The Japan Guides

Japan Festivals & Events 2026: Complete Calendar

Japan festivals 2026: Gion Matsuri, Awa Odori, Nebuta, autumn foliage matsuri and more. Dates, locations and what to expect at each event.

Japan has one of the densest festival calendars in the world. Matsuri (祭り) range from neighbourhood shrine processions to UNESCO-listed spectacles drawing half a million people in a single night. Knowing which festivals happen when, and where to position yourself, is the difference between catching a once-a-year float procession and arriving the week after it ends.

Japan's festival seasons

Spring (March–May): Cherry blossom (sakura) season drives the biggest travel surge of the year. Hanami picnics appear in parks from late March; shrine festivals like Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto mark the transition to summer. Dates shift by up to two weeks each year depending on winter temperatures.

Summer (June–August): The peak matsuri season. Gion Matsuri fills all of July in Kyoto, culminating in the Yamaboko Junko float procession on 17 July. Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori, Awa Odori in Tokushima, Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka: the major summer festivals cluster in late July and early August. Fireworks (hanabi) displays run through August at rivers and harbours across the country.

Autumn (September–November): Autumn foliage (koyo) rivals cherry blossom for colour and draws comparable crowds. Festivals shift toward harvest and thanksgiving themes: Kishiwada Danjiri in Osaka Prefecture (September), Nikko Autumn Festival (October), Jidai Matsuri in Kyoto (October). Foliage peaks in Nikko in mid-October and Kyoto in mid-November.

Winter (December–February): Sapporo Snow Festival (early February) is the headline event: 2 million visitors, illuminated snow sculptures, international ice carving competition. New Year (shogatsu) is the most important cultural observance: Hatsumode first-shrine visits happen 1–3 January at every shrine in the country.