Japan

Events & Gatherings

421 events  — clear filter

All Festival 421 Market 45 Gathering 74 Residency 27 Workshop 22 Community 2
All regions Hokkaido 19 Tohoku 94 Kanto 100 Chubu 119 Kinki 96 Chugoku 61 Shikoku 17 Kyushu 67 Okinawa 13 Other 15
September 2026 6 events
Festival Other K
09/18–09/20
Kuji Autumn Festival
Central Kuji, Iwate
The floats in Kuji move. Not merely along the street, which any float does, but upward and outward: figures and ornament
Festival Kanto O
09/18–09/19
Omuro Sengen Shrine Yabusame
Omuro Sengen Shrine, Shimoyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
Yabusame, in the usual telling, is archery from horseback: a rider at full gallop loosing arrows at wooden targets, and
Festival Chubu O
09/19–09/20
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
Festival Tohoku A
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
Festival Kanto I
09/19–09/21
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
Festival Kanto O
09/23–09/24
Ohara Hadaka Matsuri
Ohara Beach and central Ohara, Isumi, Chiba
Early in the afternoon of September 23rd, on a stretch of grey sand on the Pacific side of the Boso Peninsula, portable
October 2026 19 events
Festival Chubu M
10/03–10/03
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
Festival Tohoku H
10/03–10/03
Higashimatsushima Autumn Festival
Around Yamoto Station and the shopping association, Higashimatsushima, Miyagi
Higashimatsushima calls itself the blue town. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force base here is home to the Blue Impulse aer
Festival Tohoku O
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
Festival Tohoku N
10/04–10/06
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
Festival Kyushu N
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
Festival Chugoku K
10/09–10/11
Kotohira-gu Reitaisai (Konpira Grand Festival)
Kotohira-gu, Kotohira, Kagawa
Everyone in Japan seems to know Konpira-san, the sea god who lives, improbably, halfway up a mountain in Kagawa. Sailors
Festival Chubu T
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
Festival Other T
10/10–10/11
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
Festival Okinawa N
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
Festival Chugoku S
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
Festival Kinki N
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
Festival Kinki M
10/15–10/16
Mifune Matsuri (Kumano Hayatama Taisha Grand Festival)
Kumano Hayatama Taisha, Shingu, Wakayama
There is a phrase you hear in Shingu: the river is a pilgrimage road. For a thousand years, emperors and paupers came do
Festival Chugoku N
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
Festival Kyushu O
10/17–10/18
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
Festival Kanto K
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
Festival Kinki J
10/22–10/22
Jidai Matsuri: Kyoto Walks Through Eleven Centuries
Kyoto Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine, Kyoto
On October 22nd, Kyoto walks through its own memory. The Jidai Matsuri—the Festival of the Ages—is a procession of some
Festival Kinki K
10/22–10/22
Kurama Fire Festival: A Corridor of Flame North of Kyoto
Around Yuki Shrine, Kurama, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
On the same night Kyoto's grand costume procession ends, thirty minutes north by mountain railway, a very different cere
Festival Kyushu H
10/23–10/24
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
Festival Kyushu I
10/24–10/25
Imari Tontenton Festival
Portable shrine and float collide. At the Imari Tontenton Festival in October, a fighting shrine and a fighting float c
November 2026 7 events
Festival Kyushu K
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
Festival Kyushu Y
11/03–11/03
Yagoro-don Festival
Iwagawa Hachiman Shrine, Osumi-cho, Soo, Kagoshima
He stands four meters eighty-five: a giant in a plum-dyed robe, two swords at his waist, gazing over the rooftops of a s
Festival Kanto T
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
Festival Kyushu Y
11/22–11/23
Yatsushiro Myoken Festival
Yatsushiro Shrine and city center, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto
The creature is called Kida, though everyone in Yatsushiro calls it Game: a turtle and a snake fused into one bounding,
Festival Shikoku I
11/22–11/24
Ichijo Taisai
Ichijo Shrine, 1-11 Nakamura Honmachi, Shimanto, Kochi
A memory of people who fled here from the capital, checked each year against a flame brought from the capital. Nakamura
Festival Chubu N
11/23–11/23
Nagano Ebisuko Fireworks Festival
Saigawa riverside, Nagano City, Nagano
Japan shoots its fireworks in summer — tens of millions of people, yukata, humidity, haze. Nagano waits until November 2
Festival Chugoku H
11/28–11/28
Hofu Hadakamairi: A Bare-Chested Pilgrimage in Late November
Hofu Tenmangu Shrine, Hofu City, Yamaguchi
On the fourth Saturday of November, the doors of the main hall open at six in the evening, and the men come in. They we
December 2026 8 events
Festival Kanto C
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
Festival Chubu A
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
Festival Chugoku W
12/06–12/06
Waraiko Laughing Ritual
1143 Daido Omata, Hofu, Yamaguchi
In the farming hamlet of Omata, on the Seto Inland Sea side of Yamaguchi, grown men in formal crested kimono sit facing
Festival Kyushu M
12/12–12/12
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
Festival Kinki K
12/15–12/18
Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri
Kasuga Taisha, Nara, Nara
Since 1136, it has not missed a year. Not for wars, not for plagues, not for the collapse of the world that ordered it i
Festival Chubu A
12/15–12/16
Akiha Fire Festival
841 Ryoke, Haruno-cho, Tenryu-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
On the fifteenth and sixteenth of December, at the summit of a mountain north of Hamamatsu, Japan thinks hardest about f
Festival Kanto A
12/20–12/20
Akutai Matsuri (Festival of Abuse)
102 Izumi, Kasama, Ibaraki
Once a year, on the third Sunday of December, it is not merely permitted but correct to hurl insults at a religious proc
Festival Tohoku S
12/31–01/01
Shoreisai (Haguro New Year's Eve Fire Rite)
Dewa Sanzan Shrine, Mt. Haguro, Tsuruoka, Yamagata
New Year's Eve on Mt. Haguro is examination day. Since September 24 — one hundred days — two yamabushi priests called ma
January 2027 12 events
Festival Tohoku D
01/02–01/02
Dainichido Bugaku
Ohirumemuchi Shrine, Donoue-16 Hachimantai, Kazuno, Akita
On the second morning of the year, while it is still dark and the snow lies deep across the Hachimantai basin, four haml
Festival Kyushu T
01/03–01/03
Tamaseseri Ball-Catching Festival
Hakozakigu Shrine, 1-22-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
On the third of January, while much of Japan is still drowsing through the New Year, the men of Hakozaki in Fukuoka stri
Festival Kyushu O
01/07–01/07
Oniyo Fire Festival
Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine, Daizenji-machi, Kurume, Fukuoka
A week into the new year, on the plain of the Chikugo River near Kurume, one of Japan's three great fire festivals sets
Festival Kinki N
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
Festival Chubu N
01/09–01/11
Nagahama Toka Ebisu
Hokoku Shrine, 6-37 Minamigofukucho, Nagahama, Shiga
Hokoku Shrine in Nagahama enshrines Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who made this lakeside town his first castle seat and never enti
Festival Tohoku B
01/14–01/14
Bange Hatsuichi: The Great Bale Tug-of-War
Main Street by the Town Hall, Aizubange, Kawanuma District, Fukushima
People in Aizubange call January 14th their New Year's Day. The calendar disagrees, but the town has held to this since
Festival Chubu N
01/14–01/15
Niino Snow Festival
Izu Shrine, Niino, Anan, Nagano
Snow, in Niino, is a promise. If it falls thick in January, the rice will come heavy in autumn, so the village celebrate
Festival Chubu N
01/15–01/15
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
Festival Kanto C
01/15–01/15
Chakkirako
Kainan Shrine and central Misaki, Miura, Kanagawa
On the fifteenth of January, in the tuna port of Misaki at the tip of the Miura Peninsula, one of the smallest festivals
Festival Chubu M
01/15–01/15
Mukonage and Suminuri
Matsunoyama Onsen Yakushido, Matsunoyamayumoto, Tokamachi, Niigata
Behind the hot spring village of Matsunoyama, up a flight of stone steps that disappear entirely under snow each winter,
Festival Kinki N
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,
Festival Kinki W
01/23–01/23
Wakakusa Yamayaki: The Night Nara Sets a Mountain on Fire
Mount Wakakusa and Nara Park, Nara
On the fourth Saturday of January, Nara sets a mountain on fire. Wakakusa-yama is the grass-covered hill that rises dire
February 2027 15 events
Festival Kinki O
02/01–02/05
Owase Yaya Festival
Owase Shrine area, Kitaura-cho, Owase, Mie
For five nights in early February, the fishing town of Owase — pressed between steep mountains and a deep ria inlet on t
Festival Tohoku K
02/01–02/02
Kurokawa Noh — Ogi Festival
Kasuga Shrine, Kurokawa, Tsuruoka, Yamagata
On the night of February 1st, in the farming village of Kurokawa in Yamagata Prefecture, the noh begins. It has been go
Festival Hokkaido S
02/04–02/10
Sapporo Snow Festival
Odori Park and other venues, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Snow sculptures are made knowing they will vanish in days. In February, giant sculptures rising more than ten meters lin
Festival Kyushu N
02/06–02/20
Nagasaki Lantern Festival
Shinchi Chinatown, Central Park and across Nagasaki
Why is a Japanese town this red? Nagasaki's Lantern Festival, held at the Lunar New Year, lights the city with some fift
Festival Kinki O
02/06–02/06
Oto Matsuri (Fire Festival of Kamikura Shrine)
Kamikura Shrine, Shingu, Wakayama
For one night in February, the mountain becomes a river of fire. On the 6th, in Shingu, some two thousand men in white,
Festival Chubu N
02/07–02/08
Noto Oyster Festival
Oysters come up out of the winter sea. Anamizu sits on an inlet of Noto, a quiet, sheltered bay where the waves stay lo
Festival Tohoku O
02/08–02/09
Ouchijuku Snow Festival
Snow settles on the thatch. Ouchijuku was a post town once, a way station on the road that linked Aizu to Nikko, where
Festival Shikoku A
02/09–02/11
Akiba Matsuri (Niyodogawa)
Betsue, Niyodogawa, Agawa District, Kochi
Two hundred people spend a whole day walking a mountain path. This is Betsue, a hamlet in the town of Niyodogawa, deep
Festival Chugoku T
02/13–02/15
Tsubaki Matsuri (Camellia Festival)
Iyozu-hiko-no-mikoto Shrine, 2-2-1 Iai, Matsuyama, Ehime
At midnight on the first day a great drum sounds. From then on it does not stop for seventy-two hours, night or day. Iy
Festival Other G
02/14–03/07
Goto Camellia Festival
Fukue Island and across the Goto Islands, Goto, Nagasaki
The islands fill with camellias. The Goto Islands of Nagasaki are a scattering of more than a hundred and forty islands
Festival Tohoku Y
02/15–02/16
Yokote Kamakura Festival: Rooms Made of Winter
City hall area, Haguro-cho, and sites across Yokote, Akita
In Yokote, deep in the snow country of Akita, February brings rooms made of winter. Kamakura are snow huts, some three m
Festival Tohoku H
02/17–02/20
Hachinohe Enburi: Going Out into the Snow to Call In Spring
Central Hachinohe and Chojasan Shinra Shrine, Aomori
In Hachinohe, on the snowbound Pacific coast of Aomori, spring does not arrive on its own. It has to be summoned. From F
Festival Kinki S
02/20–02/20
Saidaiji Eyo Naked Festival
Saidaiji Kannon-in, 3-8-8 Saidaiji-naka, Higashi-ku, Okayama
On the third Saturday of February, thousands of men in loincloths pack the great hall of Saidaiji Kannon-in temple in Ok
Festival Chubu K
02/27–02/28
Katsuyama Sagicho Festival
Central Katsuyama, Fukui
In the last days of February, deep in the snow country of Fukui, a castle town does something unexpected: it throws a pa
Festival Kyushu K
02/28–02/28
Kihara Fudoson Spring Festival
Ganeisan Chojuji, 2040 Kihara, Tomiai, Minami-ku, Kumamoto City
At the end of February, people walk barefoot over fire. Tomiai, in the south of Kumamoto City. The temple's proper name
March 2027 7 events
Festival Kinki O
03/01–03/14
Omizutori (Shuni-e at Todai-ji)
Nigatsu-do, Todai-ji, Nara, Nara
Since the year 752, the monks of Todai-ji have not missed a spring. The Shuni-e, better known as Omizutori, runs from Ma
Festival Kanto S
03/01–03/31
Sawara Old Town and Sake Brewery
Along the river, the Edo period remains. Sawara grew rich on the water trade of the Tone River, a town of merchant hous
Festival Kinki O
03/02–03/02
Omizu-okuri Water-Sending Rite
Jinguji Temple & Unose, Obama, Fukui
Nara's famous Omizu-tori — the water-drawing rite that ends winter at Todai-ji — has a sender, and the sender is here. E
Festival Kanto S
03/09–03/09
Saitosai Festival at Kashima Jingu
Kashima Jingu, Kashima, Ibaraki
The sound is the thing you remember: twenty squads of fifteen men in brilliant costume, singing an ancient refrain — iya
Festival Tohoku H
03/10–03/10
Hote Matsuri (Shiogama Rough Mikoshi)
Shiogama Jinja, Shiogama, Miyagi
On March 10 each year, a portable shrine weighing a full ton descends 202 stone steps. This is the Hote Matsuri of Shiog
Festival Kanto M
03/14–03/14
Mt. Takao Fire-Walking Festival
Yakuoin prayer grounds, Mt. Takao, Hachioji, Tokyo
Most festivals ask you to watch. This one, at the foot of Mt. Takao on the second Sunday of March, ends by inviting you
Festival Chugoku D
03/19–03/21
Dogo Onsen Festival
Dogo Onsen Honkan and surroundings, 5-6 Dogo Yunomachi, Matsuyama, Ehime
On the morning of the nineteenth of March, they thank the water. Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama, the oldest hot spring town in J
Year-round
Festival Chubu G
例年7月中旬〜9月上旬（約30夜）
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
Festival Tohoku T
毎年9月第3土・日曜
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
Festival Tohoku N
毎年2月第2金・土・日曜
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
Festival Tohoku S
例年5月最終土・日・月曜
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
Festival Chubu O
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
Festival Chugoku I
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
Festival Kyushu T
毎年11月中旬〜2月上旬
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
Festival Chugoku T
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
Festival Hokkaido S
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
Festival Tohoku A
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
Festival Okinawa M
日程は公式発表による
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
Festival Kanto S
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
Festival Tohoku N
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
Festival Okinawa Y
例年7月〜8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
Festival Tohoku O
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
Festival Tohoku T
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
Festival Tohoku S
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
Festival Kyushu C
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
Festival Other T
年数回（1月〜2月・5月・9月ほか）
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
Festival Hokkaido O
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
Festival Kinki I
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
Festival Kinki N
例年8月中旬
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
Festival Kinki H
例年7月下旬
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,
Festival Chubu N
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
Festival Kanto A
例年2月・4月・5月・7月〜12月
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
Festival Kanto O
例年7月下旬〜8月
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
Festival Kanto T
例年7月中旬
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
Festival Hokkaido H
例年8月中旬
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
Festival Okinawa O
例年7月中旬
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
Festival Kanto K
例年10月上旬
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
Festival Chubu T
例年7月中旬
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
Festival Kinki A
例年8月中旬（阿波おどり前夜）
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
Festival Kinki T
例年8月中旬
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
Festival Chugoku M
例年8月中旬
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
Festival Shikoku T
例年8月上旬（よさこい祭り前夜）
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
Festival Kyushu O
例年7月下旬
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
Festival Kyushu N
例年7月下旬
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
Festival Kyushu K
例年8月下旬
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
Festival Okinawa N
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
Festival Tohoku Y
例年8月初旬（花笠まつり前後）
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
Festival Chubu S
例年7月下旬
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
Festival Tohoku O
例年8月
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
Festival Chubu K
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Korankei: A Valley Planted One Tree at a Time
Korankei, Asuke, Toyota, Aichi
In November, four thousand maples change color in the hills of Mikawa. Korankei is a gorge cut by the Tomoe River as it
Festival Kinki E
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Eikando: The Buddha Who Looks Back
Eikando Zenrinji, 48 Eikandocho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Kyoto's autumn began here, or at least its reputation did. Eikando—formally Zenrinji, founded in 853—has been called mo
Festival Kanto H
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Hakone: Where Autumn Walks Down the Mountain
Hakone, Ashigarashimo, Kanagawa
Autumn here comes down the mountain rather than arriving all at once. The color starts at Lake Ashi, high near the pass
Festival Kyushu T
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Takachiho: A Gorge Deep Enough for a God
Takachiho Gorge, Mitai, Takachiho, Nishiusuki, Miyazaki
The gorge is deep, and the depth is the first thing you feel. Aso erupted twice—once about 120,000 years ago and again
Festival Kanto S
例年7月（七夕の時期）
Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival
The sky disappears. At the Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata, the shopping streets are buried under enormous bamboo decorations
Festival Kanto K
例年8月上旬
Kiryu Yagibushi Festival
They beat on barrels. At the Kiryu Yagibushi Festival in August, the whole town rings with yagibushi—empty barrels stru
Festival Chubu N
例年4月中旬
Nagahama Hikiyama Festival
Children perform kabuki. At the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival in April, child kabuki is staged atop ornate floats—boys bet
Festival Kanto N
例年7月上旬の金〜日
Narita Gion Festival
Floats race up the temple approach. At the Narita Gion Festival in July, ten floats and stalls parade before Naritasan
Festival Chubu S
例年4月上旬
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
Festival Tohoku N
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Naruko Gorge in Autumn: A Canyon of Color and Hot Water
Naruko Gorge, Naruko Onsen, Osaki, Miyagi
Narukokyo is a gorge a hundred meters deep, cut by the Oya River through the mountains of northern Miyagi, and for two w
Festival Chubu T
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
Festival Hokkaido A
例年2月上旬（約1週間）
Asahikawa Winter Festival: The City That Built a World Record in Snow
Asahibashi riverside on the Ishikari River and Kaimono Koen, Asahikawa, Hokkaido
Asahikawa sits in the coldest basin of any major Japanese city—mornings of minus twenty are ordinary here—and every Febr
Festival Hokkaido L
例年1月下旬〜2月中旬
Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival: Ice Grown from a Lake That Never Freezes
Shikotsuko Onsen, Chitose, Hokkaido
Lake Shikotsu is a caldera lake south of Sapporo, among the clearest bodies of water in Japan and so deep that it never
Festival Kinki M
例年4月上旬〜中旬
Mochigase Nagashibina (Floating Doll Festival)
Mochigase, Tottori, Tottori
Before hina dolls stood on tiered platforms in family alcoves, they floated. In Mochigase, a former post town on the Sen
Festival Kinki H
2月下旬〜3月3日
Hiketa Hina Doll Festival
Historic Hiketa townscape, Higashikagawa, Kagawa
At the far eastern edge of Kagawa, where Shikoku faces the narrow strait toward Awaji, the old soy-sauce town of Hiketa
Festival Chubu O
3月中旬の土日
Omihachiman Sagicho Festival
Himure Hachimangu, Omihachiman, Shiga
In mid-March, on the weekend nearest the 14th and 15th, the canal town of Omihachiman on Lake Biwa's eastern shore burns
Festival Kanto K
2月下旬〜3月3日
Katsuura Big Hina Festival
Tomisaki Shrine and central Katsuura, Chiba
Every morning during the festival, volunteers in Katsuura carry some 1,800 hina dolls up the sixty stone steps of Tomisa
Festival Kanto I
5月下旬〜6月下旬
Itako Iris Festival
Suigo Itako Ayame Park, Itako, Ibaraki
The bride is real. That is the first thing to understand about Itako's iris festival, held from late May to late June in
Festival Chubu T
12月上旬〜中旬
Toyama Shimotsuki Matsuri (Winter Kagura)
Shrines of the Toyama valley, Iida, Nagano
The blessing arrives as a splash of boiling water, flung at you by a masked god with his bare hand. In the Toyama valley
Festival Kanto O
毎年大晦日夜〜元旦
Oji Fox Parade
Shozoku Inari to Oji Inari Shrine, Kita-ku, Tokyo
There is an old Edo story that on New Year's Eve, foxes from all over the Kanto plain would gather beneath a great hackb
Festival Chubu H
11月上旬〜1月中旬
Hanamatsuri (Okumikawa Winter Kagura)
Hamlets of Toei, Okumikawa, Aichi
Deep in the mountains of eastern Aichi, the small town of Toei spends its winter awake. From early November to mid-Janua
Festival Kyushu H
例年1月中旬（四王子神社）
Hamayumi-sai - The Matobakai
Shioji Shrine, Nagasu, Tamana District, Kumamoto
It ends in the sea. Nagasu faces the Ariake, a sea of tides and mudflats. In the grounds of Shioji Shrine, men in loinc
Festival Kyushu Y
例年2月の毎週金・土曜（全8夜）
Yamaga Lantern Romance - Hyakka Hyakusai
Buzen-kaido, between the Yachiyoza and Sakura-yu, Yamaga, Kumamoto
The light comes down to the town. In summer, the women of Yamaga carry golden lanterns on their heads and dance. In win
Festival Kyushu A
例年3月（田作祭7日間のうち4日目・申の日）
Aso Shrine Hifuri - The Fire-Swinging Rite
Aso Shrine, Miyaji, Ichinomiya-machi, Aso, Kumamoto
A wedding, welcomed with swinging fire. The Tatsukuri rite at Aso Shrine runs seven days. The god Kunitatsu lodges each
Festival Shikoku K
例年9月〜10月
Kure Hachimangu Autumn Festival
Kure Hachimangu, 6545 Kure, Nakatosa, Kochi
At midnight, it leaves the house. Kure, a fishing town on the Pacific coast of Kochi. On the fourteenth night of the ei
Festival Shikoku O
例年11月下旬の2日間
Otoi Grand Sumo
Otoi Kaikan, 12-10 Nomura, Nomura-cho, Seiyo, Ehime
At the end of November, top-division sumo wrestlers come to a small town in the mountains. Nomura, in Seiyo City, Ehime
Festival Kinki A
例年2月下旬〜4月上旬
Awa Katsuura Big Hina Festival
Doll Culture Hall, 35-1 Tsukinose, Ikuna, Katsuura, Tokushima
Dolls that no longer have a place at home come here from all over the country. Katsuura, a small town in the hills of T
Festival Chugoku S
例年4月中旬〜下旬（約2週間）
Shikoku Konpira Kabuki
Kanamaru-za (Old Konpira Grand Theatre), 1241 Otsu, Kotohira, Kagawa
Once a year, the oldest playhouse in Japan is used for what it was built for. Kotohira, in Kagawa, at the foot of the l
Festival Other E
例年1月中旬〜2月上旬
Echizen Coast Daffodil Festival
Echizen Suisen no Sato Park, 43-25 Ikuracho, Fukui
Try to name a flower that blooms in Japan in January. The list is short, and on this coast it has one entry. The Echize
Festival Chubu Y
例年9月下旬の土日2日間
Yamanaka Onsen Koikoi Matsuri
Around Yamanakaza, Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa
Koikoi means come, come. It is not addressed to the gods or to the town but to the guests: the people staying in the inn
Festival Tohoku G
例年10月中旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Geibikei Gorge: The Song Comes on the Way Back
467 Machiura, Nagasaka, Higashiyama-cho, Ichinoseki, Iwate
The song comes only on the way back. Geibikei is two kilometers of limestone in southern Iwate, cut by a small river ca
Festival Tohoku G
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Genbikei Gorge: The Dumplings Arrive by Rope
211 Takinoue, Genbi-cho, Ichinoseki, Iwate
The dumplings arrive by rope. Genbikei is a gorge on the Iwai River in southern Iwate, where the water has drilled roun
Festival Tohoku O
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Oirase Gorge
Okuse, Towada, Aomori
At night, the river is turned down. Oirase is the only stream that leaves Lake Towada, and where it leaves there is a s
Festival Hokkaido H
例年10月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Hoheikyo Gorge
840 Jozankei, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
The valley is quiet. For the last two kilometers, from the gate to the dam, nothing with an engine is allowed through —
Festival Tohoku Z
例年9月下旬〜10月下旬が見頃
Zao Echo Line
Takimidai, Togattaonsen, Zao, Katta, Miyagi
This one has an end date. The Zao Echo Line runs twenty-six kilometers over the Zao mountains, joining Miyagi to Yamaga
Festival Tohoku M
例年10月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Mount Adatara
Shiozawa, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima
There is a sign at the top telling you to look up. The gondola takes six minutes to the eighth station of Mount Adatara
Festival Hokkaido J
例年10月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Jozankei
Jozankei Onsen, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Sapporo is a city of two million people, and this gorge is inside its municipal limits. Jozankei sits about an hour by r
Festival Tohoku H
例年9月下旬〜10月中旬が見頃
Hakkoda
Arakawa, Aomori, Aomori
Hakkoda is not one mountain. It is a range of more than a dozen peaks in the middle of Aomori Prefecture, and the ropewa
Festival Tohoku B
例年9月下旬〜10月中旬が見頃
Bandai-Azuma Skyline
Tsuchiyu Onsen, Fukushima, Fukushima
This is a road you look at rather than a mountain you climb. The Bandai-Azuma Skyline runs about 29 kilometres from Taka
Festival Kanto T
例年10月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Tanigawadake
Yubiso, Minakami, Gunma
The colour starts on the fifth of October, more or less. Minakami's tourism association publishes dates for each of its
Festival Kanto T
例年10月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Teriha-kyo
Fujiwara, Minakami, Gunma
Teriha-kyo means, roughly, the gorge where the leaves shine, and the name was given by the haiku poet Mizuhara Shuoshi,
Festival Chubu T
例年9月中旬〜10月上旬が見頃
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
Ashikuraji, Tateyama, Toyama
Japan's autumn begins somewhere in the middle of September, and it begins here. Murodo sits at 2,450 metres on the Tatey
Festival Chubu K
例年9月下旬〜10月上旬が見頃
Karasawa
Azumi, Matsumoto, Nagano
Getting there takes about six hours on foot, and there is no other way. From Kamikochi the trail follows the Azusa River
Festival Chubu S
例年10月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Shinhotaka
Okuhida Onsengo, Takayama, Gifu
The interesting thing about Shinhotaka is the vertical distance. The ropeway lifts you from the floor of the Okuhida val
Festival Chugoku I
例年10月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Ishizuchisan
Nishinokawa, Saijo, Ehime
Ishizuchi is the highest mountain in western Japan, at 1,982 metres, and it has been climbed as a religious act for far
Festival Hokkaido G
例年9月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Ginsendai
Ginsendai, Sounkyo, Kamikawa, Hokkaido
Japan's autumn is usually filed under late November, maples, temple gardens. It starts here instead, in mid-September, h
Festival Tohoku H
例年9月下旬〜10月上旬が見頃
Hachimantai
Mikaeri Pass, Matsuo Yoriki, Hachimantai, Iwate
Most mountains give you autumn on the way up. Hachimantai gives it to you on the way down. This is a broad volcanic plat
Festival Kanto I
例年10月中旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Irohazaka
Akechidaira, Hosoo, Nikko, Tochigi
Forty-eight curves, and you are up. Irohazaka is the road linking central Nikko to Lake Chuzenji and the highlands beyon
Festival Kanto L
例年10月中旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Lake Chuzenji
Chugushi, Nikko, Tochigi
The lake was made by an accident. Around twenty thousand years ago Mount Nantai erupted, lava ran down into the valley b
Festival Tohoku A
例年10月中旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Akiu Otaki
Akiu Otaki, Taihaku-ku, Sendai, Miyagi
The peak here runs mid-October to early November, about a month ahead of the maples in central Sendai. The falls are twe
Festival Tohoku D
例年10月中旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Dakigaeri-keikoku
Dakigaeri Gorge, Semboku, Akita
Autumn reaches Dakigaeri between mid-October and early November. Dakigaeri is a narrow gorge on the middle Tamagawa, ten
Festival Tohoku Y
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Yamadera
Hoju-san Risshaku-ji, Yamagata, Yamagata
The stone steps of Yamadera climb through their best colour from late October to early November. Yamadera is the common
Festival Tohoku T
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
To-no-Hetsuri
To-no-Hetsuri, Shimogo, Fukushima
The colour here peaks from late October to early November. To-no-Hetsuri is a river cliff on the Okawa, and hetsuri is a
Festival Kanto F
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Fukiware-no-taki
Fukiware Falls, Numata, Gunma
Late October to early November is the window at Fukiware. Fukiware is not a waterfall in the usual shape. The Katashina
Festival Chubu K
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Kiyotsu-kyo
Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel, Tokamachi, Niigata
The colour season at Kiyotsu runs mid-October to mid-November, with the peak from late October into the first days of No
Festival Chubu K
例年10月下旬〜11月下旬が見頃
Kurobe Gorge
Unazuki Station, Kurobe, Toyama
The season at Kurobe runs long, late October to late November. The reason for the length is vertical. The gorge drops se
Festival Chubu S
例年10月中旬〜11月下旬が見頃
Shosenkyo
Sengataki, Kofu, Yamanashi
Shosenkyo holds its season from mid-October to late November, a month and a half in one valley. Shosenkyo is a gorge wit
Festival Kinki K
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Koyasan
Koyasan, Koya, Wakayama
Autumn on Koyasan runs late October to the first days of November. The mountain sits high enough that its cherry blossom
Festival Chugoku D
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Daisen
Daisenji, Daisen, Tottori
Around Daisenji the peak falls between late October and early November. Daisen is the high mountain of western Honshu's
Festival Tohoku M
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Mogami-kyo
Mogami-kyo, Tozawa, Yamagata
The peak on the Mogami runs late October to early November. Mogami-kyo is the middle stretch of the Mogami river, sixtee
Festival Tohoku S
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Shiobara Valley
Shiobara Valley, Nasushiobara, Tochigi
Shiobara runs on a calendar of ten places, and the valley around Chigo-ga-fuchi sits at late October to mid-November. Th
Festival Kanto N
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Nakatsu-kyo
Nakatsu-kyo, Chichibu, Saitama
Colour comes to Nakatsu-kyo late October to early November. Nakatsu-kyo is a ten-kilometre gorge in the far west of Chic
Festival Chubu T
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Tsukechi-kyo
Tsukechi-kyo, Nakatsugawa, Gifu
At Tsukechi-kyo the colour runs late October to early November, over water that stays blue all year. The gorge lies in t
Festival Chugoku M
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Mitokusan
Sanbutsu-ji, Misasa, Tottori
The peak on Mitokusan runs late October to mid-November. The mountain rises to 899.7 metres on the border between Misasa
Festival Chugoku O
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Oni-no-Shitaburui
Oni-no-Shitaburui, Okuizumo, Shimane
The colour at Oni-no-Shitaburui runs late October to mid-November. Oni-no-Shitaburui is a V-shaped gorge about two kilom
Festival Chugoku O
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Okutsu-kei
Okutsu-kei, Kagamino, Okayama
Okutsu-kei carries its colour from late October to mid-November. The gorge runs about three kilometres near the village
Festival Chugoku C
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Chomon-kyo
Chomon-kyo, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
The season at Chomon-kyo runs late October to mid-November. Chomon-kyo is the middle stretch of the Abu river, a gorge s
Festival Kyushu N
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Nita Pass
Nita Pass, Unzen, Nagasaki
At Nita Pass the peak runs late October to mid-November. The pass sits in the middle of the Shimabara peninsula, in the
Festival Kyushu S
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Shin-Yabakei
Shin-Yabakei, Nakatsu, Oita
Shin-Yabakei peaks from late October to mid-November. The valley follows the Yamautsuri, a tributary of the Yamakuni riv
Festival Kanto F
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Fukuroda Falls
Fukuroda Falls, Daigo, Ibaraki
The peak at Fukuroda runs early to mid-November, and if you want a single date, around the tenth of the month. A band an
Festival Kanto L
例年11月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Lake Kawaguchi
Lake Kawaguchi, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi
The maples at Kawaguchiko run early to late November — a long band for a single place, and it holds because the lake is
Festival Chubu K
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Kaochidani
Kaochidani, Nabari, Mie
Kaochidani colours in the second half of November — mid-month to late, a fortnight behind most of the gorges further nor
Festival Kinki K
例年11月上旬が見頃
Kogen-ji
Kogen-ji, Tamba, Hyogo
Kogen-ji publishes a table of its own seasons, and it is more careful than most. The leaves begin to turn between the mi
Festival Kinki Y
例年11月上旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Yoshinoyama
Yoshinoyama, Yoshino, Nara
Yoshinoyama's band runs from early November into the first days of December, and the location is listed simply as everyw
Festival Shikoku O
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Omogo-kei
Omogo-kei, Kumakogen, Ehime
The peak at Omogo-kei runs early to mid-November. The Ishizuchi Skyline, the road that climbs from the gorge entrance, t
Festival Kinki B
例年11月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Befu-kyo
Befu-kyo, Kami, Kochi
The viewing period at Befu-kyo is posted as early to late November, but the more useful document is a table of the peak
Festival Kyushu K
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Kikuchi Gorge
Kikuchi Gorge, Kikuchi, Kumamoto
The season at Kikuchi Gorge runs mid to late November — later than most of the island, and often the last good week in t
Festival Kyushu G
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Gokanosho
Gokanosho, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto
Colour reaches Gokanosho early to mid-November. The name covers five settlements — Momiki, Nitao, Hagi, Kurako and Shiih
Festival Kyushu K
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Kyusui-kei
Kyusui-kei, Kokonoe, Oita
The peak at Kyusui-kei, in the Tano district of Kokonoe, runs early to mid-November. The gorge is two kilometres of near
Festival Chugoku T
例年10月下旬〜11月中旬が見頃
Tachikuekyo Gorge
Tachikuekyo Gorge, Ottachicho, Izumo, Shimane
At Tachikuekyo the rock turns before your eyes have adjusted to it. The colour comes early for a gorge — late October to
Festival Chugoku J
例年10月下旬〜11月下旬が見頃
Joeiji Sesshu Garden
Joeiji, 2001-1 Miyanoshimo, Yamaguchi
A painter laid out this garden, or so the tradition holds, and in November the garden repays the attribution. The Sesshu
Festival Chubu Y
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Yahiko Park
Yahiko Park, Yahiko, Nishikanbara, Niigata
Yahiko Park begins where the station platform ends — you are inside the grounds within a minute of stepping off the trai
Festival Chubu N
例年11月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Natadera Temple
Natadera, Yu-122 Natamachi, Komatsu, Ishikawa
Natadera is said to date from 717, which puts thirteen centuries behind the rock this temple is built into. The colour r
Festival Chubu S
例年11月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Sumatakyo Gorge
Sumatakyo Gorge, Senzu, Kawanehon, Haibara, Shizuoka
The water at Sumatakyo is green — properly green, a colour photographs get accused of inventing — and in November the tr
Festival Chubu A
例年11月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Akame 48 Waterfalls
Akame 48 Waterfalls, 861-1 Akamecho Nagasaka, Nabari, Mie
Akame is a four-kilometre climb up the Taki river, waterfall after waterfall, with the sound of water never stopping onc
Festival Kinki K
例年11月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Kankakei Gorge
Kankakei, Otsu-168 Kankakedori, Shodoshima, Shozu, Kagawa
A visit to Kankakei is built in two stages: first you cross the sea, then you climb. The gorge cuts through the middle o
Festival Kanto H
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Hananuki Gorge
Hananuki Gorge, Nakatogawa Ono, Takahagi, Ibaraki
At Hananuki you cross a bridge under a ceiling of leaves. The gorge runs from the Hananuki dam past Nabarigafuchi to the
Festival Kanto N
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Nagatoro
Iwadatami, Nagatoro, Chichibu, Saitama
Nagatoro spreads its autumn along a river rather than gathering it in one spot. The peak is mid to late November, though
Festival Kanto M
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Mount Oyama
Oyamadera, 724 Oyama, Isehara, Kanagawa
On a mountain, autumn refuses to hold still: the top and the bottom of Oyama are never on the same schedule, and can loo
Festival Kinki Z
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Zuihoji Park
Zuihoji Park, Arimacho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo
Arima's autumn keeps a garden of its own. Zuihoji Park sits on the slope above the hot spring town, and being higher it
Festival Kyushu R
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Raizan Sennyoji Daihioin
Raizan Sennyoji Daihioin, 626 Raizan, Itoshima, Fukuoka
People drive out to Itoshima to see one tree. The great maple of Raizan Sennyoji Daihioin usually turns between the firs
Festival Chubu K
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Kenrokuen
Kenrokuen, 1 Kenrokumachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
By the middle of November, Kenrokuen is running two seasons at once. The maples are at their peak — mid to late month —
Festival Kinki A
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Arashiyama
Togetsukyo, Saga, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto
What turns at Arashiyama is not a garden but a mountainside. The peak comes in mid to late November, and because the sub
Festival Kinki T
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Tofukuji
Tofukuji, 15-778 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Tofukuji is where Kyoto goes to look down on autumn instead of up at it. The peak runs mid to late November. Inside the
Festival Chugoku K
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Kanba Falls
Kanba Falls, Kanba, Maniwa, Okayama
Kanba Falls does one thing, and does it vertically. The water drops a hundred and ten metres down a single rock face, tw
Festival Chugoku M
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Momijidani Park
Momijidani Park, Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima
The autumn at Momijidani begins with a ferry. The park lies on Miyajima, in the valley that runs down from Mount Misen t
Festival Chugoku O
例年11月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Oboke Gorge
Oboke Gorge, Yamashirocho Kamyo, Miyoshi, Tokushima
The rock gets your attention before the leaves do. Oboke sits on the middle reaches of the Yoshino river, with thousand-
Festival Chubu Y
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Yoro Park
Yoro Park, 1298-2 Takabayashi, Yoro, Gifu
Yoro Park is a tunnel you walk through, made of maples. The trees reach over the path from both sides and meet above it,
Festival Kanto S
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Shuzenji
Shuzenji Shizen Koen Momijibayashi, Shuzenji, Izu, Shizuoka
The maple grove at Shuzenji turns as a mass, not as trees. Around a thousand of them stand together in the natural park
Festival Kinki K
例年11月中旬が見頃
Kifune Shrine
Kifune Shrine, 180 Kurama Kibunecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Kibune gives you autumn at a single point: mid-November. The valley is narrow, pressed in by slopes on both sides, and s
Festival Shikoku N
例年11月中旬が見頃
Nakatsu Gorge
Nakatsu Gorge, Nanokawa, Niyodogawa, Agawa, Kochi
Nakatsu gorge is known for the colour of its water, which is a strange thing to lead with in autumn, and exactly the rig
Festival Kinki T
例年11月中旬が見頃
Todoroki Falls
Todoroki Falls, Hirai, Kaiyo, Kaifu, Tokushima
Todoroki is a valley you count your way up. The recommended month is November, the middle of it. The main fall drops fif
Festival Kinki M
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Minoo Park
Minoo Falls, 1-18 Minoo Koen, Minoh, Osaka
Minoo is the gorge that commutes. From central Osaka it is about half an hour by train, which is an unreasonably short d
Festival Kinki T
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Tanzan Shrine
Tanzan Shrine, 319 Tonomine, Sakurai, Nara
At Tanzan Shrine one red stands inside another. The centre of the site is a thirteen-storey pagoda — built in wood, thir
Festival Chubu M
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Muroji Temple
Muroji, 78 Muro, Uda, Nara
The cold does the work at Muroji. The temple stands deep in the mountains of eastern Uda, where mornings and evenings bi
Festival Kyushu M
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Mifuneyama Rakuen
Mifuneyama Rakuen, 4100 Takeocho, Takeo, Saga
Mifuneyama Rakuen has something most gardens lack: a wall. The garden spreads across the foot of a sheer rock mountain,
Festival Kanto Y
例年11月下旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Yoro Valley
Awamata Falls, Awamata, Otaki, Isumi, Chiba
December colour is rare in the Kanto region, and Yoro Valley is where it happens. The Boso peninsula holds its warmth la
Festival Kyushu A
例年11月下旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Akizuki
Akizuki Castle Ruins, Akizuki Notori, Asakura, Fukuoka
There are about twenty maples at Akizuki's Kuromon gate. Twenty — few enough to count from where you stand. And yet the
Festival Chubu K
例年10月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Kamikochi
Kappa Bridge, Kamikochi, Azumi, Matsumoto, Nagano
You cannot drive into Kamikochi. The valley sits at about 1,500 metres in the Northern Alps, and private cars have been
Festival Chugoku T
例年10月下旬〜11月上旬が見頃
Taishakukyo Gorge
Shinryuko, Taishakukyo Gorge, Shobara and Jinsekikogen, Hiroshima
There are two kinds of bridge in this gorge, and the difference between them is the whole visit. The first was cut by wa
Festival Tohoku Z
例年10月上旬が見頃
Zao Chuo Kogen
Dokkonuma, Zao Chuo Kogen, Zao Onsen, Yamagata
The colour comes down this mountain in three steps, and each one has its own week. The summit ridge near Jizodake turns
Festival Kanto M
例年11月中旬〜12月上旬が見頃
Mount Takao
Mount Takao, Takaomachi, Hachioji, Tokyo
The walk begins about five minutes from the train. Takao is 599 metres high, an hour west of central Tokyo by train, and
Festival Chubu T
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Tenryukyo Gorge
Tenryukyo Gorge, Kawaji, Iida, Nagano
This gorge has been formally declared a good place to write poems in. In the autumn of 2009 the local committee issued t
Festival Chubu E
例年11月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Eiheiji Temple
Daihonzan Eiheiji, 5-15 Shihi, Eiheiji, Yoshida District, Fukui
You come for the maples and spend most of the visit indoors. Eiheiji climbs the side of a wooded mountain in Fukui, and
Festival Kyushu K
例年11月中旬が見頃
Kirishima Onsenkyo
Maruo, Kirishima Onsenkyo, Makizonocho Takachiho, Kirishima, Kagoshima
The steam here is warm enough to hold a season back. Kirishima Onsenkyo is a collective name for nine hot springs scatte
Festival Tohoku T
例年4月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Tsuruoka Park Cherry Blossoms
Tsuruoka Park, Babacho, Tsuruoka, Yamagata
There is no castle here any more. Tsurugaoka Castle was held by the Sakai family as lords of the Shonai domain for somet
Festival Tohoku E
例年4月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Eboshiyama Park Cherry Blossoms
Eboshiyama Park, 1415 Akayu, Nanyo, Yamagata
You climb to get to these trees. Eboshiyama Park sits on the hill directly above Akayu, a hot spring town in southern Ya
Festival Tohoku T
例年4月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Tsurugajo Castle Cherry Blossoms
Tsurugajo Park, 1-1 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
The roof of the keep is red. Tsurugajo is the only castle in the country with a keep tiled in red. Under that roof, abou
Festival Tohoku K
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Kasumigajo Park Cherry Blossoms
Kasumigajo Park, 3-chome Kakunai, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima
The castle has a second name, Kasumigajo, which means the castle of haze. Nihonmatsu Castle was rebuilt as a modern fort
Festival Kanto K
例年3月下旬〜4月中旬が見頃
Kamine Park and Heiwa-dori Cherry Blossoms
Kamine Park, 5-2-22 Miyatacho, Hitachi, Ibaraki
Hitachi's cherry season climbs. It starts at the station and finishes on the hill above the town, and the gap between th
Festival Kanto S
例年4月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Shizumine Park Double Cherries
Shizumine Furusato Park, 1720-1 Shizu, Naka, Ibaraki
The cherries here are late on purpose. Shizumine Furusato Park covers twelve hectares in central Ibaraki and holds two t
Festival Tohoku M
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Miharu Takizakura Weeping Cherry
296 Sakurakubo, Taki, Miharu, Tamura, Fukushima
It is one tree. Takizakura stands by itself in a hollow of farmland outside Miharu, a weeping cherry of the Edo-higan li
Festival Kanto A
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Akagi Nanmen Senbonzakura
2511-2 Naegashimamachi, Maebashi, Gunma
This is a road rather than a park. Around fourteen hundred Somei-yoshino line three and a half kilometres of it, running
Festival Kanto S
例年4月上旬・中旬と11月中旬〜12月中旬が見頃
Sakurayama Park Winter and Spring Cherries
2166-1 Sanbagawa, Fujioka, Gunma
The cherry trees on this hill flower twice a year. Sakurayama Park, in the hills of southwest Gunma, holds about three t
Festival Kanto K
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Kumagaya Sakurazutsumi Cherry Bank
Kumagaya Sakurazutsumi, 2-chome Kawaramachi, Kumagaya, Saitama
The trees stand in a single line along the top of an embankment. Kumagaya Sakurazutsumi is two kilometres of the Arakawa
Festival Kanto N
例年4月上旬〜下旬が見頃
Nagatoro Cherry Blossoms
Kitazakura-dori, 1753-1 Nagatoro, Nagatoro, Chichibu, Saitama
Nagatoro flowers twice, about ten days apart, in two places that have almost nothing in common. The first is Kitazakura
Festival Kanto S
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Shimizu Park Cherry Blossoms
Shimizu Park, 906 Shimizu, Noda, Chiba
The cherry trees at Shimizu Park start before the park does. They line the approach road as well as the grounds, so the
Festival Kanto I
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Izumi Shizen Park Cherry Blossoms
Izumi Shizen Park, 108 Noromachi, Wakaba, Chiba, Chiba
Some of these trees were given away. Izumi Shizen Park, in the hills east of Chiba city, has a hanami ground of eight th
Festival Kanto M
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Mobara Park Cherry Blossoms
Mobara Park, 1325-1 Takashi, Mobara, Chiba
There is a vermilion hall standing in the middle of the lake. Mobara Park holds more than two thousand cherry trees, mos
Festival Tohoku T
例年4月下旬〜5月上旬が見頃
Takamatsu Park Cherry Blossoms
Takamatsu Park, 1-26-1 Takamatsu, Morioka, Iwate
The pond is named after pine trees. Takamatsu-no-ike was a hawking ground of the Nanbu lords, and the city's account say
Festival Tohoku S
例年4月下旬が見頃
Senshu Park Cherry Blossoms
Senshu Park, 1 Senshu Koen, Akita, Akita
The cherry trees here run a few days behind the rest of the city, and the city says so itself. Senshu Park occupies the
Festival Tohoku M
例年4月下旬が見頃
Mato Park Cherry Blossoms
Mato Park, Mato, Masuda, Yokote, Akita
The hill came first. Mato Park sits in Masuda, in the south of Yokote, with Mount Mato standing behind it, and the dark
Festival Kanto N
例年4月上旬が見頃
Nikko Kaido Cherry Avenue
Nikko Kaido Cherry Avenue, Kamitosakecho, Utsunomiya, Tochigi
The cherry trees along the Nikko Kaido run for about sixteen kilometres. They line both sides of the old highway between
Festival Kanto M
例年4月上旬が見頃
Mount Ohira Cherry Blossoms
Ohirasan Prefectural Natural Park, Hiraicho, Tochigi, Tochigi
The road up the mountain becomes a tunnel. Tochigi prefecture puts four thousand cherry trees along the scenic drive on
Festival Kanto O
例年4月上旬が見頃
Omiya Park Cherry Blossoms
Omiya Park, 4-chome Takahanacho, Omiya, Saitama, Saitama
The cherry trees in this park need work to stay. Saitama prefecture's own page explains why: Somei-yoshino is propagated
Festival Kanto S
例年2月〜4月中旬が見頃
Shinjuku Gyoen Cherry Blossoms
Shinjuku Gyoen, 11 Naitocho, Shinjuku, Tokyo
The cherry trees here start in February. Shinjuku Gyoen holds about nine hundred of them, of some seventy varieties, acc
Festival Kanto U
例年2月〜4月下旬が見頃
Ueno Park Cherry Blossoms
Ueno Park, Uenokoen, Taito, Tokyo
The cherry season at Ueno turns over across more than two months, and the city publishes it variety by variety. Kanzakur
Festival Kanto S
例年3月下旬が見頃
Sumida Park Cherry Blossoms
Sumida Park, 1-chome Mukojima, Sumida, Tokyo
These trees were planted on a shogun's orders, or so the story goes. The tourism association for Sumida ward credits Tok
Festival Kanto K
例年3月下旬が見頃
Koganei Park Cherry Blossoms
Koganei Park, 3-chome Sakuracho, Koganei, Tokyo
Eighty-one hectares. Koganei Park sits in the western half of Tokyo and covers about 810,000 square metres, which is lar
Festival Kanto I
例年3月下旬が見頃
Inokashira Park Cherry Blossoms
Inokashira Park, 1-18-31 Gotenyama, Musashino, Tokyo
Hanami here is not done by looking up. Around Inokashira pond there are some two hundred Somei-yoshino and yama-zakura,
Festival Kanto M
例年4月上旬が見頃
Mitsuike Park Cherry Blossoms
Mitsuike Park, 1-1 Mitsuike Koen, Tsurumi, Yokohama, Kanagawa
There are three ponds, and the park is named after them. Kanagawa prefecture's account says they were dug as irrigation
Festival Kanto K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kinugasayama Park Cherry Blossoms
Kinugasayama Park, 4-chome Obaru, Yokosuka, Kanagawa
These trees were planted as a memorial. Yokosuka city's account is specific: in 1907 a monument was raised to the men of
Festival Kanto O
例年3月下旬〜4月中旬が見頃
Odawara Castle Cherry Blossoms
Odawara Castle Park, Jonai, Odawara, Kanagawa
You can get the keep and the blossom in the same photograph, which is the reason most people come. The cherry trees at O
Festival Chubu O
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Ohkouzu Diversion Cherry Avenue
Ohkouzu Diversion, Gosengoku, Tsubame, Niigata
These trees were planted to commemorate an engineering project. The Ohkouzu diversion is an artificial channel, cut to s
Festival Other M
例年4月中旬が見頃
Muramatsu Park Cherry Blossoms
Muramatsu Park, 2631-1 Atagoko, Gosen, Niigata
This park was also built to remember the dead. Muramatsu Park was laid out in October 1906 as a memorial to the Russo-Ja
Festival Chubu T
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Takadajo Park Cherry Blossoms
Takadajo Park, 44-1 Honjocho, Joetsu, Niigata
This one is better known after dark. Takadajo Park holds about four thousand cherry trees, and standing among them is th
Festival Chubu M
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Matsukawa Riverside Cherry Blossoms
Matsukawa riverside, 1 Honmaru, Toyama, Toyama
This river used to be part of a much bigger one. Toyama prefecture's account is that the Matsukawa is what was left of t
Festival Chubu T
例年3月下旬〜4月中旬が見頃
Takaoka Kojo Park Cherry Blossoms
Takaoka Kojo Park, 1-1 Kojo, Takaoka, Toyama
The moats survived. Takaoka castle lost its buildings long ago, but the water moats and the earth ramparts are still the
Festival Chubu K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kenrokuen Cherry Blossoms
Kenrokuen, 1 Kenrokumachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
For about ten days a year this garden is free. Kenrokuen is designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and normally cha
Festival Chubu A
例年4月上旬が見頃
Asuwa River and Asuwayama Cherry Blossoms
Asuwa riverside, Keya to Akarimachi, Fukui, Fukui
The river and the hill run into each other. Along the embankment of the Asuwa there are about six hundred cherry trees o
Festival Chubu M
例年4月上旬が見頃
Maruoka Castle Cherry Blossoms
Kasumigajo Park, 1-59 Kasumicho, Maruoka, Sakai, Fukui
The castle's other name became the park's name. Maruoka castle is also called Kasumigajo, the castle of haze, and the gr
Festival Chubu O
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Oboshi Park Cherry Blossoms
Oboshi Park, 2175 Kajikazawa, Fujikawa, Minamikoma, Yamanashi
There is more to see from this park than in it. Oboshi Park holds about two thousand cherry trees, Somei-yoshino and sat
Festival Chubu G
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Garyu Park Cherry Blossoms
Garyu Park, 2-4-8 Garyu, Suzaka, Nagano
Six hundred cherry trees, and a quarter of them are round one pond. Nagano's tourism site gives about six hundred in Gar
Festival Chubu K
例年4月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Kaikoen Cherry Blossoms
Kaikoen, 1-6-16 Ote, Komoro, Nagano
You look down on these trees from a wall. Kaikoen, the park inside the ruins of Komoro castle, has Somei-yoshino and hig
Festival Chubu H
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Hyakujuro Cherry Avenue
Shinsakaigawa embankment, Naka Monzencho, Kakamigahara, Gifu
These trees are named after a person. The Hyakujuro cherries take their name from Ichikawa Hyakujuro, a kabuki actor bor
Festival Chubu N
例年4月上旬が見頃
Neodani Usuzumi-zakura
Usuzumi Park, 995 Kamidan, Neo Itasho, Motosu, Gifu
This tree changes colour as it dies back. The name Usuzumi means pale ink, and Gifu prefecture's account explains it: th
Festival Chubu K
例年3月中旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Kamagatani Cherry Blossoms
Kamagatani, Fujishiro, Ikeda, Ibi, Gifu
The name describes what it looks like from far off. Kamagatani is a valley on the slope of Mount Ikeda planted with abou
Festival Kanto S
例年2月〜4月が見頃
Sakura no Sato Cherry Blossoms
Sakura no Sato, 1317-4 Futo, Ito, Shizuoka
Cherry blossom is visible here from September to May. That is the claim on Ito's own tourism site, which describes Sakur
Festival Chubu Y
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Yamazakigawa Cherry Blossoms
Yamazakigawa, 3 Tanabedori, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi
The trees face each other across the water. Between Ishikawa bridge and Ochiai bridge, a stretch of about two and a half
Festival Chubu T
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Tsuruma Park Cherry Blossoms
Tsuruma Park, 1-1-1 Tsurumai, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi
One minute from the station gate to the trees. Tsuruma Park holds about seven hundred and fifty cherry trees, mostly Som
Festival Chubu O
例年4月上旬が見頃
Okazaki Park Cherry Blossoms
Okazaki Park, 561-1 Koseicho, Okazaki, Aichi
The cherry trees are not confined to the park. The Okazaki tourism association counts about eight hundred Somei-yoshino
Festival Chubu G
例年4月上旬が見頃
Gojogawa Cherry Blossoms
Gojo river, Nakahoncho and beyond, Iwakura, Aichi
Carp streamers are washed in this river, under the cherry trees. The Gojo river runs about seven and a half kilometres t
Festival Chubu M
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Mitake Cherry Blossoms
Mitake, Misugicho, Tsu, Mie
The approach to a temple is the avenue. Mitake's cherry trees run for a kilometre and a half along the path from the old
Festival Other M
例年4月上旬が見頃
Miyagawa Embankment Cherry Blossoms
Miyagawa embankment, Nakajima, Ise, Mie
This is the river you cross before Ise. The Miyagawa embankment carries about seven hundred cherry trees over a kilometr
Festival Chubu H
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Hokoen Cherry Blossoms
Hokoen, 1325 Koencho, Nagahama, Shiga
Six hundred cherry trees stand where Hideyoshi put a castle. Hokoen occupies the site of Nagahama castle, held by Toyoto
Festival Chubu K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kaizu-Osaki Cherry Blossoms
Kaizu-Osaki, Kaizu, Makinocho, Takashima, Shiga
Four kilometres of cherry trees along the edge of a lake, on a road that goes nowhere in particular. The planting at Kai
Festival Kinki A
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Arashiyama Cherry Blossoms
Arashiyama, 40 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo, Kyoto
The blossom here is on the mountain, along the river, and around the bridge. Kyoto prefecture's tourism federation descr
Festival Kinki O
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Omuro Cherries at Ninnaji
Ninnaji, 33 Omuro Ouchi, Ukyo, Kyoto
You do not look up at these. The Omuro cherries stand about two metres high, branching from the base and spreading close
Festival Kinki D
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Daigoji Cherry Blossoms
Daigoji, 22 Daigo Higashiojicho, Fushimi, Kyoto
A single flower-viewing party from over four centuries ago is still the name of this place. The Kyoto prefectural touris
Festival Kinki K
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Kasagiyama Cherry Blossoms
Kasagiyama Prefectural Natural Park, Kasagi, Soraku, Kyoto
The mountain with the cherry trees on it is itself a monument. Kyoto prefecture records Mount Kasagi as a National Histo
Festival Kinki T
例年4月上旬〜中旬が見頃
The Mint's Cherry Passage
Japan Mint, 1-1-79 Tenma, Kita, Osaka
The path is open for one week. Inside the grounds of the Japan Mint there is a five-hundred-and-sixty-metre walk along t
Festival Kinki O
例年4月上旬が見頃
Osaka Castle Park Cherry Blossoms
Osaka Castle Park, Osakajo, Chuo, Osaka
Three thousand trees across a hundred and five hectares. Osaka Castle Park covers 105.6 hectares in the middle of the ci
Festival Kinki E
例年4月上旬が見頃
Expo Park Cherry Blossoms
Expo '70 Commemorative Park, 1-1 Senri Banpakukoen, Suita, Osaka
The places where the cherry trees grow all have names. The Expo '70 park lists nine of them: Higashi-oji, the Japanese g
Festival Kinki H
例年4月上旬が見頃
Himeji Castle Cherry Blossoms
Himeji Castle, 68 Honmachi, Himeji, Hyogo
White flowers in front of a white castle. Himeji city gives about a thousand cherry trees in the grounds, Somei-yoshino
Festival Kinki A
例年4月上旬が見頃
Akashi Park Cherry Blossoms
Akashi Park, 1-27 Akashi Koen, Akashi, Hyogo
Two turrets and no keep. Akashi Park covers about 54.8 hectares, and standing on the earthworks are the Tatsumi and Hits
Festival Kinki S
例年4月上旬が見頃
Shukugawa Riverside Cherry Blossoms
Shukugawa riverside green, Gomenmachi and beyond, Nishinomiya, Hyogo
The city has counted them by variety. There are about thirteen hundred cherry trees along the Shukugawa, and Nishinomiya
Festival Kinki N
例年3月下旬〜4月下旬が見頃
Nara Park Cherry Blossoms
Nara Park, Kasuganocho, Nara, Nara
The cherry season here lasts about a month. The Nara city tourism association gives it as late March through to late Apr
Festival Kinki K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Koriyama Castle Cherry Blossoms
Koriyama Castle ruins, 248-4 Kitakoriyamacho, Yamatokoriyama, Nara
The trees are planted around the moats. Yamatokoriyama city describes about six hundred cherries, mostly Somei-yoshino,
Festival Kinki K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kimiidera Cherry Blossoms
Kimiidera, 1201 Kimiidera, Wakayama, Wakayama
Wakayama's cherry blossom is declared open from this temple. In front of the main hall at Kimiidera stands the specimen
Festival Kinki N
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Negoroji Cherry Blossoms
Negoroji, 2286 Negoro, Iwade, Wakayama
Seven thousand cherry trees in the grounds of one temple. That is the figure Wakayama's tourism authority gives for Nego
Festival Kinki S
例年4月上旬が見頃
Shichikawa Dam Cherry Blossoms
Shichikawa Dam, Sada, Kozagawa, Higashimuro, Wakayama
The dam came first, and the trees were planted around the edge of what it made. The reservoir behind the Shichikawa dam
Festival Kinki H
例年4月上旬が見頃
Hisamatsu Park Cherry Blossoms
Hisamatsu Park, Higashimachi, Tottori, Tottori
Tottori's flowering is declared from a park entrance. The specimen tree that the Tottori meteorological observatory uses
Festival Chugoku U
例年4月上旬が見頃
Utsubuki Park Cherry Blossoms
Utsubuki Park, 722 Aoicho, Kurayoshi, Tottori
This park was built to commemorate a royal visit. Kurayoshi city records that Utsubuki Park was laid out in 1904 to mark
Festival Chugoku M
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Matsue Castle Cherry Blossoms
Matsue Jozan Park, Tonomachi, Matsue, Shimane
Only a hundred and ninety trees. Shimane prefecture gives the count for Matsue Jozan Park as about a hundred and ninety
Festival Chugoku H
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Hiikawa Embankment Cherry Avenue
Hiikawa embankment, Kisuki, Unnan, Shimane
The Hiikawa is the river of the Yamata-no-Orochi story. Along its embankment at Kisuki there are about eight hundred Som
Festival Kinki T
例年4月上旬が見頃
Tsuyama Castle Cherry Blossoms
Tsuyama Castle, 135 Sange, Tsuyama, Okayama
The stonework survives in terraces, and the cherry trees are on top of it. Tsuyama city gives several thousand cherry tr
Festival Chugoku S
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Senkoji Park Cherry Blossoms
Senkoji Park, 19 Nishitsuchidocho, Onomichi, Hiroshima
Fifteen hundred cherry trees on a slope above the sea. Senkoji Park climbs the side of Senkojiyama at Onomichi, and the
Festival Chugoku S
例年4月が見頃
Shobara Ueno Park Cherry Blossoms
Ueno Park, 1-chome Higashihonmachi, Shobara, Hiroshima
The circuit round the pond is two kilometres. That is about half an hour at a walking pace. Shobara's tourism site descr
Festival Chugoku T
例年3月下旬〜4月中旬が見頃
Tokiwa Park Cherry Blossoms
Tokiwa Park, 254 Okiube, Ube, Yamaguchi
There is a variety here of which the park has exactly six. Tokiwa Park gives its cherry total as about 3,500 and then br
Festival Chugoku K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kikko Park and Kintaikyo Cherry Blossoms
Kikko Park, Yokoyama, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi
The trees stand differently on the two sides of the bridge. The Kintaikyo is a wooden arched bridge over the Nishiki riv
Festival Kinki S
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Seibu Park Cherry Blossoms
Seibu Park, Kamonacho, Tokushima, Tokushima
Five hundred trees on the side of a mountain, above a city of a quarter of a million. Seibu Park sits partway up Bizan,
Festival Chugoku K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kotohiki Park Cherry Blossoms
Kotohiki Park, Ariakecho, Kanonji, Kagawa
There is an enormous drawing in the sand here. The Zenigata at Kotohiki Park measures 122 metres east to west, 90 north
Festival Chugoku M
例年4月上旬が見頃
Matsuyama Castle Cherry Blossoms
Matsuyama Castle, Marunouchi, Matsuyama, Ehime
Two hundred trees, with the early and the late ones deliberately mixed in. Most of the cherries at Matsuyama Castle are
Festival Shikoku K
例年3月下旬〜4月中旬が見頃
Kagamino Park Cherry Blossoms
Kagamino Park, Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada, Kami, Kochi
The park's cherry trees run on into a university. Kochi prefecture describes Kagamino Park as holding many kinds of cher
Festival Shikoku M
例年3月下旬が見頃
Makino Park Cherry Blossoms
Makino Park, 2458 Ko, Sakawa, Takaoka District, Kochi
For most cherry sites the beginning is vague. Here it is on the record. In 1902 the botanist Tomitaro Makino, who was bo
Festival Kyushu N
例年3月下旬が見頃
Nishi Park Cherry Blossoms
Nishi Park, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Fukuoka prefecture has exactly one entry among the hundred cherry sites, and this is it. Nishi Park stands on a rise nea
Festival Kyushu O
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Ogi Park Cherry Blossoms
Ogi Park, 185 Ogimachi, Ogi, Saga
This park was a domain garden before it was a park. Ogi city writes that it was laid out by Motoshige Nabeshima, first l
Festival Kyushu O
例年3月下旬〜4月中旬が見頃
Omura Park Cherry Blossoms
Omura Park, 1-43 Kushima, Omura, Nagasaki
The cherry trees here are named after the place. Omura Park holds about 2,000 trees, and roughly 300 of them are Omura-z
Festival Kyushu K
例年4月上旬が見頃
Kumamoto Castle Cherry Blossoms
Kumamoto Castle, 1-1 Honmaru, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto
New cherry trees are still being found inside this castle. Kumamoto city writes that a cherry was found on the grounds w
Festival Kyushu Y
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Yunoko Cherry Line Blossoms
Yunoko Cherry Line, Hama, Minamata, Kumamoto
This entry on the list of a hundred is not a park but a road. Kumamoto prefecture describes a driving route with cherry
Festival Kyushu I
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Ichifusa Dam Lake Cherry Blossoms
Ichifusa Dam Lake, Mizukami, Kuma District, Kumamoto
The cherry trees here go all the way round a lake. Kumamoto prefecture writes that about 10,000 of them were planted to
Festival Kyushu O
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Oka Castle Park Cherry Blossoms
Oka Castle ruins, Taketa, Oita
This castle site is better known for a piece of music than for its trees. Oita prefecture writes that the ruins of Oka c
Festival Kyushu M
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Mochio Park Cherry Blossoms
Mochio Park, 6633 Yokoichicho, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki
The entry on the list is not a park but a prefectural natural park, taking in Mochio and Sekinoo together. Mochio Park h
Festival Kyushu T
例年3月下旬〜4月上旬が見頃
Tadamoto Park Cherry Blossoms
Tadamoto Park, 2484-193 Okuchi Harada, Isa, Kagoshima
This park carries a person's name. Isa city writes that Tadamoto shrine, dedicated to the Shimazu retainer Niiro Musashi
Festival Okinawa N
例年2月上旬が見頃
Nago Castle Park Cherry Blossoms
Nago Castle Park, 5511 Nago, Nago, Okinawa
This one flowers in winter. In the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991 to 2020 averages, full bloom at Naha falls on 4 Fe
Festival Kanto F
例年4月中旬が見頃
Fuji Reien Cherry Blossoms
Fuji Reien, 888-2 Oomika, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka
Eight thousand cherry trees stand over a cemetery. Fuji Reien writes that its grounds hold about 1,000 Somei-yoshino and
Festival Hokkaido M
例年4月中旬〜5月下旬が見頃
Matsumae Park Cherry Blossoms
Matsumae Park, Matsushiro, Matsumae, Hokkaido
Cherry blossom lasts about a week in most places. In Matsumae it lasts a month, because the town spent a long time colle
Festival Hokkaido N
例年5月上旬〜中旬が見頃
Nijukken-doro Cherry Avenue
Nijukken-doro Cherry Avenue, Shizunai Tawara to Shizunai Misono, Shinhidaka, Hokkaido
This road was not built to be looked at. It was built to be driven along, by members of the imperial family inspecting a
Festival Tohoku A
例年4月下旬〜5月上旬が見頃
Ashino Park Cherry Blossoms
Ashino Park, Ashino, Kanagi, Goshogawara, Aomori
There is a railway station inside the park. Ashino Park covers about eighty hectares around a lake in the north of Aomor
Festival Tohoku T
例年4月中旬〜下旬が見頃
Tenshochi Cherry Blossoms
Tenshochi Park, 10-chiwari Tachibana, Kitakami, Iwate
The cherry trees at Tenshochi run for two kilometres along the bank of the Kitakami River, starting at the foot of the S