The year in Japan
Year-round
116 gatherings, listed not by rank but as they fall.
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Tokoname Yaki Pottery Experience
愛知県 — Year-round, reservation recommended (varies by workshop)
Event
A
Aizu Nanukamaichi Morning Market: Two Hundred Years on the Same Street
福島県 — Every Sunday morning. Over 200 years of continuous operatio…
Event
K
Kakunodate Cherry Bark Craft Experience
秋田県 — Year-round, reservation required (varies by workshop)
Event
A
Amakusa Pottery Stone: Finding the Material That Made Arita Famous
熊本県 — Year-round. Tours of mining sites and ceramic workshops usi…
Event
A
Amami Oshima: Music and Jungle at the Edge of the Tropics
鹿児島県 — Year-round. Programs combining Shima Uta music, mangrove ca…
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A
Aoshima Morning Market
宮崎県 — Weekends and holidays, early morning near Aoshima Shrine. M…
Event
F
Farmer's Market at the United Nations University
東京都 — Roughly 10:00 to 16:00. Farmers from across Japan sell dire…
Event
A
Arita Porcelain Kiln Tour and Painting Experience
佐賀県 — The birthplace of Japanese porcelain, with kilns and studio…
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A
Asahikawa Asappa Farm Direct Market
北海道 — Year-round, early morning. Vegetables and dairy from Tokach…
Event
A
Aso Kusasenri: The Grassland at the Volcano's Edge
熊本県 — Year-round, subject to volcanic activity levels. Horseback …
Event
A
Awa Puppet Theatre at Jurobei Yashiki
徳島県 — ほぼ毎日の定期上演
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A
Awa Ai: Dyeing with Japan's Most Famous Indigo
徳島県 — Year-round at multiple studios in Tokushima. The Yoshino Ri…
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A
Aya: Japan's Organic Farming Pioneer
宮崎県 — Year-round. Organic farming workshops and short stays. UNES…
Event
B
Bizen Yaki: Touching a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition
岡山県 — Year-round at multiple kilns in Imbe. Finished pieces shipp…
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D
Design Festa
東京都 — Asia's largest art event, with over 10,000 exhibiting artis…
Event
D
Dogo Onsen Morning Market
愛媛県 — Every morning near Dogo Onsen Honkan. Best combined with an…
Event
E
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale
新潟県 — Held every three years in summer (next: 2027)
Exact dates …
Event
E
Echizen Washi: Making Paper in a Valley That Has Made Paper for 1,500 Years
福井県 — Year-round, reservation recommended. Papermaking workshops …
Event
E
Edo Kiriko: Cutting Glass the Way Tokyo Once Did
東京都 — Year-round at glass studios in Sumida and Koto. Tokyo Metro…
Event
G
Gero Onsen Gassho Village
岐阜県 — Open year-round. Ten thatched-roof gassho-zukuri farmhouses…
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M
Mino Washi Papermaking Experience
岐阜県 — Year-round, reservation required
Event
S
Seki Blade Sharpening Experience
岐阜県 — Year-round, reservation required (varies by facility)
Event
G
Gojome: Half Farming, Half Whatever You Want to Be
秋田県 — Year-round. Agriculture and short-stay programs. A pioneeri…
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G
Goto Islands Farming and Fishing Life Experience
長崎県 — A relocation support program offering island life experienc…
Event
H
Hagi: Living in the Town That Made Modern Japan
山口県 — Year-round. Traditional townhouse lodgings and relocation e…
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H
Hagi Ware Climbing Kiln Experience
山口県 — Home of Hagi ware prized for tea ceramics, offering pottery…
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H
Hakodate Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse Marché
北海道 — Open year-round. Outdoor marché events held regularly in su…
Event
H
Hakodate Morning Market
北海道 — May–Dec: from 5am. Jan–Apr: from 6am. Closing around 2pm. H…
Event
H
Hayachine Kagura
岩手県 — 例大祭・定期公演で奉納
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H
Heian Flea Market
京都府 — Roughly 7:00 to 16:00. Antiques, vintage clothing, tools, a…
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H
Hida-Furukawa Artisan Town Stay
岐阜県 — A town known for white storehouses and a carp-filled canal,…
Event
H
Higashikawa: The Town That Grows Furniture and People
北海道 — Year-round. Migration experience tours and short-stay progr…
Event
H
Hiroshima Asagiri Bridge Flea Market
広島県 — 1–2 times per month along the Motoyasu River. Antiques, vin…
Event
K
Kumano Fude Brush-Making Experience
広島県 — Year-round, reservation required
Event
I
Ibusuki Sand Bath: Being Buried by the Volcanic Earth
鹿児島県 — Year-round, 8:30am–9pm. Staff bury you in naturally heated …
Event
I
Iida: Where Every Village Has Its Own Puppet Theater
長野県 — Year-round. Farmhouse homestays and puppet theater programs…
Event
I
Imabari Towel: Dyeing at the Source of Japan's Finest Cotton
愛媛県 — Year-round. Dyeing workshops and factory tours available. I…
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I
Ine Funaya: Houses That Open Directly onto the Sea
京都府 — Year-round. About 230 funaya boathouses surround the bay. D…
Event
I
Inujima Art Project: Ruins as Canvas
岡山県 — Open year-round except Mondays. 20–30 min by ferry from Oka…
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I
Ishigaki Euglena Mall: The Kitchen of the Yaeyamas
沖縄県 — Daily, year-round. Covered arcade near Ishigaki Public Mark…
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I
Iwami Kagura
島根県 — The signature piece is Yamata-no-Orochi, in which giant ser…
Event
I
Iwami Kagura Regular Performances
島根県 — 神社の祭礼・定期公演で上演
Event
I
Iya Kazurabashi: The Vine Bridge of the Hidden Valley
徳島県 — Open year-round. Entire bridge rebuilt every three years us…
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J
Jinya-mae Morning Market
岐阜県 — Apr–Nov: 6am–noon. Dec–Mar: 7am–noon. Open year-round. Exte…
Event
K
Kamiyama: The Village That Reinvented Itself for Remote Work
徳島県 — Year-round. Short-term workcation programs available. Kamiy…
Event
K
Kaga Yuzen Dyeing Experience
石川県 — Year-round, reservation required
Event
K
Kasugai Mitake Onsen Morning Market: First Sunday of Every Month
愛知県 — First Sunday of each month, early morning. Local produce an…
Event
K
Katsuura Morning Market
千葉県 — 6:30am–11:00am. Shimohoncho street on the 1st–15th, Nakahon…
Event
K
KENPOKU ART (Ibaraki North Art Festival)
茨城県 — A wide-area festival spanning both the Pacific coast and th…
Event
K
Kesennuma Fisherman Experience
宮城県 — A port town recovered from the 2011 tsunami, offering fishi…
Event
K
Kiso Lacquerware: Painting with Tree Sap in a Postroad Town
長野県 — Year-round at studios in Shiojiri and Kisomura. The nearby …
Event
N
Northern Alps Art Festival
長野県 — An art festival in Omachi at the foot of the Northern Alps,…
Event
K
Kobe Kitano Antique Market
兵庫県 — 1–2 times per month near the Kitano foreign settlement area…
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K
Kochi Sunday Market
高知県 — Closed Jan 1–2 and Aug 10–12 (Yosakoi Festival period). Man…
Event
K
Kudaka Island: The Island at the Center of Ryukyuan Spiritual Life
沖縄県 — Year-round. Guesthouses and longer stays available. Some sa…
Event
K
Kurashiki Bikan Quarter Craft Market
岡山県 — First Sunday of each month. Local artisans and farmers in t…
Event
K
Kurashiki Tenryo Morning Market
岡山県 — A morning market near the historical quarter, with local pr…
Event
K
Kuromon Market
大阪府 — Roughly 9:00 to 18:00. About 580 meters of fish, meat, frui…
Event
K
Kurume Kasuri: Weaving with Indigo-Dyed Thread
福岡県 — Year-round at multiple studios in Kurume. Designated Import…
Event
K
Kyoto Kiyomizuyaki Pottery Experience
京都府 — Year-round, reservation required (varies by studio)
Event
M
Makishi Public Market
沖縄県 — 1F fish and meat can be taken upstairs to 2F restaurants fo…
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M
Mashiko Pottery Experience
栃木県 — A pottery town known for the mingei movement, with many stu…
Event
M
Minami-Oguni: Long Stay in Japan's Most Beloved Onsen Village
熊本県 — Year-round. Multi-night stays at Kurokawa Onsen ryokan and …
Event
M
Mino Ware: Shaping the Dishes Japan Eats From
岐阜県 — Year-round at Ceramic Park Mino and local studios. About 60…
Event
M
Miyagawa Morning Market
岐阜県 — Apr–Nov: 7am–noon. Dec–Mar: 8am–noon. Open year-round; fewe…
Event
M
Miyakojima Paantu: The God Who Marks You
沖縄県 — Exact date not announced in advance. UNESCO Intangible Heri…
Event
N
Nagasaki Megane-bashi Bridge Flea Market
長崎県 — 1–2 times per month along the Nakashima River near the icon…
Event
N
Naha Okinawa Fireworks Festival
沖縄県 — 2026 (date to be confirmed — see official site)
Event
N
Nanbu Ironware Foundry Tour
岩手県 — Home of Nanbu ironware, known for heavy iron kettles, offer…
Event
N
Nanmoku Mountain Village Study Program
群馬県 — Often cited as Japan's most aged village, welcoming new res…
Event
N
Nikko-bori Wood Carving Experience
栃木県 — Year-round, reservation required (varies by workshop)
Event
N
Nishiawakura Local Venture Program
岡山県 — A startup support program built on forest resources, from s…
Event
N
Nishiawakura: Living the Rural Revival From the Inside
岡山県 — Year-round. Short-term immersion programs through the Local…
Event
N
Nishijin Textile Experience
京都府 — Home of Nishijin-ori luxury silk, with facilities offering …
Event
N
Nishiki Market
京都府 — Most shops open around 9:00 to 18:00. The arcade runs about…
Event
O
Obihiro Banei Racing: The Only Draft Horse Race in the World
北海道 — Year-round, mainly weekends and holidays. Obihiro is the wo…
Event
O
Obuse: The Small Town That Chose Art and Kept Its Soul
長野県 — Year-round. Town planning internships and short-stay progra…
Event
O
Ohnan: Where Japan's Countryside Is Trying Something New
島根県 — Year-round. Short-term agriculture and forestry programs. K…
Event
K
Kunisaki Peninsula Art Festival
大分県 — Permanent contemporary artworks dot the Kunisaki Peninsula,…
Event
O
Ojika Island: A Slow Life on Japan's Most Beautiful Rural Inn
長崎県 — Year-round. Multiple renovated farmhouses available as priv…
Event
R
Ryukyu Bingata Dyeing Experience
沖縄県 — Year-round, reservation required (varies by workshop)
Event
O
Omicho Market
石川県 — Hours and closing days vary by stall. Many close on Wednesd…
Event
O
Omiya Hikawa Shrine Antique Market: Sacred Ground, Old Things
埼玉県 — Around the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. Antiques and…
Event
O
Onta Yaki: Pottery at a Mill-Powered Kiln
大分県 — Year-round. Nine kilns in the remote Sarayama valley. Desig…
Event
B
Bunraku at the National Theatre Osaka
大阪府 — 年に数回の本公演
Event
O
Otona Shima Ryugaku — Island Living Program
島根県 — 通年募集・年2回程度の受入期（3ヶ月〜1年）
Event
R
Reborn-Art Festival
宮城県 — An art, music, and food festival in Ishinomaki and the Oshi…
Event
R
Ryukyu Glass: Blowing Something Beautiful from Broken Bottles
沖縄県 — Year-round, advance booking recommended. Originated from re…
Event
R
Ryusendo Cave: Underground Lake of Iwate
岩手県 — Open year-round. One of Japan's three great limestone caves…
Event
S
Sado Island: Where Gold, Noh, and Terraced Rice Fields Meet
新潟県 — Year-round. Gold mine tours, Noh theater experiences, terra…
Event
S
Sado Firelight Noh
新潟県 — 例年初夏〜秋（島内各地）
Event
S
Sagami Puppet Theatre
神奈川県 — 定期公演・神社祭礼で上演
Event
S
Satsuma Kiriko: The Glass That Disappeared and Returned
鹿児島県 — Year-round at studios in Kagoshima City. Satsuma kiriko die…
Event
S
Sendai Wholesale Market: Open to Everyone on Saturdays
宮城県 — Open to the public every Saturday morning. Sanriku seafood …
Event
S
Shigaraki Yaki: Firing a Kiln That Has Burned for Eight Centuries
滋賀県 — Year-round at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park and local kil…
Event
S
Shimanto River Canoe Experience
高知県 — Main season April–October. Multiple operators offer half-da…
Event
S
Shimokitazawa Vintage Market: The Neighborhood as Archive
東京都 — Irregular schedule, 1–2 times per month at various venues. …
Event
T
Tashirojima: The Island That Belongs to Cats
宮城県 — About 50 minutes by ferry from Ishinomaki. Guesthouses avai…
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T
Toji Kobo-ichi Flea Market
京都府 — Held on the 21st of every month. Stalls begin setting up at…
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T
Tokyo Flea Market
東京都 — A large biannual event with hundreds of vendors of antiques…
Event
T
Tono: Sleeping Inside Japan's Most Famous Folktale Landscape
岩手県 — Year-round. Farmhouse homestays available. The setting of Y…
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T
Tosa Shimizu: A Few Days in the Life of a Fisherman
高知県 — Year-round, weather and fishing season permitting. Join fis…
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T
Tosa Washi: Making Paper at the Source of Japan's Finest
高知県 — Year-round at the Tosa Washi Craft Village in Ino Town. Tos…
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T
Towada Oirase Art Festival
青森県 — An art festival set against Lake Towada and Oirase Gorge, i…
Event
T
Tsubame-Sanjo Metal Crafts Experience
新潟県 — Year-round, reservation recommended (varies by workshop)
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T
Tsuboya Yachimun Street: Okinawa's Living Pottery District
沖縄県 — Year-round. Kilns and direct-sale shops line the historic p…
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T
Tsukiji Outer Market
東京都 — Open from early morning to afternoon. Dense with seafood, d…
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T
Tsuruoka: Japan's UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
山形県 — Year-round. Farm restaurant experiences and food programs. …
Event
U
Uchiko: Living in a Town That Decided to Stay Itself
愛媛県 — Year-round. Preserved historic district. Traditional farmho…
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W
Wajima Chinkin: Engraving Gold into Lacquer After the Earthquake
石川県 — Many workshops are recovering from the January 2024 Noto Pe…
Event
W
Wakasa: Sleeping in a Farmhouse That Someone Brought Back to Life
福井県 — Year-round. Stay programs using renovated traditional farmh…
Event
Y
Yamagata Biennale
山形県 — Organized by the Tohoku University of Art and Design, spann…
Event
Y
Yanagibashi Market: Where Hakata's Chefs Begin Their Day
福岡県 — Mon–Sat approx. 8am–5pm. Closed Sundays and holidays. Whole…
Event
Y
Yokohama Yamashita Park Marché: Port City Produce by the Sea
神奈川県 — Seasonal events, mainly spring and autumn. Kanagawa and Sho…
Event
Y
Yoshino Forestry Experience
奈良県 — Home to over 500 years of Yoshino forestry, offering mounta…
Event
Y
Yuki Tsumugi: Threading the Oldest Silk Loom in Japan
茨城県 — Year-round, reservation required. Weaving workshops at mult…