In Japan, thousands of festivals and events take place throughout the year. There are various festivals that occur in a specific province during several times of the year. In this article, we will share a list of festivals in Japan and describe the most popular ones.
Have you ever wondered how to say the names of these festivals in Japanese? In the list of matsuri, we will also share the names of the festivals in Japanese and the dates of some. Unfortunately, the list does not include all festivals; there are thousands of local matsuri…
The list of festivals with their dates and locations can be found at the end of this article. To help you navigate, we will provide a summary or index below. I hope you enjoy this great guide to festivals in Japan that I prepared for you:
If you want a list of festivals with their dates in 2022, we recommend visiting Japanoscope and its list of festivals.
Table of Contents
Local Festivals in Japan
We cannot list all the festivals in Japan in this article because thousands are held exclusively in certain cities. Practically every city has some regional, seasonal, or unique festival to celebrate something like a temple or event.
Schools in Japan also hold festivals. Every year, events called Bunkasai and various others are organized on different dates by each school in the country. Therefore, it becomes impossible to list all the festivals in Japan.
There are even foreign festivals in some places. For example, in the Asakusa neighborhood, the Carnival is held every year. Cities like Nagoya, Hamamatsu, and those with many foreigners also hold cultural events about different countries.
The Bizarre Festivals of Japan
Japan is also famous for its numerous bizarre festivals in the eyes of Westerners. There are festivals like the Belly Button Festival, the Penis Festival, a festival where men get naked behind an amulet, and so on.
There is also a festival where sumo wrestlers try to make babies cry. Another bizarre festival where people dress up with sticks in hand to scare others, and much more.
We have our own article that showcases the strangest festivals in Japan, we recommend reading this article to discover the unusual things you can only find in the land of the rising sun.
Tanabata Matsuri – Festival of the Stars
The Tanabata Matsuri, also known as the Festival of the Stars, is one of the most anticipated festivals of summer, famous for the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi and its tanzaku decorations. The festival can take place between July and August depending on the year and location.
The legend of the Tanabata festival consists of the love story of two stars, Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The tradition of the festival involves small notes tied to a bamboo decoration.
At the end of the celebration, the notes are burned, with the purpose of sending the wishes to the heavens. To learn more about the Tanabata festival, we recommend reading our article on Tanabata Matsuri – The Festival of the Stars.
Children’s Festivals in Japan
There are 3 festivals dedicated to children in Japan: we have Children’s Day Kodomo no Hi, which takes place during Golden Week on May 5th. We have Hina Matsuri or Girls’ Day, which occurs on March 3rd. And Shichi-go-san, which takes place on November 15th.
Each of these festivals has its traditions and peculiarities; during Girls’ Day, there is the famous doll tradition, on Boys’ Day, we have fish decorations, and on shichi-go-san, children of certain ages are taken to the temple.
We have a special article that talks about these three festivals, their peculiarities, and songs. You can find the article by clicking or searching for Kodomo no Hi, Hina Matsuri, and 753 – Children’s Day in Japan on Suki Desu.
Hanami, Hanabi, and Tsukimi – Appreciation Festivals
Some festivals are dedicated to the appreciation of flowers, such as Hanami, or the appreciation of the moon, like Tsukimi. Hanami is one of the most famous festivals in Japan, where we appreciate cherry blossoms during spring.
Hanabi Taikai is a fireworks festival that takes place during the summer across Japan on different dates. At this festival, people visit a type of stall fair wearing their yukata to enjoy the fireworks at night.
These are not the only festivals where you visit a specific location to appreciate nature or art; there are many others. We recommend reading our guide on Hanami – Viewing Flowers and our guide on Hanabi Taikai.
Takayama Matsuri – Festival of Floats
The Takayama Festival is considered one of the three most beautiful in Japan, starting in the 16th century and attracting visitors from all over the country. The attractions of the festival are the floats (yatai), which are cultural heritage of Japan.
The floats on the streets are truly fantastic: all carved from wood or metal, lacquered, painted in intricate detail, and adorned with gold leaf. They are indeed mobile treasures, each with hundreds of years of history and the pride of this artisan city.
Some of the floats have their own music, others feature flute performances, and there is also a parade, puppet shows, and many other activities during these two days of the festival. To learn more, read our article on Takayama Matsuri.
Sapporo Snow Festival – Snow Festival
In Hokkaido [北海道], in the city of Sapporo [札幌], one of the largest winter festivals in Japan takes place. The grand snow festival of the city of Sapporo is called Sapporo Snow Festival [さっぽろ雪まつり]. The event usually happens in February.
At this festival, there are competitions for ice and snow sculptures. Some sculptures are gigantic and require machines and a base to be made. Additionally, the festival features various attractions such as skating rinks, skiing, air jumping, walking, sliding tubes, and more.
This is the perfect opportunity to see gigantic snow and ice sculptures in Odori Park and along the main street of Susukino. This freezing event has been happening for 7 days since 1950. To learn more about the event, read the article on Sapporo Snow Festival.
List of Major Festivals in Japan
The list below, in addition to the festivals and their names in Japanese, also shares other events that may fit into the category, as well as words to improve your vocabulary. Some dates and holidays are also included in the list below:
| Kanji | Japanese | Romaji |
| Festival | 祭り | matsuri |
| Event | 行事 | gyouji |
| Spring Festival | 春祭り | haru matsuri |
| Summer Festival | 夏祭り | natsu matsuri |
| Autumn Festival | 秋祭り | aki matsuri |
| Snow Festival | 雪祭り | yuki matsuri |
| Cultural and Art Festival | 文化祭 | bunkasai |
| New Year | 正月 | shou gatsu |
| Hanami – Flower Festival | 花見 | hanami |
| Hanabi – Fireworks Festival | 花火 | hanabi |
| Valentine’s Day | バレンタインデー | barentain de- |
| Doll Festival (March 3) | 雛祭り | hina matsuri |
| Buddha’s Birthday (April 8) | 花祭り | hana matsuri |
| Greenery Day (April 29) | 緑の日 | midori no hi |
| Golden Week | ゴールデンウイーク | go-ruden ui-ku |
| Children’s Day (May 5) | 子供の日 | kodomo no hi |
| Mother’s Day | 母の日 | haha no hi |
| Father’s Day | 父の日 | chichi no hi |
| The Festival of the Stars (July 7) | 七夕 | tanabata |
| The Festival of the Stars (July 7) | 星祭り | hoshi matsuri |
| Bon Festival (mid-August) | お盆 | obon |
| Ceremony where paper lanterns float down a river (August 15/16) | 灯篭流し | tourou nagashi |
| Festival for children aged 3, 5, and 7 (November 15) | 七五三 | shichi go san |
| Culture Day (November 3) | 文化の日 | bunka no hi |
| Christmas | クリスマス | kurisumasu |
| New Year’s Eve (December 31) | 大晦日 | oomisoka |
| Summer Vacation | 夏休み | natsu yasumi |
| Winter Vacation | 冬休み | fuyu yasumi |
| Birthday | 誕生日 | tanjoubi |
| Entrance Ceremony (School) | 入学式 | nyuugaku shiki |
| Coming of Age Day | 成人式 | seijin shiki |
| Coming of Age Day | 成年式 | seinen shiki |
| Graduation Ceremony | 卒業式 | sotsugyou shiki |
| Wedding Ceremony | 結婚式 | kekkon shiki |
| Funeral | 葬式 | sou shiki |
| Election | 選挙 | senkyo |
| Halloween | ハロウィーン | haroui-n |
List of Famous Traditional Matsuri
| Matsuri | Place | Note |
| Aoi | Kyoto | held at Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrine in May |
| Atsuta | Nagoya | held at Atsuta Shrine in June |
| Awa Odori | Tokushima, Tokushima | held in Tokushima in August |
| Dontaku | Fukuoka | held from May 3rd |
| Gion | Kyoto | held in July |
| Hadaka | Okayama | held in February |
| Hakata Gion Yamakasa | Fukuoka | held at Kushida-jinja in July |
| Hōnen | Komaki | held at Tagata Shrine in March |
| Jidai | Kyoto | held in October |
| Kanamara | Kawasaki | held at Kanayama Shrine in April |
| Kanda | Tokyo | held at Kanda Myojin Shrine in May |
| Kanto | Akita | held from August 3rd |
| Kishiwada Danjiri | Kishiwada | held in September |
| Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival | Saitama | held from July 19th to 23rd |
| Nagasaki Kunchi | Nagasaki | held from October 7th to 9th |
| Miki Autumn Harvest Festival | Miki | held at Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine in October |
| Nada no Kenka | Himeji | held at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine on October 1st and 2nd |
| Nagoya | Nagoya | held at Hisaya Ōdori Park in Sakae Nagoya |
| Nebuta | Aomori | held from August 2nd to 7th |
| Neputa (Hirosaki) | Hirosaki | held in the first week of August |
| Ojima Neputa Festival | Gunma | held from August 1st to 7th |
| Sanja | Tokyo | held at Asakusa Shrine in May |
| Sannō | Tokyo | held at Hie Shrine in June |
| Tanabata | Sendai | held from August 6th to 8th |
| Tenjin | Osaka | held at Akasaka Tenman-gū in July |
| Wakakusa Yamayaki | Nara | held in Nara on the fourth Saturday of January |
| Yosakoi Matsuri | Kochi | held in Kochi in August |
| Yotaka | Toyama | held in Tonami Toyama in June |
Music and Film Festivals in Japan
| Festival Name | Type | City |
| Asian Queer Film Festival | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| B-Boy Park | Hip Hop Festival | |
| CON-CAN Movie Festival | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| Concert on the Rock | Rock Festival | |
| Cosquín en Japón | Folklore Festival | |
| Firefox Rock Festival | Rock Festival | |
| Fuji Rock Festival | Rock Festival | |
| Heart-Aid Shisen | Rock Festival | |
| Hiroshima International Animation Festival | Film Festival | Hiroshima |
| Image Forum Festival | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| Live under the sky | Rock Festival | |
| Loud Park Festival | Heavy Metal Festival | |
| Mainichi Film Awards | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| Mount Fuji Jazz Festival | Jazz Festival | |
| Newport Jazz Festival in Madarao | Jazz Festival | |
| Okinawa International Movie Festival | Film Festival | Ginowan & Naha, |
| Okinawa Island | ||
| Rising Sun Rock Festival | Rock Festival | |
| Rock in Japan Festival | Rock Festival | |
| Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto | Classical Music Festival | |
| Songs Day | Pop Festival | |
| Summer Sonic Festival | Rock Festival | |
| Tokyo Filmex | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| Tokyo International Film Festival[1] | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival | Film Festival | Tokyo |
| Tokyo Music Festival | Pop Festival | |
| Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival | Film Festival | Yamagata |
| Yamaha Music Festival | Classical Music Festival | |
| Yamaha Popular Song Contest | Pop Festival | Kakegawa |
| Yokohama Film Festival | Film Festival | Yokohama |
| Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival | Film Festival | Yūbari, Hokkaido |
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