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
8 events
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
November 2026
2 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
11/07–11/07
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
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
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
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
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
毎年10月22日（雨天順延）
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
毎年10月22日
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
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
毎年9月7日〜9日
Kakunodate Festival: When the Samurai Town Collides
Central Kakunodate, Semboku, Akita
For most of the year, Kakunodate is the quietest kind of famous: a preserved samurai town in the Akita mountains, black
毎年2月15日・16日
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
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
毎年1月第4土曜（荒天順延）
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
毎年2月17日〜20日
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
例年2月上旬（さっぽろ雪まつりとほぼ同時期・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
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