Articles tagged: Festival
Setsubun 2027 is Feb 3: Where to Catch Bean-Throwing Ceremonies in Tokyo
Japan's spring-eve bean-throwing day is Wednesday February 3 - and the big-ticket Tokyo ceremonies are already loading onto calendars.
2026-10-25·1 min read·Read →Chichibu Night Festival 2026: Dec 2-3 Float Parade & Fireworks - Trains Will Be Cut
One of Japan's three great float festivals returns in less than six weeks - and the return train from Seibu-Chichibu will stop running on the main night.
2026-10-25·2 min read·Read →Sapporo Autumn Fest 2027: Odori Park Food Festival
Sapporo Autumn Fest fills 1 km of Odori Park with Hokkaido food for three weeks each September. Here is how to plan a 2027 visit, from Chitose Airport to the best food blocks.
2026-10-25·3 min read·Read →Oktoberfest Tokyo 2027: Shiba Park & Odaiba Guide
Oktoberfest runs multiple editions across Tokyo and Yokohama — spring at Odaiba, autumn at Shiba Park, late summer at Yokohama. Here is how to plan a 2027 visit.
2026-10-25·3 min read·Read →Tokyo Ramen Festa 2027: Komazawa Park Guide
Tokyo Ramen Festa gathers 40+ regional ramen chefs across 5 days at Komazawa Olympic Park. Here is how to plan a visit, buy tickets, and avoid the longest queues.
2026-10-25·3 min read·Read →Yamaga Toro Lantern Festival 2027: Kumamoto's Obon Fire Dance
Kumamoto's Yamaga Toro Matsuri is Kyushu's most atmospheric Obon ritual — 1,000 women balance paper-lantern headdresses on their heads for a candle-lit dance.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Miyazaki Jingu Autumn Festival 2027: Shanshan-Uma Bridal Horses
Miyazaki Jingu's grand autumn festival turns Shanshan-Uma — bride-on-decorated-horse — into a two-weekend procession through Kyushu's quietest capital city.
2026-10-25·3 min read·Read →Nagasaki Kunchi 2027: Dragon Dance + Dutch Flags Festival
Nagasaki Kunchi is Kyushu's most culturally mixed festival — 380 years of Chinese dragon dances, Dutch flags, and Portuguese costumes under the UNESCO float umbrella.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Karatsu Kunchi 2027: 14 UNESCO Hikiyama Floats
Karatsu Kunchi is Saga's UNESCO-listed autumn festival — 14 hikiyama floats shaped like lions, samurai helmets, and sea bream drag through narrow castle-town streets to a beach shrine.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Ohara Festival Kagoshima 2027: Southern Kyushu's Dance Night
Kagoshima's Ohara Matsuri is Southern Kyushu's biggest matsuri — 20,000 dancers filling Tenmonkan arcade for two nights every November 2-3.
2026-10-25·3 min read·Read →Marugame Castle Festival 2027: Kagawa's Golden Week Matsuri
Marugame's Golden Week castle festival is Shikoku's underrated spring matsuri — wooden-keep backdrop, 300 food stalls, and a quarter the crowds of Himeji or Osaka.
2026-10-25·3 min read·Read →Yosakoi Matsuri Kochi 2027: Four Days, 20,000 Dancers
Kochi's Yosakoi Matsuri reinvents matsuri every summer — rock-fused traditional dance from 200+ teams across 16 streets. Shikoku's loudest August long weekend.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Niihama Taiko Festival 2027: Ehime's Fighting Festival
Ehime's Niihama Taiko Matsuri is Shikoku's most physical float festival — three days of gold-leafed drum floats, ritual kaki-kurabe clashing, and almost zero English coverage.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Awa Odori Tokushima 2027: Japan's Largest Dance Festival
Awa Odori packs 1.3 million spectators into a Shikoku port city for four nights of a 400-year-old dance — here's how to see it without burning your trip plan.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Ishigaki Island Festival 2027: Yaeyama's Annual Culture + Fireworks Weekend
Ishigaki Island Festival 2027 fills Shinei Park across November 6-7 — Yaeyama's biggest cultural event with parades, Ryukyu dance, taiko, local food stalls, and a Sunday fireworks finale.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival 2027: World's Largest Rope, Okinawa
Naha Otsunahiki 2027 — a 200-metre, 40-tonne rice-straw rope pulled by 15,000 participants fills National Route 58 for Okinawa's biggest festival weekend. October 9-11, 2027.
2026-10-25·4 min read·Read →Otaru Snow Light Path 2027: Canal Illumination Dates, Access, Day Trip
The Otaru Snow Light Path (Yuki Akari no Michi) runs February 7–15, 2027. Candles in snow lanterns line the canal and old railway at dusk. Here's the day-trip plan from Sapporo.
2026-10-22·4 min read·Read →Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Dates, Sites, Hotels & Insider Tips
Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 (Feb 4-11) is Japan's biggest winter event: 200+ snow sculptures across three sites, -8°C evenings, 2 million visitors. Here's exactly how to plan it.
2026-10-22·6 min read·Read →Kanda Matsuri 2027 Weekend Schedule: Shinko-sai, Mikoshi Procession & Where to Watch
Kanda Matsuri runs biennially in odd years — 2027's return is May 8-16. Saturday May 8 is Shinko-sai (gods' procession), Sunday May 9 is the 108-mikoshi parade through Kanda. Full schedule, map, and hotel booking advice inside.
2026-10-22·3 min read·Read →Fuji Rock Festival 2027 Ticket Booking Timeline: Early Bird, Day & 3-Day Pass Prices
Fuji Rock 2027 (late July) tickets open December 2026 at ¥44,000 early-bird for 3 days. Here is the full release calendar, price curve, campsite and shuttle add-ons, and what to do when the final tier sells out.
2026-10-22·4 min read·Read →Halloween in Shibuya 2026: What Actually Happens Now (No Alcohol Ban)
Shibuya's iconic Halloween is officially deprecated. Alcohol banned, police block streets, mayor tells tourists to skip. Here's what really happens in 2026 + where to go instead.
2026-09-02·4 min read·Read →Tokyo Halloween 2026 Dates: Complete Event Schedule (Sep-Nov)
Tokyo Halloween 2026 runs mid-September through early November. Here's the day-by-day event schedule so you don't miss anything.
2026-08-30·6 min read·Read →Sapporo Snow Festival 2027: Dates, Ice Sculptures, Hotels, Complete Guide
Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 (Feb 4-11) is Japan's biggest winter festival — 200+ ice sculptures, -5°C nights, 2M visitors. Book hotels 6 months ahead.
2026-08-14·3 min read·Read →Japanese New Year (Oshogatsu) 2026: Traditions, What's Open, Hatsumode
Japanese New Year (Oshogatsu Dec 31 - Jan 3) is Japan's most sacred holiday. Almost everything closes, shrines get millions of visitors for hatsumode. Here's the 2026 guide.
2026-07-31·3 min read·Read →Kobe Luminarie 2027: Dates, Access, & Japan's Most Emotional Illumination
Kobe Luminarie 2027 (Jan 24 - Feb 2) is Japan's most emotional illumination — 30 years since the 1995 Kobe earthquake memorial. Here's the visit guide.
2026-06-26·3 min read·Read →Halloween in Japan 2026: Where Foreigners Should Go (& Avoid)
Halloween in Japan is huge and weird and unique. Here's where to actually go in 2026 — and which spots to skip (Shibuya tightened rules).
2026-05-31·9 min read·Read →Sumida River Fireworks 2027: Guide & Where to Watch
Tokyo's most famous summer fireworks — when it is, where to watch, and how to avoid the crush.
2026-05-04·1 min read·Read →Best Fireworks Festivals in Japan 2026
Japan's biggest and most spectacular summer fireworks festivals, and how to plan around them.
2026-05-03·6 min read·Read →Best Summer Festivals (Matsuri) in Japan 2026
Japan's biggest summer matsuri — floats, drums and dancing — and how to plan your trip around them.
2026-04-28·1 min read·Read →Gion Matsuri Kyoto 2026: Complete Guide
Kyoto's thousand-year festival — the giant float parades, key July dates, and how to see it well.
2026-04-27·6 min read·Read →