rotating performers make each programme different.Rotating neighbourhood teams perform distinctive dances with elaborate festival props.
Decorated floats, festival music and fireworks light up the night. Choose street viewing or plan ahead for the uphill spectacle.Lantern-lit floats, festival music and fireworks brighten Chichibu’s winter night.
Make the festival part of your trip
Pick the viewing day and place before choosing an overnight base. The individual guides explain what changes between days, how to arrive and what to leave flexible. For a visual introduction without video, explore the photo-led Sapporo Snow Festival and Tokushima Awa Odori guides.
Plan a route through Japan →
Make food part of the trip →
More things to do →
Places, experiences and practical ways to get there.