Japan
Events & Gatherings
296 events
July 2026
9 events
07/11–09/01
Gujo Odori
Hachiman, Gujo, Gifu
Every summer evening from July 11 to September 5 — thirty-one nights in all — music rises from the streets of Gujo Hachi
07/20–07/21
Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Festival Float Procession
Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha and surroundings, Tsuchizaki-minato, Akita
Behind each float hangs a placard mocking the times. In the port town of Tsuchizaki in Akita, summer brings a procession
07/20–07/20
Shiogama Minato Festival
Shiogama Shrine and Shiogama Port, Shiogama, Miyagi
The gods cross the sea by boat. In summer, the two portable shrines of Shiogama Shrine in Miyagi are placed aboard lavis
07/24–07/25
Tenjin Matsuri
Osaka Tenmangu Shrine and the Okawa River, Kita-ku, Osaka
A festival of boats, and a festival of fire. Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri is one of Japan's three great festivals, alongside K
07/25–07/25
Tenjin Festival Fireworks
Okawa River, Kita, Osaka
This is how a thousand-year-old festival ends. The Tenjin Matsuri, one of the three greatest festivals in Japan, honors
07/25–07/25
Abekawa Fireworks Festival
Abe River banks, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
The fireworks began as a memorial. In Shizuoka, the Abekawa Fireworks Festival sends around fifteen thousand shells over
07/25–07/25
Fukuroi Enshu Fireworks Festival
Haranoya River Park, Fukuroi, Shizuoka
This is a showcase of the makers themselves. Each August in Fukuroi, on the Enshu plain of Shizuoka, the most celebrated
07/26–07/26
Gion Kashiwazaki Sea Fireworks Festival
Kashiwazaki Port Beach, Kashiwazaki, Niigata
Here the fire comes off the sea. Kashiwazaki faces the Sea of Japan, and its summer festival—one of the three great fire
07/31–08/04
Hachinohe Sansha Taisai: Three Shrines, One Midsummer Night
Chojayama Shinra Shrine and others, Hachinohe City, Aomori
Three shrines — Chojayama Shinra, Shinmeigu, and Ogami — send their portable shrines through the streets of Hachinohe si
August 2026
24 events
08/01–08/04
Morioka Sansa Odori
The largest number of drums in the world.
The Morioka Sansa Odori holds a Guinness record for the most Japanese drums p
08/01–08/01
Hyuga Hyottoko Summer Festival
Around Hyuga-shi Station, Hyuga, Miyazaki
Wearing a Hyottoko mask, they dance while comically stumbling. In Hyuga, Miyazaki, the Hyottoko Summer Festival sends da
08/01–08/07
Hirosaki Neputa Festival
Dotemachi and surrounds, Hirosaki City, Aomori
Where Aomori's Nebuta moves fast and loud, Hirosaki's Neputa is slow and contemplative.
The floats are fan-shaped — pai
08/02–08/07
Aomori Nebuta Festival
Shinmachi-dori and surrounds, Aomori City, Aomori
Nine meters wide, five meters tall — the nebuta floats move through the streets of Aomori like creatures from another wo
08/02–08/03
Nagaoka Grand Fireworks Festival
Shinano River, Nagaoka, Niigata
Some fireworks are only beautiful. These ones mean something more. On the first of August, 1945, Nagaoka burned in an ai
08/03–08/06
Akita Kanto Festival
When night comes, the rice ripens in the air.
Akita in early August. Forty-six paper lanterns hang from a single bamboo
08/04–08/08
Goshogawara Tachineputa
Tachineputa Museum and city streets, Goshogawara, Aomori
Look up, and your neck will ache. The towering floats of Goshogawara's summer festival rise some twenty-three meters, as
08/05–08/07
Yamagata Hanagasa Festival: Ten Thousand Flower Hats
Central Yamagata City, Yamagata
Ten thousand dancers, each carrying a broad hat decorated with red safflower blossoms. The Hanagasa Festival moves throu
08/06–08/08
Sendai Tanabata Festival
Central arcade shopping district, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi
On the morning of August 6, the arcades of central Sendai are transformed overnight.
Enormous streamers of washi paper
08/07–08/07
Shinmei Fireworks Festival
Fuefuki River, Ichikawamisato, Yamanashi
A town of paper sends up fire. Ichikawamisato has made washi—traditional Japanese paper—for centuries, along with the ca
08/07–08/09
Numata Festival
Around Numata Station, Numata, Gunma
A Tengu walks through the town. In Numata, Gunma, the summer festival sends a procession bearing great Tengu masks throu
08/09–08/12
Yosakoi Festival
The naruko clappers rattle in the hand.
Kochi in August. An eve, two main days, an after-festival: for four days the wh
08/11–08/15
Awa Odori
Ainobahama and other stages throughout central Tokushima City, Tokushima
"Fools who dance, fools who watch — if you're going to be a fool, you might as well dance."
This chant, sung to the rhy
08/12–08/16
Fukagawa Hachiman Festival
Once every three years, a particular summer returns to the old quarters of Tokyo.
Monzen-nakacho, in Koto City. The ann
08/13–08/13
Kitakyushu Kanmon Strait Fireworks Festival
Mojiko Port, Kanmon Strait, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
Two shores compete across the water. The Kanmon Strait is the narrow channel dividing Honshu from Kyushu—the seam where
08/15–08/15
Lake Suwa Fireworks Festival
Suwa Lakeside Park, Suwa, Nagano
A lake doubles everything. The fireworks rise above Suwa, and then they fall again, perfect and inverted, into the still
08/15–08/16
Sasayama Dekansho Festival
Sannomaru Plaza, Sasayama Castle Ruins, Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo
"Dekansho, Dekansho, and half the year is spent." So begins the song that has defined summer in this castle town for fou
08/15–08/16
Yamaga Lantern Festival
On the crown of the head, a lantern of paper begins to glow.
Yamaga, in Kumamoto. The golden lanterns are built without
08/16–08/16
Gozan no Okuribi
Five mountains around the Higashiyama and Kitayama districts, Kyoto
Characters are drawn on the mountains in fire. Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi takes place on the night of August 16, sending t
08/16–08/18
Nishimonai Bon Odori
Honmachi-dori, Nishimonai, Ugo-cho, Akita
The dancers keep their faces hidden. Beneath deep woven hats or black hoods, they move through firelight without reveali
08/17–08/17
Kumano Grand Fireworks Festival
Shichiri-mihama Beach, Kumano, Mie
Here the sea becomes the stage. For more than three centuries, fireworks have risen over Shichiri-mihama, the long pebbl
08/22–08/23
Tanegashima Gun Festival
Around Nishinoomote Port, Nishinoomote, Kagoshima
The island where guns first came to Japan. Tanegashima lies in the East China Sea, far south of the mainland's southern
08/26–08/27
Yoshida Fire Festival
5558 Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
On the evening of August 26, more than seventy torches — each three meters tall — are lit simultaneously along a two-kil
08/29–08/29
Omagari National Fireworks Competition
Omono River, Daisen, Akita
Once a year, in a small city in Akita, the question is settled: who makes the finest fireworks in Japan. The Omagari com
September 2026
6 events
09/01–09/03
Owara Kaze no Bon
Yatsuo, Toyama City, Toyama
Every year, for three nights in early September, the sloping lanes of Yatsuo are given over to sound and slow movement.
09/05–09/06
Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival
Koza Athletic Stadium and city streets, Okinawa City, Okinawa
A dance to send off the ancestors fills the night. When Obon ends, Okinawa begins its eisa. Young people beat drums and
09/11–09/12
Katakai Festival Grand Fireworks
Asahara Shrine, Katakai, Ojiya, Niigata
In a town of a few thousand people, they launch the largest firework on earth. The four-shaku shell weighs four hundred
09/11–09/13
Hanamaki Festival
Streets around Hanamaki Station, Hanamaki, Iwate
Many performing arts converge in a single festival. Hanamaki's autumn celebration fills the streets for three days with
09/12–09/13
Kishiwada Danjiri Festival
Kishiki Shrine and throughout the city, Kishiwada, Osaka
They take the corner at full speed. In Kishiwada, Osaka, hundreds of men race wooden floats weighing more than four tons
09/19–09/23
Aizu Festival
Tsuruga Castle and central Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
A town of the defeated never forgets its pride. In Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, the Aizu Festival sends a grand procession
October 2026
10 events
10/01–11/23
MIND TRAIL Okuyamato
Yoshino, Tenkawa, Soni and the Okuyamato region, Nara
You walk through the mountains, and you look. In Okuyamato, the deep mountain region of southern Nara including Yoshino
10/03–10/03
Omagari Fireworks: Autumn Chapter
Omono River, Daisen, Akita
The autumn fireworks at Omagari are not a competition.
In August, this same riverbed hosts the contest that decides who
10/07–10/09
Nagasaki Kunchi
長崎市上西山町18-15（諏訪神社）
Every October, a dragon descends the stone steps of Suwa Shrine and moves through the streets of Nagasaki. It has been d
10/09–10/10
Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri)
519 Hachimancho, Takayama, Gifu (Sakurayama Hachimangu)
In the same town, the same floats bring a different season. Alongside the spring Sanno Festival, this autumn celebration
10/10–10/12
Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival
Kumoji intersection, National Route 58, Naha, Okinawa
Everyone pulls a rope two hundred meters long. In Naha, Okinawa, the Great Tug-of-War uses the largest straw rope in the
10/14–10/17
Saijo Festival
Isono Shrine and others, Saijo, Ehime
In the autumn, ornate floats wade into a river. Saijo's festival fields more than a hundred floats, called danjiri, and
10/14–10/15
Nada Fighting Festival
Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Shirahama-cho, Himeji, Hyogo
They smash the shrines together on purpose. In the Nada district of Himeji, three portable shrines are slammed into one
10/16–10/18
Niihama Taiko Festival
When autumn comes, the men gather beneath the drum floats.
Niihama, in Ehime. Each taikodai weighs around three tons, s
10/17–10/18
Kawagoe Festival
The floats move through a town of storehouses.
Kawagoe is sometimes called little Edo, and the name is earned: black-wa
10/31–11/03
Mashiko Pottery Fair
Jonaizaka and Sayado areas, Mashiko, Tochigi
Twice a year, a small pottery town in the Kanto hills receives more visitors than it can comfortably hold — and the visi
November 2026
3 events
11/02–11/04
Karatsu Kunchi
3-13 Minamijounai, Karatsu, Saga (Karatsu Shrine)
Each of the fourteen floats has a name and a story. A red lion. A samurai helmet. A sea bream. A dragon. Urashima Taro o
11/03–11/03
Izushi Pottery Festival
Izushi castle town, Toyooka, Hyogo
It is simply white. That is Izushi ware. In Izushi, part of Toyooka in Hyogo, a small castle town called the little Kyot
11/07–11/07
Tsuchiura National Fireworks Competition
Sakuragawa Riverside, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki
This is where the makers come to be judged. Since 1925, the finest pyrotechnicians in Japan have gathered on the banks o
December 2026
2 events
12/02–12/03
Chichibu Night Festival
1-3 Banba-cho, Chichibu, Saitama (Chichibu Shrine)
In December, when most festivals have long ended, Chichibu lights its winter sky. This is one of Japan's three great flo
12/05–12/05
Aenokoto Ritual of Oku-Noto
Farmhouses across the Oku-Noto region, Ishikawa
An invisible god is invited into the home and treated as an honored guest. In the farmhouses of Oku-Noto, the Aenokoto r
January 2027
2 events
01/09–01/11
Nishinomiya Toka Ebisu
1-17 Shake-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo (Nishinomiya Shrine)
You run, and you seize the year's fortune. In Nishinomiya, Hyogo, stands the head shrine of the three thousand Ebisu shr
01/20–02/28
Nada Sake Brewery Open Days
A thin band of land between the sea and the mountains.
Nada, in Kobe, is the largest sake-producing district in Japan,
Year-round
Daily
Jinya-mae Morning Market
岐阜県高山市八軒町1-5
Every morning, farmers come down from the mountain villages and set up their stalls in front of a government house that
Every Sun
Kochi Sunday Market
Otesujii, Kochi City, Kochi
Every Sunday morning, the boulevard leading to Kochi Castle becomes a different kind of road.
Both lanes are closed to
Daily
Miyagawa Morning Market
Miyagawa riverside (Kajibashi to Yayoibashi), Shimosan-no-machi, Takayama, Gifu
White canvas stalls line the east bank of the Miyagawa River for seven hundred meters, from Kajibashi bridge to Yayoibas
Daily (closed Wed)
Katsuura Morning Market
Shimohoncho and Nakahoncho streets, Katsuura, Chiba
In the fishing town of Katsuura on the Boso Peninsula, a morning market has been held almost every day since 1591.
It w
Daily
Hakodate Morning Market
9-19 Wakamatsu-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido
One minute on foot from Hakodate Station, and the city changes register entirely.
About 250 stalls spread across roughl
Daily
Omicho Market
50 Kami-Omichocho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Locals call it Omicho.
The market opened in 1721, during the era of the Kaga domain, when a fire destroyed several mark
Monthly (21)
Toji Kobo-ichi Flea Market
1 Kujo-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto (To-ji Temple grounds)
On the 21st of every month, the grounds of To-ji Temple become a market.
More than a thousand stalls. Antiques, old too
Daily
Makishi Public Market
2-10-1 Matsuo, Naha, Okinawa
In Okinawa, a market is called a machigwaa.
Step inside, and the fish on the counters are colors you won't find on the
Year-round
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale
Tokamachi, Niigata (Echigo-Tsumari region)
Echigo-Tsumari sits in the mountains along the border of Niigata and Nagano prefectures — a region of extraordinary snow
Year-round
Otona Shima Ryugaku — Island Living Program
Ama-cho, Oki Islands, Shimane
The island's unofficial motto is "Nai mono wa nai" — what isn't here, isn't needed. It's a quiet provocation, aimed at e
Year-round
Tono Festival
Tono City, Iwate
Tono is a town in the mountains of Iwate Prefecture that seems to remember things other places have forgotten. It was he
Year-round
Namahage Sedo Festival
Shinzan Shrine, Kitaura Shinzan, Oga, Akita
The Oga Peninsula in winter is a different country. Cold comes in off the Japan Sea, the cedar forests around Shinzan Sh
Year-round
Soma Nomaoi — The Wild Horse Chase
Hibaragahara Festival Grounds & Soma Nakamura Shrine, Minamisoma / Soma, Fukushima
The origin story is a thousand years old: Taira no Masakado, the warlord, released wild horses on the plains of what is
Daily
Ojiya Bullfighting (Ushi no Tsukiai)
Ojiya Bullfighting Arena, Oguriyama, Ojiya, Niigata
There is no winner. Every bout ends in a draw. In the mountains of Echigo, a tradition said to be nearly a thousand year
Daily
Iwami Kagura
Across the Iwami region of western Shimane (Hamada, Masuda, Oda and others)
Serpents writhe across the entire stage. In the Iwami region of western Shimane, performers in dazzling masks and embroi
Daily
Takachiho Night Kagura
Takachiho Shrine and village communities, Takachiho, Miyazaki
In the land where the myths were born, people dance through the night. Takachiho in Miyazaki is held to be the place whe
Daily (closed Wed)
Nishiki Market
Nishikikoji-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
It has long been called Kyoto's kitchen. Nishiki Market runs about three hundred and ninety meters under its arcade, lin
Every 2th Sat
Heian Flea Market
Okazaki Park, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Once a month, someone's past gathers in a plaza. At Okazaki Park in Kyoto, the Heian Flea Market sets up on the second S
Every Sat & Sun
Farmer's Market at the United Nations University
United Nations University plaza, 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
In the middle of the city, you can talk to the people who grew it. In Aoyama, Tokyo, on the plaza before the United Nati
Daily
Tokyo Flea Market
Keiokaku, 4-31-1 Tamagawa, Chofu, Tokyo
Old things alone draw this many people. In Chofu, Tokyo, twice a year, in spring and autumn, the Tokyo Flea Market is he
Daily (closed Sun)
Tsukiji Outer Market
Tsukiji 4-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
The market moved, but the town remained. In Tsukiji, Tokyo, there once stood one of the world's largest fish markets. In
Daily
Kuromon Market
Nipponbashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Osaka
People call it Osaka's kitchen. Kuromon Market stretches about five hundred and eighty meters, lined with some hundred a
Daily
Design Festa
Tokyo Big Sight, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Whether it is good or not is beside the point. The only question is whether you made it. At Tokyo Big Sight, twice a yea
Every 1th Sun
Kurashiki Tenryo Morning Market
Around the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, Honmachi, Kurashiki, Okayama
In a town of white walls, a morning market sets up. Kurashiki in Okayama prospered in the Edo period as a tenryo, a terr
Daily
Towada Oirase Art Festival
Lake Towada, Oirase Gorge and the city center, Towada, Aomori
The sound of the mountain stream becomes part of the work. In Towada, Aomori, lies Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge that
Daily
Kunisaki Peninsula Art Festival
Kunisaki, Bungotakada and the Kunisaki Peninsula, Oita
In a land of Buddhas, contemporary art takes up residence. The Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita is a round peninsula jutting i
Daily
Northern Alps Art Festival
Omachi and the surrounding hills and lakes, Nagano
In a town raised by snowmelt, you look at art. Omachi in Nagano sits right at the foot of the Northern Alps, peaks of th
Daily
Yamagata Biennale
Tohoku University of Art and Design and venues across Yamagata City
A university opens up a town. In Yamagata City, an art festival is held once every two years, organized by the Tohoku Un
Daily
KENPOKU ART (Ibaraki North Art Festival)
Northern Ibaraki, including Hitachi, Hitachiota, and Daigo
Sea and mountains: two faces in a single festival. Northern Ibaraki has a coastal area facing the Pacific and a mountain
Daily
Nishiawakura Local Venture Program
Nishiawakura, Aida District, Okayama
A village that did not abandon its forest is calling the young. Nishiawakura in Okayama is a small mountain village of a
Daily
Nanmoku Mountain Village Study Program
Nanmoku, Kanra District, Gunma
From the most aged village in Japan. Nanmoku in Gunma is said to have one of the highest proportions of elderly resident
Daily
Goto Islands Farming and Fishing Life Experience
Fukue Island and the Goto Islands, Goto, Nagasaki
A life with both sea and field. The Goto Islands of Nagasaki are a scattering of more than a hundred and forty islands i
Daily
Kesennuma Fisherman Experience
Kesennuma, Miyagi
Betrayed by the sea, and still living with the sea. Kesennuma in Miyagi is a port town of Tohoku with one of the world's
Daily
Hida-Furukawa Artisan Town Stay
Furukawa, Hida, Gifu
In a town where carp swim, you face the wood. Hida-Furukawa in Gifu has rows of white-walled storehouses, and hundreds o
Daily
Yoshino Forestry Experience
Yoshino, Yoshino District, Nara
Looking five hundred years ahead, you plant a tree. Yoshino in Nara is famous for its cherry blossoms. But it is also a
Daily
Arita Porcelain Kiln Tour and Painting Experience
Arita, Nishimatsuura District, Saga
Japanese porcelain began in this town. Arita in Saga is where, four hundred years ago, Japan's first porcelain was fired
Daily
Mashiko Pottery Experience
Mashiko, Haga District, Tochigi
Beauty in the vessels of everyday use. Mashiko in Tochigi is a leading pottery town of the Kanto region, with many studi
Daily
Nishijin Textile Experience
Nishijin district, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
A single thread becomes a pattern like a cosmos. Nishijin in Kyoto is the home of the luxury silk textile called Nishiji
Daily
Nanbu Ironware Foundry Tour
Mizusawa, Oshu, Iwate
Black, heavy, made to last a lifetime. Oshu in Iwate is the home of Nanbu ironware, known above all for iron kettles. Na
Daily
Hagi Ware Climbing Kiln Experience
Hagi, Yamaguchi
One of the vessels most loved by tea masters. Hagi in Yamaguchi is the home of Hagi ware, long held in high regard in th
Daily
Reborn-Art Festival
Oshika Peninsula and central Ishinomaki, Miyagi
On the scars of the tsunami, art rises. Ishinomaki in Miyagi, and the Oshika Peninsula, were struck hard by the Great Ea
毎年7月
Tsuwano Sagi-mai: The Heron Dance
Yasaka Shrine, Tsuwano, Kanoashi, Shimane
Two men dressed as white herons enter the stream that runs through the center of Tsuwano. Their wings open slowly as the
毎年6月第1金・土・日
Toka-san: Hiroshima's First Yukata Festival
Enko-ji Temple, Nakaku, Hiroshima
June arrives in Hiroshima wearing a yukata. The Toka-san festival — centered on Enko-ji Temple and spreading through the
毎年8月第2土曜
Shanshan Festival: Ten Thousand Bells in Tottori
Central Tottori City, Tottori
The sound comes before the sight. Thousands of bells, each attached to a paper umbrella, producing a collective shimmer
毎年1月下旬〜3月中旬
Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival
Sounkyo Onsen, Kamikawa, Hokkaido
In January, something is built in the gorge. The canyon walls of Sounkyo become in winter the frame for an ice festival
毎年12月第2土曜日前後
Miyakonojo Shiwasu Festival: The Year's End Fire
Miyakonojo City and Kirishima Shrine, Miyazaki
In December, the gods descend from Kirishima. The mountain shrine complex holds its year-end grand festival, and Miyakon
毎年2月中旬の金・土
Aizu Painted Candle Festival
Tsurugajo Castle and Oyakuen Garden, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
They are painted with flowers — peonies, chrysanthemums, the blossoms of seasons not yet arrived. Each February these Ai
毎年5月3〜5日
Mizusawa Fujiwara Festival: Heian Pageant of the North
Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate
The Oshu Fujiwara clan built their capital in Hiraizumi — a northern court to rival Kyoto, some said, at the edge of the
毎年4月13〜17日
Nikko Yayoi Festival: Spring Floats of the Sacred Mountain
Futarasan Shrine, Nikko, Tochigi
Nikko is usually encountered through its excess. The Toshogu shrine — built to enshrine the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu — is
毎年4月19・20日
Hida Furukawa Festival: The Drums Before Dawn
Keta Wakamiya Shrine, Furukawa, Hida City, Gifu
The drumming begins at three in the morning. This is the essential fact of the Furukawa Festival: it starts before dawn,
毎年10月第2土・日
Tsushima Izuhara Hachiman Festival: Between Two Countries
Izuhara Hachimangu Shrine, Tsushima City, Nagasaki
On a clear day from Tsushima's highest points, you can see the Korean peninsula — not a distant shimmer but the actual o
旧暦12月頃（日程非公表）
Miyakojima Paantu: The God Who Marks You
Ueno Nohara, Miyakojima City, Okinawa
The deity appears from the forest covered in mud — thick, ancient mud drawn from a sacred well. Paantu moves through the
毎年7月（本祭）・10月（秋祭）
Sawara Grand Festival: Floats on the Waterway
Suwa Shrine / Yasaka Shrine, Sawara, Katori City, Chiba
The floats barely fit through the streets. This is the defining experience of the Sawara Grand Festival: watching a stru
毎年8月6・7日
Noshiro Tanabata: Towers of Light in Akita
Noshiro City, Akita
Twenty-four meters. That is the height of the largest lantern tower that moves through the streets of Noshiro on the nig
毎年8月第1土曜
Funai Senshi: Oita's Night of Warrior Floats
Chuo-dori, Oita City, Oita
Oita was once called Funai, and the city carries this history with ease. The Funai Senshi festival reclaims the old iden
旧暦6〜7月（島によって異なる）
Yaeyama Hoonen-sai: Harvest Offerings at the Edge of Japan
Ishigaki City and Taketomi Town, Okinawa (held on individual islands)
In the Yaeyama islands — Japan's southwestern edge, closer to Taiwan than to Tokyo — each community holds its own harves
毎朝（通年）
Dogo Onsen Morning Market
Dogo Yunomachi, Matsuyama, Ehime
Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest hot springs in Japan — old enough to appear in the Man'yoshu poetry anthology, old enoug
月〜土 8:00〜17:00頃（日曜・祝日定休）
Yanagibashi Market: Where Hakata's Chefs Begin Their Day
1 Haruyoshi, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City
Before the restaurants open, the chefs of Hakata come here. Yanagibashi Rengo-ichiba has been supplying Fukuoka's food i
不定期（月1〜2回）
Shimokitazawa Vintage Market: The Neighborhood as Archive
Around Shimokitazawa Station, Setagaya, Tokyo
Shimokitazawa is the neighborhood that Tokyo's musicians, actors, and writers moved to before they were successful, and
4月〜11月の毎週日曜（早朝）
Matsue Morning Market: Mist on the Canal
Along Fukuro River, Matsue City, Shimane
The mist from Lake Shinji moves through Matsue before the city wakes. Matsue is built on water — canals, the Ōhashi Rive
毎週土曜 15:00〜20:00（5月〜11月）
Morioka Zaimokucho Evening Market: The City's Living Room
Zaimokucho, Morioka City, Iwate
On Saturday afternoons from May through November, the Zaimokucho district of Morioka becomes something between a market
毎週土曜（早朝〜午前中）
Sendai Wholesale Market: Open to Everyone on Saturdays
Oroshimachi, Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi
The Sendai wholesale market operates six days a week supplying the city's restaurants and hotels. On Saturday mornings,
週末・祝日（4月〜11月）
Nasu Kogen Farmers Market: The New Countryside
Nasu Town, Nasu-gun, Tochigi
The farmers at the Nasu Kogen market did not all grow up farming. A significant portion moved here from Tokyo — people w
毎日（通年）
Ishigaki Euglena Mall: The Kitchen of the Yaeyamas
Near Ishigaki Public Market, Okawa, Ishigaki City, Okinawa
Before the ferry to Taketomi or Iriomote or any of the outer Yaeyama islands, stop at the market. The covered arcade nea
毎月第1日曜（早朝〜午前中）
Kasugai Mitake Onsen Morning Market: First Sunday of Every Month
Mitake Onsen grounds, Uchinai, Kasugai City, Aichi
Once a month, on the first Sunday, the grounds of Mitake Onsen in Kasugai become a morning market. Farmers from the surr
週末・祝日（通年）
Aoshima Morning Market
Aoshima, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki
Miyazaki grows mangoes that the rest of Japan considers luxury items. At the morning market near Aoshima Shrine, they ar
毎月第1日曜
Kurashiki Bikan Quarter Craft Market
Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama
Kurashiki's Bikan district is one of Japan's most photographed historic streetscapes — white-walled warehouses reflected
不定期（月1〜2回）
Kobe Kitano Antique Market
Kitanocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo
Kobe's Kitano district was built for the foreign traders who arrived after the port opened in the 1860s. Their houses —
通年（夏〜秋に屋外マルシェ開催）
Hakodate Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse Marché
14-12 Suehirocho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido
The Kanemori warehouses were built for trade when Hakodate was Japan's first major port to open to the West. They are re
通年（早朝〜午前中）
Asahikawa Asappa Farm Direct Market
Kagura, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido
The Tokachi plain to the south and the Kamikawa basin that surrounds Asahikawa are among Japan's most productive agricul
不定期（月1〜2回）
Hiroshima Asagiri Bridge Flea Market
Along Motoyasu River, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City
The market runs along the Motoyasu River, within sight of the Atomic Bomb Dome. This proximity is not ironic; it is simp
通年（各工房が常設営業）
Tsuboya Yachimun Street: Okinawa's Living Pottery District
Tsuboya, Naha City, Okinawa
Yachimun is the Okinawan word for pottery, and Tsuboya is where it has been made for three hundred years. The district s
不定期（月1〜2回）
Nagasaki Megane-bashi Bridge Flea Market
Along Nakashima River near Megane-bashi, Nagasaki City
The Megane-bashi — the Spectacles Bridge, named for the double arch reflected in the water — was built in 1634 by Chines
通年（2〜4月初旬に架け替えあり）
Iya Kazurabashi: The Vine Bridge of the Hidden Valley
162-2 Zentoku, Nishi-Iyayama, Miyoshi City, Tokushima
The bridge is made entirely of mountain vines, woven and suspended over a gorge that drops fourteen meters to the river
3月下旬〜4月上旬（菜の花）、10月（コスモス）
Asuka Fujiwara Palace Ruins: A Field of Canola in Spring
Takadono, Kashihara City, Nara
The Fujiwara Palace was Japan's first permanent capital, built in 694 and abandoned thirty years later when the court mo
通年（フェリーで約50分）
Tashirojima: The Island That Belongs to Cats
Tashirojima, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi
The human population of Tashirojima is roughly sixty, most of them elderly. The cat population is comparable. The cats a
旧暦10月（神在月）
Izumo Taisha: The Month When All Gods Arrive
195 Kizukihigashi, Taisha-cho, Izumo City, Shimane
In the tenth month of the lunar calendar, Japan's eight million gods converge on Izumo. The rest of the country calls th
通年（月曜休）
Inujima Art Project: Ruins as Canvas
Inujima, Higashi-ku, Okayama City, Okayama
Inujima had a copper refinery that operated for just a decade before closing in 1919, leaving behind smokestacks and fur
4月〜10月（通年催行あり）
Shimanto River Canoe Experience
Shimanto City and Shimanto Town, Kochi
The Shimanto is called Japan's last truly clear river, and the description is precise: no large dams interrupt its flow
4月中旬〜6月上旬（雪の大谷ウォーク期間）
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route: The Snow Corridor
Murodo, Tateyama Alpine Route, Toyama
The snowplows clear the road first. Then, for a few weeks each spring, people walk through what remains — walls of compr
旧暦6月17日（毎年）
Miyajima Kangen-sai: Court Music on the Sea
Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima
The deity of Itsukushima Shrine travels by boat. On the evening of the Kangen-sai, a procession of vessels carrying musi
通年（火山活動状況により立入制限あり）
Aso Kusasenri: The Grassland at the Volcano's Edge
Kusasenrigahama, Aso City, Kumamoto
The Aso caldera is one of the largest in the world, and Kusasenri sits inside it — a circular meadow on the flank of an
6月〜9月（メインシーズン）
Biei Panorama Hill Cycling Tour
Biei Town, Kamikawa, Hokkaido
The hills of Biei roll in long slow curves — wheat fields giving way to potato fields giving way to sunflower fields, th
通年（12月〜3月は冬季ライトアップあり）
Gero Onsen Gassho Village
2369 Mori, Gero City, Gifu
Gero is one of Japan's three most celebrated hot spring towns, which means most visitors come for the baths and leave wi
通年（8:30〜17:00）
Ryusendo Cave: Underground Lake of Iwate
1-1 Kannari, Iwaizumi-cho, Shimohei-gun, Iwate
Deep inside the mountain, the cave opens into a lake. The water is so clear that the measured visibility exceeds ninety-
通年（要予約）
Echizen Washi: Making Paper in a Valley That Has Made Paper for 1,500 Years
8-44 Shizaike, Echizen City, Fukui
The Echizen valley has been making paper for fifteen hundred years — a claim that sounds like marketing until you see th
通年（各窯元により異なる）
Bizen Yaki: Touching a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition
Imbe, Bizen City, Okayama
Bizen ware uses no glaze and no painted decoration. The colors — the ash glazes that form naturally, the flame marks, th
通年（砂蒸し会館 砂楽）
Ibusuki Sand Bath: Being Buried by the Volcanic Earth
5-25-18 Yunohama, Ibusuki City, Kagoshima
You lie down on the beach in a yukata. The attendant begins to cover you with sand — dark volcanic sand, naturally heate
通年（各体験施設による）
Mino Ware: Shaping the Dishes Japan Eats From
Hisashiri, Izumi, Toki City, Gifu
Sixty percent of Japan's ceramic tableware comes from the Mino region — the dishes in most Japanese restaurants, the cup
通年（要予約の場合あり）
Ryukyu Glass: Blowing Something Beautiful from Broken Bottles
Nishizaki, Itoman City, Okinawa
After the war, there was glass everywhere — bottles discarded by American military bases. Okinawan craftspeople melted t
通年（各工房により異なる）
Kurume Kasuri: Weaving with Indigo-Dyed Thread
Kurume City, Fukuoka
Kurume kasuri begins with thread. Specifically, with thread that has been bound at intervals before dyeing — the bound s
通年（各工房により異なる）
Edo Kiriko: Cutting Glass the Way Tokyo Once Did
Sumida-ku / Koto-ku, Tokyo
The grinding wheel turns, and you press the glass against it. The glass resists, then yields — a shallow cut forming, ca
通年（要予約）
Yuki Tsumugi: Threading the Oldest Silk Loom in Japan
Yuki City, Ibaraki
Yuki tsumugi begins with the cocoon. The silk is drawn by hand from the cocoons, spun by hand into thread, and woven on
通年（各窯元により異なる）
Onta Yaki: Pottery at a Mill-Powered Kiln
Sarayama, Motosakae, Hita City, Oita
Nine kilns. That is all there are, and all there will be. The Sarayama valley in the mountains above Hita City has produ
通年（各体験施設による）
Shigaraki Yaki: Firing a Kiln That Has Burned for Eight Centuries
Shigaraki-cho, Koka City, Shiga
Shigaraki is known throughout Japan for one thing: the ceramic raccoon dogs that stand outside restaurants and shops, ar
通年（要予約）
Tosa Washi: Making Paper at the Source of Japan's Finest
Ino Town, Agawa-gun, Kochi
Tosa washi is made from the water of the Niyodo River system — one of the clearest rivers in Japan, running from the lim
通年（体験事業者により異なる）
Amakusa Pottery Stone: Finding the Material That Made Arita Famous
Amakusa City, Kumamoto
The whiteness of Arita porcelain comes from here. Amakusa pottery stone — a white mineral found in the islands of wester
通年（各工房により異なる）
Awa Ai: Dyeing with Japan's Most Famous Indigo
Tokushima City and Yoshinogawa river valley, Tokushima
The Yoshino River valley in Tokushima was once Japan's largest indigo-producing region, supplying the blue that dyed the
通年（要予約）
Satsuma Kiriko: The Glass That Disappeared and Returned
Kagoshima City, Kagoshima
Satsuma kiriko was invented in the 1840s by the Satsuma domain, which brought in European glassworkers to develop a luxu
通年（各工房の復旧状況による）
Wajima Chinkin: Engraving Gold into Lacquer After the Earthquake
Wajima City, Ishikawa
The January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake damaged Wajima severely — buildings collapsed, fires spread through the histo
通年（各体験施設による）
Kiso Lacquerware: Painting with Tree Sap in a Postroad Town
Narai, Shiojiri City / Kisomura, Nagano
The Kiso Valley was a section of the Nakasendo — one of the two great highways between Edo and Kyoto — and its post town
通年（各体験施設による）
Imabari Towel: Dyeing at the Source of Japan's Finest Cotton
Imabari City, Ehime
Imabari produces more towels than anywhere else in Japan, and has been producing them since the late nineteenth century
通年（要事前申込）
Nishiawakura: Living the Rural Revival From the Inside
Nishiawakura Village, Aida-gun, Okayama
Nishiawakura Village has a population of roughly fifteen hundred and a reputation, among people interested in rural rege
6月〜9月（メインシーズン）
Tokachi Farmstay: Sleeping in Japan's Bread Basket
Otofuke and Obihiro area, Tokachi, Hokkaido
The Tokachi plain is Japan's agricultural heartland — wheat, potatoes, dairy, sugar beet, production at a scale that the
通年
Kamiyama: The Village That Reinvented Itself for Remote Work
Kamiyama Town, Myozai-gun, Tokushima
Kamiyama is a small mountain town in Tokushima with a population under two thousand and a reputation, in certain circles
通年
Obuse: The Small Town That Chose Art and Kept Its Soul
Obuse Town, Kamitakai-gun, Nagano
Obuse is a town of ten thousand people in northern Nagano, and it receives more visitors than a town of that size would
通年
Ohnan: Where Japan's Countryside Is Trying Something New
Ohnan Town, Ochi-gun, Shimane
Ohnan Town in the mountains of Shimane has a population under ten thousand and a food-based regeneration strategy that h
通年（天候・漁期による）
Tosa Shimizu: A Few Days in the Life of a Fisherman
Tosa Shimizu City, Kochi
The fishing boats leave before dawn. The catch depends on the season, the weather, and the skill of the crew. The market
通年
Gojome: Half Farming, Half Whatever You Want to Be
Gojome Town, Minamiakita-gun, Akita
The concept of han-nou han-X — half farming, half whatever else you want to do — was developed as a philosophy of rural
通年
Wakasa: Sleeping in a Farmhouse That Someone Brought Back to Life
Wakasa Town, Mikata-kami-gun, Fukui
The farmhouses of the Wakasa Town area have been standing for generations — thick-beamed structures built for the winter
通年
Aya: Japan's Organic Farming Pioneer
Aya Town, Higashi-Morokata-gun, Miyazaki
Aya Town began its commitment to organic agriculture in the 1980s — a decision by the town government, supported by loca
通年
Ojika Island: A Slow Life on Japan's Most Beautiful Rural Inn
Ojika Town, Kitamatsuura-gun, Nagasaki
Ojika Island sits in the northern part of the Goto archipelago, more than three hours by ferry from Sasebo. The journey
通年
Tono: Sleeping Inside Japan's Most Famous Folktale Landscape
Tono City, Iwate
Tono is the setting of Yanagita Kunio's 'Legends of Tono,' published in 1910 — a collection of folktales gathered from l
通年
Higashikawa: The Town That Grows Furniture and People
Higashikawa Town, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido
Higashikawa Town's population has been growing while most of rural Hokkaido's has been declining. The reasons are multip
通年
Minami-Oguni: Long Stay in Japan's Most Beloved Onsen Village
Minami-Oguni Town, Aso-gun, Kumamoto
Kurokawa Onsen sits in a narrow valley in the mountains of South Oguni, a small town in the Aso region of Kumamoto. The
通年
Tsuruoka: Japan's UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
Tsuruoka City, Yamagata
Tsuruoka has more than two hundred varieties of heirloom vegetables — crops that have been cultivated in this region for
通年
Uchiko: Living in a Town That Decided to Stay Itself
Uchiko Town, Kita-gun, Ehime
Uchiko's main historic street survived the twentieth century largely intact because the town made a series of decisions,
通年
Sado Island: Where Gold, Noh, and Terraced Rice Fields Meet
Sado City, Niigata
Sado Island sits in the Sea of Japan off the Niigata coast, large enough to have its own distinct geography — a northern
通年
Amami Oshima: Music and Jungle at the Edge of the Tropics
Amami City and Yamato Village, Kagoshima
Amami Oshima is not Okinawa and not the Japanese mainland; it is the largest island of an archipelago with its own disti
通年
Kudaka Island: The Island at the Center of Ryukyuan Spiritual Life
Kudaka Island, Nanjo City, Okinawa
Kudaka Island is five square kilometers, accessible by ferry from the southern Okinawa coast, home to roughly two hundre
通年（公演は主に春〜秋）
Iida: Where Every Village Has Its Own Puppet Theater
Iida City, Nagano
Iida City in southern Nagano is said to have more than two hundred puppet theater groups distributed across its villages
通年
Hagi: Living in the Town That Made Modern Japan
Hagi City, Yamaguchi
The men who made the Meiji Restoration were disproportionately from Hagi. Yoshida Shoin, whose private academy produced
毎年8月第1金〜日（みちのく芸能まつり）
Kitakami Oni Kenbai: The Demon Sword Dance of Iwate
Kitakami City, Iwate
The dancers wear the masks of demons and carry swords, and the dance they perform is fast, percussive, and formally stru
毎年4月上旬〜中旬（桜の開花に合わせる）
Okawara Hitome Senbon Zakura: A Thousand Cherry Trees in One Glance
Shiroishi River embankment, Ogawara Town, Shibata-gun, Miyagi
The name means 'a thousand trees visible in a single glance,' and along the eight kilometers of the Shiroishi River emba
毎年4月下旬（さくらまつり期間中）
Tendo Human Shogi: Living Pieces on a Giant Board
Maizuruyama Park, Tendo City, Yamagata
Tendo produces more shogi pieces than anywhere else in Japan, and the Human Shogi festival is the city's annual celebrat
毎年12月上旬〜31日
Sendai Pageant of Starlight: Six Hundred Thousand Lights in Zelkova Trees
Jozenji-dori Avenue, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi
The zelkova trees that line Jozenji-dori, Sendai's most elegant boulevard, are bare in December. From early in the month
毎年4月第3金〜日
Ushibuka Haiya Festival: The Dance That Crossed the Sea
Ushibuka, Amakusa City, Kumamoto
The Haiya dance originated among the fishermen of Ushibuka, at the southern tip of the Amakusa islands. The boats that f
毎年10月第3土・日
Obi Jokamachi Festival: The Little Kyoto of Kyushu
Obi, Nichinan City, Miyazaki
Obi is called the Little Kyoto of Kyushu, and the designation is more accurate than most such nicknames. The castle town
毎年2月下旬〜3月上旬
Chiran Hina Matsuri: Samurai Town Dolls
Chiran Town, Minami-Kyushu City, Kagoshima
The samurai district of Chiran — stone-walled garden paths, carefully maintained machiya houses, one of the best-preserv
年数回（旧正月・敬老の日ほか）
Tokunoshima Bullfighting: Where Bulls Compete, Not Matadors
Tokunoshima Island, Oshima-gun, Kagoshima
Tokunoshima's bullfighting is not the Spanish kind. The bulls fight each other, not a human opponent, and the match ends
毎年9月第3土・日
Oiwake Shukuba Matsuri: The Post Town That Still Knows Its Songs
Oiwake, Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano
Oiwake sits at the junction of the Nakasendo highway and the Hokkoku Kaido, one of the branching points in Edo Japan's r
通年（週末・祝日が中心）
Obihiro Banei Racing: The Only Draft Horse Race in the World
Obihiro Racecourse, Nishi-13-jo Minami 9, Obihiro City, Hokkaido
Banei racing exists nowhere else in the world. The horses are draft breeds — heavy, powerful, built for pulling rather t
通年（舟屋日和などのイベントは季節限定）
Ine Funaya: Houses That Open Directly onto the Sea
Ine Town, Yosa-gun, Kyoto
The funaya of Ine Bay are houses built directly over the water, with their ground floors serving as garages for fishing
毎年4月第3日曜前後
Okazaki Ieyasu Festival: The Birthplace of the Edo Shogunate
Okazaki Park and surrounding area, Okazaki City, Aichi
Tokugawa Ieyasu was born in Okazaki Castle in 1543. From this starting point, he navigated the chaos of the Sengoku peri
毎年5月3〜5日
Hamamatsu Kite Festival: One Hundred and Seventy Teams in the Sky
Nakatajima Sand Dunes and Hamamatsu Castle Park, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka
The Hamamatsu kite festival began as a private celebration — families flying kites to announce the birth of a child, the
毎年5月3日
Odawara Hojo Godai Matsuri: Five Generations of Outsider Power
Odawara City, Kanagawa
The Later Hojo clan governed the Kanto region from Odawara for five generations, from the early sixteenth century until
毎年1月15日
Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Matsuri: The Fire Festival of Midwinter
Nozawa Onsen Village, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano
On the evening of January 15th, in the snow of the northern Nagano mountains, a large wooden structure built by the youn
毎年10月第1土曜
Matsumoto Jidai Matsuri: Four Centuries of Castle Town History Walking
Around Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto City, Nagano
Matsumoto Castle's keep is black — unusual in Japanese castle architecture, which more commonly tends toward white — and
毎年8月第3土曜
Daisen Hi Matsuri: Fire at the Foot of the Sacred Mountain
Around Daisen-ji Temple, Daisen Town, Saihaku-gun, Tottori
Daisen is the highest mountain in the Chugoku region — a dormant volcano with a shape that has led it to be called the F
毎年12月第4土曜
Hofu Hadakamairi: Bare-Chested Pilgrimage in Midwinter
Hofu Tenmangu Shrine, Hofu City, Yamaguchi
On the fourth Saturday of December, after midnight, men in white loincloths and bare feet walk the approach to Hofu Tenm
毎年7月22〜24日
Uwajima Ushi-oni: The Sea Monster Procession of Southern Shikoku
Warei Shrine, Uwajima City, Ehime
The ushi-oni is a creature specific to this region of western Shikoku: part bull, part demon, part sea serpent, the prec
4月〜11月（定期開催）
Hirosaki Dote no Ichi: The Market That Outlasted the Feudal Doma
Dotecho shopping district, Hirosaki City, Aomori
Hirosaki is the center of Japan's apple-growing region, and the market at Dotecho brings this fact into the city with a
9月第1日曜（山形市の大鍋）、9月全般は各地で芋煮会
Yamagata Imoni-kai: River Bank Stew as Community Ritual
Mamigasaki River bank, Yamagata City, Yamagata
Each September, the riverbanks of Yamagata fill with smoke. Groups of friends, colleagues, and families set up gas burne
毎週日曜（通年）
Aizu Nanukamaichi Morning Market: Two Hundred Years on the Same Street
Nanukamaichi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima
The Nanukamaichi morning market has been running every Sunday for more than two hundred years, which means it has contin
毎月第1・第3土曜（不定期あり）
Omiya Hikawa Shrine Antique Market: Sacred Ground, Old Things
Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine, Omiya-ku, Saitama City, Saitama
The approach to Hikawa Shrine extends for more than two kilometers through Omiya — a zelkova-lined path that is one of t
季節ごとに開催（春・秋が中心）
Yokohama Yamashita Park Marché: Port City Produce by the Sea
Yamashita Park, Naka-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa
Yamashita Park runs along the Yokohama waterfront, with the passenger ship terminal visible to the north and the bay ope
2026年7月25日（土）19:00〜20:30
Sumida River Fireworks Festival
Sumida River, Sumida/Taito, Tokyo
The river remembers. Long before the towers rose along its banks, before the trains and the neon, the Sumida carried boa
2026年8月1日（土）19:15〜20:30
Edogawa Fireworks Festival
Edogawa Riverbank, Edogawa, Tokyo
It begins before you are ready. In the first five seconds, a thousand shells erupt at once—an opening so audacious that
2026年8月上旬（例年8月第1土曜前後）
Gifu Nagaragawa Fireworks Festival
Nagara River, Gifu City, Gifu
Fire falls on the river of the cormorant fishermen. The Nagara is one of Japan's clearest rivers, famous for the ancient
2026年8月中旬（例年8月上旬〜中旬）
Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival
Yodo River, Osaka
The people made this one themselves. The Yodogawa fireworks began in 1989 not as a municipal project but as a grassroots
2026年7月下旬（例年7月）
Himeji Minato Festival Sea Fireworks
Himeji Port, Himeji, Hyogo
This is the sea festival of the city of the white castle. Himeji is crowned by its great fortress—a World Heritage site,
2026年8月上旬（例年8月上旬）
North Lake Biwa Grand Fireworks Festival
Nagahama Port, Nagahama, Shiga
Fire reflects in the largest lake in Japan. Lake Biwa is vast—an inland sea in all but name—and on its northern shore, f
2026年4月〜12月の指定日（年間複数回開催）
Atami Sea Fireworks Festival
Atami Bay, Atami, Shizuoka
The fireworks thunder at the bottom of a bowl. Atami is a hot-spring town wedged between mountains and sea, and its bay
2026年7月下旬〜8月（例年夏季）
Oarai Sea Fireworks Festival
Oarai Sun Beach, Oarai, Ibaraki
Fireworks stand up against the Pacific. Oarai is a seaside town on the Ibaraki coast, and what opens before it is the gr
2026年7月中旬（例年7月）
Tonegawa Grand Fireworks Festival
Tone River, Sakai, Ibaraki
This is the grand stage of Bando Taro. That was the old name for the Tone River—"Bando Taro," the eldest son of the east
2026年8月5日（水）19:00〜20:00
Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival
Nishikoen, Hirose River, Sendai, Miyagi
This is the eve of the festival of paper wishes. The Sendai Tanabata—one of the three great festivals of the Tohoku nort
2026年8月中旬（例年8月）
Hokkaido Shimbun Summer Fireworks
Toyohira River, Sapporo, Hokkaido
These are fireworks for a cool summer. Sapporo's warm season is brief, and that brevity makes it precious. Along the ban
2026年8月10日（例年8月10日前後）
Shirahama Fireworks Festival
Shirarahama Beach, Shirahama, Wakayama
On the white sand, you wait for the fireworks. Shirahama in southern Wakayama has one of the most beautiful beaches in J
2026年7月中旬（例年7月）
Okinawa Kanasa Fireworks
Ginowan Seaside Park, Ginowan, Okinawa
"Kanasa" means beloved. In the Okinawan language, kanasan is the word for something dear, something cherished—and the fi
2026年10月上旬（例年10月）
Konosu Fireworks Festival
Arakawa Riverbank, Konosu, Saitama
The largest shell in the world rises here. Konosu, on the wide gravel banks of the Arakawa River in Saitama, ends its di
2026年8月16日（例年8月16日）
Miyazu Lantern Float Fireworks Festival
Miyazu Bay, Miyazu, Kyoto
Here lanterns and fireworks overlap on the sea. Miyazu Bay is known for Amanohashidate, the pine-covered sandbar counted
2026年7月中旬（例年7月）
Toyohashi Gion Festival Hand-Held Fireworks
Yoshida Shrine, Toyohashi, Aichi
Here a man holds the fireworks in his arms. The tezutsu is a hand-held firework—gunpowder packed into a length of bamboo
2026年8月中旬（阿波おどり前夜・例年8月）
Awa Odori Eve Fireworks Festival
Shinmachi River, Tokushima City
This is the eve of the dancing fools. "The dancers are fools and the watchers are fools," goes the famous chant of the A
2026年8月中旬（例年8月）
Takamatsu Festival Fireworks
Sunport Takamatsu, Takamatsu, Kagawa
Fire opens over the Seto sea. Takamatsu, capital of Kagawa on the island of Shikoku, is a port town facing the Inland Se
2026年8月中旬（例年8月）
Matsuyama Festival Fireworks
Shigenobu River, Matsuyama, Ehime
In the town of the Dogo hot spring, you watch the fireworks. Matsuyama, the largest city on Shikoku, is home to Dogo Ons
2026年8月上旬（よさこい祭り前夜・例年8月）
Tosa Kochi Fireworks Festival
Kagamigawa River, Kochi City
This is the herald of the Yosakoi. Kochi—the old province of Tosa—is the home of the Yosakoi festival, where dancers cla
2026年7月下旬（例年7月）
Omuta Djaiyama Festival Fireworks
Suwa River, Omuta, Fukuoka
This is the summer when the great serpent breathes fire. Omuta in Fukuoka was once a coal-mining town, one of the engine
2026年7月下旬（例年7月）
Nagasaki Minato Festival Sea Fireworks
Nagasaki Port, Nagasaki
Fire reflects in a foreign-touched harbor. Nagasaki was, during Japan's centuries of self-imposed isolation, the single
2026年8月下旬（例年8月）
Kagoshima Kinkowan Summer Night Fireworks
Kinkowan Bay, Kagoshima City
Fireworks rise before a mountain of fire. Across Kinkowan Bay from Kagoshima stands Sakurajima—an active volcano that st
2026年（例年・秋〜冬の開催あり）
Naha Okinawa Fireworks Festival
Naminoue Beach, Naha, Okinawa
Fire falls on a southern sea. Naha was once the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom—an independent island nation with its own
2026年8月初旬（花笠まつり前後・例年8月）
Yamagata Hanagasa Festival Fireworks
Mamigasaki River, Yamagata City
This is the summer of the flower hats. The Hanagasa Festival fills the streets of Yamagata with dancers holding straw ha
2026年8月（例年夏季）
Matsushima Summer Festival Fireworks
Yamoto Seaside Park, Higashimatsushima, Miyagi
Fireworks rise over a sea that recovered. Higashimatsushima sits near Matsushima Bay—one of the three most celebrated vi
2026年7月下旬（例年夏季）
Shirako Beach Fireworks Festival
Shirako Beach, Suzuka, Mie
Fire scatters over the Ise sea. Shirako, part of Suzuka in Mie, is a seaside town on Ise Bay—a place of craftsmen, famou
2026年8月（例年夏季）
Okitama Fireworks Festival
Mogami River, Yonezawa, Yamagata
Fireworks rise over the town of the Uesugi. Yonezawa was the castle seat of Uesugi Yozan, one of the most admired lords
通年（要予約・工房により異なる）
Kyoto Kiyomizuyaki Pottery Experience
Gojozaka, Higashiyama, Kyoto City, Kyoto
You touch the clay of a thousand-year-old capital. Along the slopes climbing toward Kiyomizu Temple, the pottery known a
通年（要予約・工房により異なる）
Tsubame-Sanjo Metal Crafts Experience
Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata
You step into a town that makes things. Tsubame-Sanjo, two neighboring cities in Niigata, is a metalworking center known
通年（要予約・工房により異なる）
Kakunodate Cherry Bark Craft Experience
Bukeyashiki-dori, Kakunodate, Semboku, Akita
Cherry bark becomes treasure here. Kakunodate, a town of preserved samurai residences sometimes called "the little Kyoto
通年（要予約・工房により異なる）
Nikko-bori Wood Carving Experience
Nikko City, Tochigi
You become heir to the hands that carved Toshogu. The Nikko Toshogu shrine, with its dazzling sculptures—the sleeping ca
通年（要予約）
Mino Washi Papermaking Experience
Washi no Sato Kaikan, Mino City, Gifu
You make paper that has been made for thirteen hundred years. In Mino, a town of clear rivers in Gifu, the craft of wash
通年（要予約）
Kaga Yuzen Dyeing Experience
Nagamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
You dye the colors of old Kaga. Kanazawa, seat of the wealthy Maeda lords who ruled the Kaga domain, nurtured its own st
通年（要予約・工房により異なる）
Ryukyu Bingata Dyeing Experience
Shuri, Naha, Okinawa
These are the vivid colors of a southern island. Bingata is the brilliant dyeing tradition born of the Ryukyu Kingdom—ye
通年（要予約・施設により異なる）
Seki Blade Sharpening Experience
Hamono Kaikan, Seki City, Gifu
You touch the blade in the city of swords. Seki has made cutting tools for seven hundred years—once the producer of lege
通年（要予約・筆の里工房）
Kumano Fude Brush-Making Experience
Fude no Sato Kobo, Kumano, Hiroshima
These are the brushes that touch the world's faces. Kumano, a small town in the hills of Hiroshima, produces eighty perc
通年（要予約・工房により異なる）
Tokoname Yaki Pottery Experience
Tokoname Pottery Road, Tokoname, Aichi
You knead clay in a town of chimneys. Tokoname is one of the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan, a pottery town with a thousand
国立文楽劇場（大阪・日本橋）で、初春・春・夏・秋など年に数回の本公演。日程は公演により異なります。
Bunraku at the National Theatre Osaka
Three people to a single puppet.
Bunraku, the puppet theatre that grew up in Osaka, works its central illusion through
阿波十郎兵衛屋敷で、ほぼ毎日（時間は季節により変動）の定期上演。詳細は施設にご確認ください。
Awa Puppet Theatre at Jurobei Yashiki
Puppet theatre, but the village kind.
The puppet drama of Awa is not the refined Bunraku of the city but something that
例年初夏〜秋にかけて、島内各地の能舞台で薪能が上演されます。日程は会場により異なります。
Sado Firelight Noh
The island has more than thirty Noh stages.
Sado was a place of exile, and the exiles brought the arts of the capital w
壬生寺で、例年春（4月～5月）と秋、節分などに上演される無言の宗教劇。日程は年により異なります。
Mibu Kyogen
A kyogen with no voices.
Mibu Kyogen has been performed at Mibu Temple in Kyoto for some seven hundred years, and its p
石見地方（浜田・益田など）で、神社の祭礼や定期公演として夜を中心に上演されます。日程は会場により異なります。
Iwami Kagura Regular Performances
They dance all night.
Iwami Kagura comes from the western end of Shimane, and it is at once a sacred rite and pure ente
小田原・厚木など神奈川県西部で、保存会により定期公演・神社祭礼で上演されます。日程は年により異なります。
Sagami Puppet Theatre
Puppet theatre, three to a figure.
Sagami Ningyo is the puppet drama of western Kanagawa, around Odawara and Atsugi—the
岩手・早池峰山麓（大償・岳）に伝わる神楽。例大祭や定期公演で奉納されます。日程は年により異なります。
Hayachine Kagura
A dance offered to the mountain god.
Hayachine Kagura comes from the foot of Mount Hayachine in Iwate, bound up with th
例年7月、七夕の時期に開催。豪華な竹飾りが商店街を埋めます。日程は年により異なります。
Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival
The sky disappears.
At the Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata, the shopping streets are buried under enormous bamboo decorations
例年8月下旬に開催。豪華な山車（やたい）の行列。ユネスコ無形文化遺産。日程は年により異なります。
Shinjo Festival
The floats become stories.
At the Shinjo Festival in late August, twenty floats called yatai move through the town, eac
例年8月上旬に開催。八木節の踊りと演奏で町が沸きます。日程は年により異なります。
Kiryu Yagibushi Festival
They beat on barrels.
At the Kiryu Yagibushi Festival in August, the whole town rings with yagibushi—empty barrels stru
例年5月1日に開催。豪華絢爛な御車山（山車）の巡行。ユネスコ無形文化遺産。
Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival
Floats of lavish metalwork.
At the Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival, on the first of May, seven floats process through a t
例年4月中旬に開催。子ども歌舞伎を載せた曳山の巡行。ユネスコ無形文化遺産。日程は年により異なります。
Nagahama Hikiyama Festival
Children perform kabuki.
At the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival in April, child kabuki is staged atop ornate floats—boys bet
例年7月上旬の金土日に開催。山車・屋台の総引きなど。日程は年により異なります。
Narita Gion Festival
Floats race up the temple approach.
At the Narita Gion Festival in July, ten floats and stalls parade before Naritasan
例年10月下旬に開催。荒神輿と団車のぶつかり合い。日程は年により異なります。
Imari Tontenton Festival
Portable shrine and float collide.
At the Imari Tontenton Festival in October, a fighting shrine and a fighting float c
例年4月上旬に開催。甲冑姿の武者行列「甲州軍団出陣」。日程は年により異なります。
Shingen-ko Festival
The army of the Takeda returns.
At the Shingen-ko Festival in April, the streets of Kofu fill with armored warriors rec
毎年10月第1土・日・月曜
Nihonmatsu Chochin Matsuri: The Lantern Festival of Fukushima
Nihonmatsu Shrine and city center, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima
Fire is passed from a shrine's flame to the lanterns, and the festival begins.
On an October night in Nihonmatsu, in th
毎年8月第1日曜（前日土曜が試楽）
Kuwana Ishidori Matsuri: Japan's Noisiest Festival
Around Kasuga Shrine (Kuwana Sosha), Kuwana, Mie
The sound arrives before anything else.
On the first Sunday of August in Kuwana, in Mie, as many as forty festival cars
毎年7月第4土曜をはさむ3日間
Tobata Gion Ozzumagasa: The Lantern Pyramids of Kitakyushu
Around Tobata Ward Office and Asao Park No.1, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
By day and by night, it wears two faces.
In July in Tobata, in Kitakyushu, four great floats move through the streets.
毎年7月第3土曜をはさむ3日間
Kokura Gion Daiko: The Drums of Kokura Castle
Around Kokura Castle and Yasaka Shrine, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
The drum is struck while walking.
In July in Kokura, in Kitakyushu, the sound of drums fills the streets around Kokura
毎年7月下旬の土・日（集団顔見世は前週日曜）
Hita Gion: The Evening Floats of a Water Town
Mameda, Kuma and Takeda districts, Hita, Oita
At night, the floats fill with light.
In Hita, in Oita—a town that still keeps the look of the old shogunal domain, in
毎年10月23〜24日
Hakata Okunchi: The Autumn Thanksgiving of Kushida Shrine
Kushida Shrine and central Hakata, Fukuoka
A festival of gratitude, in autumn.
In October, at Kushida Shrine, the guardian shrine of Hakata in Fukuoka, the great
毎年9月・敬老の日を最終日とする3日間（15日は例祭）
Ishioka Matsuri: One of the Kanto's Three Great Festivals
Hitachi-no-kuni Sosha Shrine and city center, Ishioka, Ibaraki
The lions move through the town.
In Ishioka, in Ibaraki, a three-day festival rises each September, ending on Respect f
毎年8月16日（送り盆）
Morioka Funekko Nagashi: Burning Boats on the Kitakami River
Upstream of Meiji Bridge on the Kitakami River, Morioka, Iwate
A boat is set on fire and floated down the river.
In Morioka, in Iwate, on the sixteenth of August—the night that close