10 Best Festivals in Japan

Japan hosts more than 200,000 local festivals throughout the year. Many visitors from all over Japan and abroad often come to see flaming kanji characters, gorgeous floats, and more.

Be awed by the spectacle of dancers moving in perfect coordination, hunt through stalls to uncover treasures of local artistry, and gaze in wonder at streets and shrines lit up by traditional Japanese lanterns. In many cases these events are steeped in local history and culture. There are fascinating seasonal festivals taking place all over Japan, so you’ll be able to find something to celebrate no matter which part of the country or time of year you’re visiting.

1. Gozan no Okuribi

A blazing Buddhist ceremony in Kyoto

Good for: History, Nightlife, Unusual

Gozan no Okuribi is a traditional Buddhist event that sends off the spirits of the deceased that had returned during Bon Festival. It’s one of Kyoto’s 4 major annual events, Every August 16, the mountains of Kyoto are lit with fires spelling out huge Japanese characters. One by one, 5 send-off fires (okuribi) are lit, with each burning for about 30 minutes.

People burn sticks on which prayers are written (gomagi) and dedicate them to send off the spirits of ancestors and pray for a healthy long life for the living. You can find many viewpoints overlooking the fires throughout the city. To see all 5, the rooftops or upper floors of hotels around Kyoto Station are your best bet.

Location: Kyoto Station, Higashishiokoji Kamadonocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Japan

Open: 16 August from 8 pm to 8.50 pm

2. Koenji Awa Odori

A cultural festival of dance in Tokyo

Good for: Families, History, Unusual

Koenji Awa Odori is a summer tradition in Tokyo where 10,000 dancers perform Awa, a form of folk entertainment that dates back to the Kamakura period. You’ll see men wearing happi (Japanese straight-sleeved coats) and performing impressive dances, accompanied with the kane bell, shinobue flute, shamisen lute, and taiko drum. The female dancers are often dressed in yukata (a light cotton kimono), straw hats, and sandals.

Koenji Awa Odori is one of the largest Awa dance festivals in East Japan, with more than 100 teams from all over Japan and local Koenji teams taking part. The festival lasts for 2 days, creating a great buzz in the shopping streets and roads around JR Koenji Station and Tokyo Metro Shin-koenji Station.

Location: JR Kōenji Station: 4-chome Koenjiminami, Suginami Ward, Tokyo, Japan

Open: Last Saturday and Sunday of August

3. Aomori Nebuta Festival

A spectacular illuminated parade in Aomori Prefecture

Good for: History, Nightlife, Unusual

Aomori Nebuta Festival is one of the most famous summer festivals in Tohoku. The festival began by releasing lanterns into the rivers or ocean as a way to wash away sins and pray for a healthy long life during Tanabata (Star Festival). The illuminated floats became larger after the Meiji period, some can reach up to 16 ft high, 30 ft wide, and 23 ft deep.

From 2 to 7 August, about 15 children’s nebuta and 20 large nebuta parade around Aomori Station to chants of “Rassera!” You can even take part by wearing a costume and becoming a haneto dancer. On the last day, the 6 prize-winning floats parade in the sea against a backdrop of about 11,000 fireworks.

Location: Area around JR Aomori Station, Yanakawa, Aomori, 038-0012, Japan

Open: 2–7 August

4. Tori no Ichi at Kotohira Otori Shrine

A Winter celebration in Yokohama

Good for: Shoppers, Unusual, Group

Tori no Ichi is an annual event held at Kotohira Otori Shrine, marking the beginning of winter in Yokohama. Residents and companies dedicate and display hundreds of lanterns in the shrine’s premise. The surrounding streets and Yokohamabashi Shopping District are lined with hundreds of stalls selling lucky bamboo rakes (engi kumade) that are colorfully decorated with the 7 Lucky Gods, straw rice bags, sea bream, and small gold coins.

You can also enjoy the festival mood by playing games like goldfish scooping or target shooting, as well as enjoying Japanese street food like candied apples, octopus balls (takoyaki), and deep-fried yam dumplings wrapped with seaweed.

Location: Kotohira Otori Shrine, 1-3 Maganecho, Minami Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 232-0021, Japan

5. Chichibu Night Festival

A 300 year old festival in Saitama Prefecture

Good for: Couples, History, Unusual

The Chichibu Night Festival takes place at Chichibu Shrine, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. This event has been held every December for over 300 years. Gorgeous Yatai and Yasaboko floats are paraded around the city, backed by the lilting rhythm of taiko drums, flutes, and bells, and chants of “Horyai, horyai!”

These 6 floats (dashi) are decorated with gold ornaments, richly colored carvings, and curtains embroidered with cranes and lions. The floats are also referred to as moving Yomeimon gates. During the day, you can enjoy a kabuki performance within the premises of the shrine. Lanterns are lit on the floats when night falls, and thousands of fireworks are launched into the clear winter night sky.

Location: Chichibu Shrine, 1-3 Banbamachi, Chichibu, Saitama 368-0041, Japan

Open: 2–3 December

See nearby properties

6. Hakata Gion Yamakasa

A 700 year old race in Fukuoka

Good for: History, Unusual, Group

The highlight of Hakata Gion Yamakasa is the Oiyama event, in which men race against each other while carrying a 1-tonne float (yamakasa). This is one of the most famous festivals in Fukuoka, along with Hakata Dontaku. It’s been going for more than 700 years at the Kushida Shrine.

During the festival period (1–15 July), the city of Hakata buzzes with a vibrant festival atmosphere. On the first day, you’ll see 14 decorated yamakasa (30 to 50 ft high) in various places throughout the city. If you want to see the yamakasa float races, check out Oiyamanarashi on the 12th, Shudan-yamamise on the 13th, and Oiyama on the 15th.

Location: Kushida Shrine, 1-41 Kamikawabatamachi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka 812-0026, Japan

Open: 1–15 July

7. Takayama Festival

Spring and fall festival in Gifu Prefecture

Good for: History, Unusual, Group

Takayama Festival in Gifu is one of Japan’s 3 most beautiful festivals, but it actually incorporates 2 festivals in spring and autumn. The springtime Sanno Festival is an excellent opportunity to enjoy cherry blossom in full bloom and check out gorgeous floats called yatai. Hachiman Festival in autumn is known for its yatai-hikimawashi event, where 4 floats are paraded around the city. These Yatai floats, illuminated by 100 lanterns move through Gifu’s pitch-black streets, which are lined with buildings from the Edo period.

Make sure you don’t miss the parade of hundreds of people dressed in traditional costumes of flat straw hats and hakama (Japanese divided skirts or trousers). You can also check out karakuri (mechanized puppet) performances.

Location: Takayama, Gifu 506-0822, Japan

Open: 14–14 April and 9–10 October

8. Kishiwada Danjiri Festival

Daring parade of fast-moving carts in Osaka

Good for: History, Unusual, Group

You’ll know you’ve arrived at Kishiwada Danjiri Festival when you see a 4-tonne danjiri (wooden cart) speeding around sharp corners at full speed in the Yarimawashi event. The community spirit of each town involved is what makes the event such an impressively bold, beautiful and harmonious sight.

Daiku-gata (carpenter) characters who dance on the carts are the stars of the festival, but those steering and pulling the carts also require a lot of skill. A cheerful chant of “Sorya, sorya!” echoes throughout the city. During the parade, you can also look at carvings of famous scenes from war stories and mythological stories on the danjiri. These are spectacularly beautiful, so make sure you get a good close-up look.

Location: Kishiwada, Osaka, 96-8510 Japan

Open: 9–10 September

9. Nagasaki Lantern Festival

Nagasaki Prefecture’s festival of light

Good for: Couples, Photo, Unusual

During the wintertime Nagasaki Lantern Festival, the city of Nagasaki is filled with 15,000 colorful Chinese lanterns, taking you into a fantastic world. Highlights include the large lantern ornaments, which are shaped like dragons, serpents, giraffes, and characters from the Journey to the West or Records of the Three Kingdom.

There are countless events where you can enjoy the charms of Chinese culture, including traditional lion and dragon dances, erhu performances, and Chinese acrobatics. There are also great spots to visit as a couple, such as Doza River with its pink lanterns reflecting on the water’s surface, and Nagasaki Love Lantern. You can offer a lantern to pray for fulfilling love at the Confucian shrine.

Location: Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, 10-13 Shinchimachi, Nagasaki, 850-0842, Japan

10. Okinawa Zento Eisa Matsuri

Traditional dancing in Okinawa

Good for: Families, History, Unusual

Okinawa Zento Eisa Matsuri is a tradition that takes place during the Bon Festival. This major event is held for 3 days in Okinawa City, in the center of the main island of Okinawa. Eisa is a traditional dance, which is performed to the sound of large o-daiko drums or small high-pitched shimedaiko drums, together with chondara jesters to spice up the show.

On the first day of the festival, you can see Michi-junee, a city-wide dancing parade. On the 2nd and 3rd day, enjoy original Eisa performances by youth groups from Okinawa City and organizations selected from all over the prefecture. The festival ends with a laser show and fireworks.

Location: Koza Sports Park, 2-1-1 Moromizato, Okinawa 904-0032, Japan

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