From April 9th until September 6th, 2022, the POLA Museum of Art will host an exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the venue's opening. The event will focus on new items in the museum's collection, with works on display […]
The Nitoyo Coast stretches from the southern part of Oita Prefecture to the northern part of Miyazaki Prefecture, and it's famous for one thing in particular - rock oysters. The oysters in this part of the country are nourished by […]
Metsa, comprising Metsa Village and Moomin Valley Park, is a Moomin theme park in rural Saitama. However, it can be reached from Tokyo in just over an hour by either public transport or by car. The Umbrella Sky Project is […]
Hisaizu Shrine is located in Iwatsuki Ward in Saitama City. It is known fondly as the "Quiz" shrine as the kanji (Chinese characters) for the shrine 久伊豆 can be read as "Ku - i - zu". Hence many people pray […]
There's no doubt that the evolution of technology has presented new opportunities in the art world. Tokyo-based favorites like TeamLab Borderless and TeamLab Planets are just a couple of examples of immersive, technology-based art exhibitions, and this summer there will […]
From Saturday, July 10th until Sunday, August 1st, Chiba's Sakura Furusato Square will host a Windmill Sunflower Garden event. Approximately 15,000 sunflowers will be in full bloom during the event dates, including the Vincent sunflower variety named after none other […]
The Miyagawacho Beer Garden is a rare occasion where you can enjoy beer, daily specialties served by neighboring restaurants, and Classical Japanese dance by the Maiko (apprentice geisha) of Miyagawacho Kabukai. Miyagawacho Kabukai is one of the five famous groups […]
The summer months in Japan see several sunflower festivals pop up on the calendar, one of the best in Hokkaido's Hokuryu Sunflower Festival. The event has been running since 1987 and showcases the beauty of a staggering 2 million sunflowers […]
Bright and cheerful sunflowers are a quintessential sign of summer in Japan, and the annual Akeno Sunflower Festival boasts fields upon fields of them to enjoy. The event began in 1993, and at the venue, you'll also find a sunflower […]
Japanese watermelons are known for being deliciously sweet and juicy, but also quite expensive. There's a way to minimize the expense and maximize your watermelon enjoyment, and that's by heading to the Yairo Watermelon Festival. The festival runs from late […]
The annual Haneda Matsuri, or Haneda Festival, is held on the last week of July every year. At this lively traditional summer festival, the mikoshi, or the portable shrine, is carried by 3,000 people, with more than 30,000 visitors attending. […]
Many people in Tokyo have no idea how different Hokkaido is. It is almost 200 km from Sapporo to Obihiro, the same distance as between Shizuoka and Tokyo. But instead of 20 million people and the world’s 15th biggest GDP […]
The Sumiyoshi Matsuri (festival) happens over three days in and around Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine. The highlight is the nagoshi harai shinji ritual which happens on a middle day. The ritual involves participants (women and children) processioning through a straw […]
Kuroishi, a town on the central Tsugaru Plain of Aomori Prefecture holds its own Nebuta festival (called Neputa in these parts) on July 30th and August 5th each year. The parade features more than 50 floats, most in the shape […]
Each year from late July through until late August, Kagawa's Sanuki Mannou Park hosts a Summer Festa event which is filled with fun summertime activities. There are around 15,000 cheerful sunflowers and 6,000 green kochia to marvel at, along with […]
The home of Mikawa fireworks, this is one of the biggest displays in Aichi, with spots by the river reserved a day in advance by many. With a history dating back to the Edo period, the festival uses 70% locally […]
This festival for which Aomori is most famous takes place in Aomori City during the first week of August, however, on the 1st it is only an evening fireworks display. The main procession of the festival consists of large internally […]
Does the idea of taking the stage give you cold feet? Can you imagine if your stage was a wobbly Indiana-Jones-movie suspension bridge? That suspension bridge is the stage for the taiko drummers performing in Totsukawa-Mura's Yuredaiko. The suspension bridge […]
The second of the Summer fireworks events on the Nagara river, this event takes place on the first Saturday of every August. Both events are competitive displays with pyrotechnicians traveling from far and wide to show off their best designs […]
Taking place on the banks of the Yoshino River in the Shinmachi neighborhood of Gojo city, this is Nara Prefecture’s most popular fireworks festival. Not content with a mere 4,000 exploding projectiles, the organizers have added a laser light show […]
The One Love Jamaica Festival is an annual summer event that will be held in Komazawa Olympic Park and is a good time for those looking to soak up some great food, drinks, dancing, and music. Music seems to flow […]
The Kojiya Awa Odori is held along the town’s shotengai (shopping street) where roughly 600 spectators join – lined up 10 rows deep – to watch the dancers and cheer as they pass by. There are about 150 kids who […]
Do you like the beach? Do you like or want to experience Japanese summer festivals? Then the Morito no hama, bon dance competition/Festival is the best place to be this summer. The Experience You can enjoy great grilled and barbecue […]
The Hirosaki Neputa Festival is a lower-key (but still spectacular) sibling of the much rowdier Nebuta Festival in Aomori City. While the Aomori floats are a lot more free-form, Neputa floats in Hirosaki are mainly of a distinctive fan-like shape […]
Come summer, get ready for a flurry of adorable Pikachu in Yokohama! Expect to see lots of dancing Pikachus in parades, on water, and also light shows with entertaining digital effects. With over 2000 Pikachu mascots spread over the Minato […]
The Nagaoka Festival is held from August 1st to August 3rd around the Shinano River in Nagaoka City. Its main attractions are the portable shrine float parades and folk dance processions during the day with large-scale fireworks displays in the […]
Each month in Gyoda City dozens of locations participate in a floral water font "hanachozu" event by displaying hanachozu at their premises. The event is called the hanachozu week, but you can actually see the floral fonts for two weeks […]
There are plenty of places to enjoy cosmos flowers during the fall months in Japan, but if you're after a spot that has been named one of the country's best destinations for them, look no further than Nagano's Kurohime Plateau. […]
Every year in early August, Miura City hosts the Miura Summer Fireworks Festival. For me, that meant a beautiful beach in glorious, sunny weather followed by 3000 fireworks launched off the ocean lighting up the night sky. It had everything […]
Usually, an incredible 40,000 fireworks go up in smoke in a couple of hours at this mid-summer fireworks festival. However, for 2021 the organizers are running a “special type” event over 15 days with fireworks every day for 10 minutes […]
Oita Godo Shimbun Fireworks display is Oita City’s most popular fireworks performance. Held on the last day of the Oita Tanabata Festival - one of the largest summer festivals in the prefecture – the fireworks are a spectacular way to […]
The festival is one of the top five festivals of the Tohoku (northeastern Japan) region--and it is easy to see why. The main event is the massive parade of over three thousand drummers, representing taiko groups created by schools, companies, […]
During the annual Zama Mikoshi Festival (July 31-August 1st), residents and Mikoshi regulars from neighboring communities carry a portable shrine through the streets of Zama chanting "Say ya, Soi ya, Sah, Sorya" and "Dokkoi, Dokkoi, Dokkoi Sorya". They are asking […]
The Japanese word for firework is Hanabi. Hana means 'flower' and bi means 'fire'. On the 1st of August, I went to see flowers of fire blooming in the firework festival at Lake Yamanaka. Before the fireworks, I saw a […]
Hirakawa city in Aomori Prefecture hosts a Nebuta Festival at the beginning of August each year. While the Aomori City has the crowds, Hirosaki has the refined tradition and Goshogawara has towering floats, Hirakawa’s claim to fame is having Aomori’s […]
What makes Japanese fireworks different from all the others around the world? For one, they reflect Japan’s culture. All have themes and the crowds really get into the mood. You see blue mats everywhere and special food tents wherever the […]
Kanto (not related to the region of the same name) are poles that are approximately 15 meters long from which hang 46 lanterns – intended to resemble bags of rice. Weighing up to 50kg, the festival performers balance these poles […]
There is an island, a shrine, and a station that is only open for a short festival each year. For two days this shrine, and the tiny Tsu island on which it sits, see around 10,000 people come and go. […]
Goshogawara hosts the third of the famous Nebuta festivals in Aomori. The others are Aomori Nebuta in Aomori City and Hirosaki Neputa. ‘Tachineputa’ means ‘vertical Nebuta’, so called because Goshogawara’s Nebuta floats are very tall – some as tall as […]
Aomori prefecture may be best known for being Japan’s largest apple producer, but once a year, the streets come alive in the Nebuta Festival in Aomori City. Lesser known, but perhaps more impressive and memorable is the Tachineputa Festival in […]
The Hinokuni Matsuri is a festival that takes place in early August predominantly in and around Sunroad Shinshigai (a covered arcade) in Kumamoto City. The festival will feature various dance troupes and competitions as well as a “Natsu Machi Yokocho” […]
A ten-day event taking place in Nara, the Tokae sees thousands of candles placed in varying displays and patterns. The shapes include rivers, deer, and hearts and some lanterns are used to illuminate the structures of the area. They have […]
The Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Display is a popular tradition with local residents and tourists alike. Approximately 16,000 fireworks are set off from the shores of the Hirose River which flows through central Sendai. The area is easily accessed via Hirosedori […]
Tanabata – literally meaning the ‘7th evening’ is a festival celebrated on different dates throughout Japan. The Sendai version, touted as one of the three major summer festivals in the Tohoku region, is the most famous of them all. It’s […]
Each year, on August 6th, candle-lit lanterns are set afloat on the Motoyasu River next to Hiroshima’s A-Bomb Dome in remembrance of deceased ancestors and as a wish for world peace. The lanterns are on sale from 6 am with […]
Every year, in Honmoku, Yokohama, the Ouma Nagashi event is held during summer. Ouma is a figure with the head of a horse and a turtle-like body made of straw. Every year six pieces of Ouma are made for the […]
August 6th is a significant day for anyone in Hiroshima. Although most businesses run, as usual, school children are called into school for "peace education" and many locals and tourists gather in the central Peace Park to reflect on lives […]
This is a horse race that takes place in Shiojiri City on the grassy Takabocchi Plateau. With around 80 competitors from throughout Japan, organizers claim that it is the highest altitude horse race to take place in Japan. Apart from […]
When it comes to big names in the fashion world, Louis Vuitton is right up there at the top. An exhibition running in Tokyo celebrates LV's 160-year history, and it has already delighted visitors in Wuhan (2020), Hangzhou (2021), and […]
Summer is prime time for big festivals in Japan, and Kochi City is no exception. The highlight of the local year is a three-day dance/parade extravaganza in August, called ‘Yosakoi’. What the word means exactly is open to interpretation, but […]
Part of the annual peace festival, this display is as famous for its fireworks as it is for the beautiful food stalls that are illuminated at night. The event takes place on the Hozu river banks and has paid seats […]
Tokushima Awa Odori is rated by many as Japan’s top summer festival. It takes place in Tokushima – a prefecture on the island of Shikoku. The dance festival (Odori means dance) has its origins as a summer Obon festival. ‘Awa’ […]
The Minato Mirai Bon Odori Festival will once again be held in mid-August in Rinko Park, Yokohama. Looking out over the evening waters of Yokohama Bay, Rinko Park provides one of the most pleasant locations for one of Japan's most-loved […]
On August 12th, the Gochinza-kinensai Ceremony is held at Osaki Hachiman Shrine in Sendai. This mid-summer ceremony is truly a traditional ritual, on the next day, the shrine performs a Gagaku music concert as part of a memorial dedicated to […]
This is a joint fireworks festival across the Kanmon Straits between Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Kita-Kyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture. More than 1 million people on both sides of the strait are expected to watch the almost 1-hour […]
The small city of Yanai in Yamaguchi Prefecture is famous for its lanterns, but they're a little different from many lanterns you've likely seen in the past. The lanterns here are shaped like goldfish, and you'll see them displayed outside […]
Summer sees the staging of the annual Toro Nagashi festival in Asakusa. Originally held to pray for the souls of the deceased, the practice was rekindled in the mid-20th century. Now a strong community event, the festival sees participants releasing […]
There is a community sunflower field maze in the Horigane area of Sayama City every August. The sunflowers typically bloom during the last two weeks of August. It doesn't feel like a huge sunflower field as you walk among the […]
This is a memorial service for the spirits of fallen soldiers and to pray for peace which takes place on August 15th every year. A large 大 (the kanji symbol for great) is set alight on Mount Wakakusa using 108 […]
For 2022 (as with 2020 and 2021), the ceremony will take place, but sightseers are discouraged. The ceremony is intended for those who have lost relatives since the last O-Bon. The annual holiday of Obon runs until the night of […]
Taking place at the riverside in Nakagawahara Park in Hitoyoshi City, this fireworks festival would usually attract roughly 55,000 people to attend to ooh and ah at 5,000 pyrotechnics. Unlike a lot of other festivals which sell tickets for seats […]
The locals call it Daimonji, the celebration during the height of the O-bon festival where the city’s surrounding mountains are lit up with five bonfires. Three of the bonfires are lit in the form of Kanji, while the other two […]
Held on in the beautiful Amanohashidate area, this event features lantern floating and fireworks for a magical evening in Shimasaki Park. The floating of 10,000 Toro Nagashi lanterns takes place from 6 pm until 7.30 pm and the display of […]
Earth Celebration is a superb three-day taiko and music festival on Sado Island where Kodo (legendary taiko drums troupe) holds open-air concerts, holds taiko workshops, and invites other musicians to collaborate on stage. Sado Island, located off the coast of […]
Summer Sonic, one of Japan's premier music events, is a two-day rock festival that's held simultaneously in both Tokyo and Osaka. All-you-need-to-know As with the previous years, the rock festival is held in both Tokyo and Osaka. For the Tokyo […]
Summer Sonic, one of Japan's premier music events, is a two-day rock festival that's held simultaneously in both Tokyo and Osaka. All-you-need-to-know for SUPERSONIC As with the previous years, the rock festival is held in both Tokyo and Osaka. For […]
In late August, there was an illumination event called, 'Echizen Asakura Mantoya' at Ichijodani Asakusa Ruins in Fukui City. This event has been held for ten years now, and in it thousands of candles are lit up to illuminate the […]
Kagaya is a Japanese photographer with a large social media following, and he has become famous for his starry night sky shots. From capturing the twinkling stars of a Hokkaido winter evening, or snapping the incredible reflection of stars on […]
Every year in late August, the parishioners of Anamori Inari Shrine In Ota City join the priests and their attendants to light handmade lanterns, asking Inari-sama, the god of rice, for the granting of wishes. The lanterns which bear images […]
Shinjo City in Yamagata is proudly home to Shinjo Matsuri, which is arguably the best festival in Tohoku. This festival, with its history of 250 years, is celebrated from August 24th to 26th every year and consists of city-wide parades […]
Young men dressed in women's clothes and with make-up on their faces carry a portable shrine into the ocean at Sodegahama Beach. Then small children on shore pull long ropes attached to the shrine back and forth. This is the […]
You might have heard of Kiriko in Wajima but do you know Niwaka? A procession of colorfully painted floats marks the end of summer in Ukawa, a fishermen’s village on the Noto Peninsula. This is the time when the locals […]
Follow the giant footsteps carved into the ground to the top of the mountain, where the landmark Kannonyama stands majestic, watching over the city of Takasaki. From here you can look out on the entire city, the mountains a constant […]
Described by Lonely Planet as Japan's Olympics of fireworks, the Omagari Hanabi has a history spanning more than a century. The best pyrotechnicians from around the country gather in the city of Daisen, Akita Prefecture, to show off their skills […]
An excited crowd clad in their best Yukatas, the smell of grilled sausages from the street vendors, sounds of excitement and thrill from kids sitting on their parent's shoulders, anxiously waiting for the next masterpiece painted on the dark summer […]
Inside the temple grounds are food stalls with grilled food, including grilled squid, and lanterns light the path leading to the temple. The temple grounds have a different atmosphere than usual, with groups of families gathering for this special event. […]
Considered one of Japan's premier cycling events the iconic, annual Mount Fuji Long Ride event invites cycling veterans and beginners alike to the foothills of Yamanashi to cycle around the Fuji Five Lakes region in the shadow of Mount Fuji. […]
Snow Machine came to Japan in 2019! Being the first-ever major winter music festival being held on a Japanese ski field. Snow Machine, a sister festival of the popular Australian "Wine Machine" is organized by Australia-based Falcona and Hakuba.com. About […]