July 2026
4 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
07/25–07/25
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
August 2026
3 events
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
08/07–08/07
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
08/15–08/15
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
September 2026
2 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.
09/11–09/12
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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（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（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（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
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
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（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
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
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
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
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）
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・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・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
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
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
例年2月中旬〜下旬の金・土・日曜（3日間）
Tokamachi Snow Festival: The Town That Invented Celebrating Snow
Central Tokamachi and sites across the city, Niigata
Tokamachi, in the mountains of Niigata, receives some of the heaviest snowfall of any city in the world—two meters stand
例年10月中旬〜翌5月末
Nabana no Sato: Half a Year of Light Outside Nagoya
Nabana no Sato, Nagashima, Kuwana, Mie
Nabana no Sato is a flower park on the edge of Kuwana, between Nagoya and the sea, and for more than half the year—mid-a