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日本旅行 · Trip prep

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🏮About Japanese festivals (matsuri)
Matsuri began as rites asking local deities for good harvests and wellbeing. People parade portable shrines (mikoshi) or giant floats through the streets, and yatai food stalls line the roads. Each season has its own character, making festivals a good guide for when to travel.
Winter · SpringSnow and ice sculptures, and picnics under the cherry blossoms, are the highlights.
SummerTwo of Japan's three great festivals (Gion and Tenjin) are held in July, followed by fireworks and dance festivals.
Autumn · WinterHistorical processions, autumn leaves and illuminations fill the cities.
💡Handy tips
  1. During major festivals, lodging fills up months in advance. Book as soon as your dates are set.
  2. Many people wear yukata (light kimono) at summer festivals. It's fun to rent one and try it on.
  3. Traffic is restricted along procession routes and it gets very crowded. Use a station one or two stops away instead of the nearest one.
  4. Many yatai accept cash only, so carry coins and ¥1,000 bills.
Choose an area below to go to its Festivals info.
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Festivals · Seasonal events

Pick your travel month to see events across Japan.

Aug · Domestic travel is busy over the Obon holidays. Book lodging early.
Around late August (weekend after Obon on the lunar calendar) · Central (Chatan

Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival

The biggest festival of Eisa, Okinawa's traditional drum dance.

Aug 16 · Kyoto

Gozan no Okuribi

Giant bonfire characters such as '大' are lit on the mountains around Kyoto to send off ancestral spirits.

Late August weekend · Tokyo

Koenji Awa Odori

Tokyo's biggest dance festival, with nearly 10,000 dancers in the streets.

Early to mid-August · Osaka

Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks

Osaka's signature summer fireworks on the banks of the Yodo River.

Aug 1–5 · Hakodate

Hakodate Port Festival

Hakodate's summer festival, with fireworks and thousands of dancers parading.

August 6, evening · Hiroshima

Peace Lantern Floating

On the evening of the bombing anniversary, memorial lanterns are floated on the river by the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Mid-August · Takamatsu

Sanuki Takamatsu Festival

A summer festival with fireworks over Takamatsu harbor and dance parades in the streets.