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1. YOSAKOI Soran Festival/ Hokkaido
Date: June 4-8, 2025
The Yosakoi Soran Festival is a festival where dancers in colorful costumes dance with Naruko (Japanese traditional musical instruments). Approximately 25 venues are set up in Sapporo, and each team will perform a performance full of originality. The open stage at the Odori Park 8th Chome venue is a must-see. The sound of Naruko and the singing of Soran Bushi echo throughout the city, and a soulful performance unfolds.
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2. Aomori Nebuta Festival/ Aomori
Date: August 2-7, 2025
The Aomori Nebuta Festival is one of the three major festivals in the Tohoku region. The highlight is the large nebuta floats that are painstakingly crafted by nebuta craftsmen. They are based on mythological and historical figures, and you can feel the individuality of their creators. If you want to feel the excitement of the festival up close, we recommend participating as a haneto (dancer). Anyone can participate as long as they are wearing a haneto costume, and you can enjoy interacting with the local residents.
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3. Hirosaki Neputa Festival/ Aomori
Date: August 2-7, 2025
This is a traditional festival where fan-shaped neputa decorated with warrior paintings and doll-shaped group neputa floats are paraded to the chant of "Yayado." The highlight is the large neputa, some over 9 meters tall, which appears after the smaller neputa. Don't miss the "pullers" who work so hard to push and pull the neputa, and the adorable "goldfish neputa" held by children. With a history of over 300 years, it has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.
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4. Morioka Sansa Dance/ Iwate
Date: August 1-4, 2025
Morioka Sansa Odori features a large, energetic Sansa Odori parade. Following the beautiful performance by Miss Sansa Odori, general participant groups and traditional Sansa Odori groups perform. It's not just fun to watch, but you can also experience the excitement of the festival by joining the parade and circle dance. On the last day, the festival will have an emotional finale with the resounding sound of Sansa drums in the "Grand Taiko Parade."
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5. Nagatoro Boat Festival/ Saitama Prefecture
Date: August 15, 2025
The Nagatoro Funatama Festival, which attracts around 70,000 visitors every year, is a seasonal summer event in Chichibu. It is said to have originated when boatmen prayed to the water god for safety on the water. Lanterns and boats adorned with many lanterns float down the Arakawa River, creating an extraordinary and fantastical atmosphere. When the sun sets, over 3,000 fireworks are launched one after the other from the opposite bank, beautifully lighting up the summer night sky.
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6. Nippon Dokanaka Festival/ Aichi
Date: August 29-31, 2025
The Nippon Domannaka Festival has a concept of "everyone participating." Approximately 200 teams from Japan and abroad will perform dances rich in regional color, livening up the festival mood. The sight of dancers dressed in colorful costumes dancing with all their heart is moving. In the famous "So-odori" dance, spectators can also join in the dancing, enjoying the feeling of being the main star of the festival.
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7. Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival/ Ishikawa
Event period: June 6th to 8th, 2025 (Million Stone Procession: June 7th)
This festival is held to celebrate the Kaga clan's Maeda Toshiie, who entered Kanazawa Castle and built the foundations of Kanazawa. The highlight is the main event, the Hyakumangoku Procession. In particular, the procession, in which famous people play the roles of Lord Maeda Toshiie and Lady Omatsu, attracts a lot of attention. There are also plenty of other performances that will overwhelm the audience, such as a musical parade, lion dancing, and Kaga jumping.
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8. Gion Festival/ Kyoto Prefecture
Event period: July 1st to 31st, 2025 (first festival: July 17th / second festival: July 24th)
Boasting a history of over 1,000 years, the Gion Festival is one of Japan's three major festivals. Among the events that take place over the course of a month, the Yamahoko processions in the early and late festivals are a must-see. The "Yamahoko Procession of the Kyoto Gion Festival" is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the sight of the gorgeous Yamahoko passing by has been called a "moving art museum." At dusk, the komagata lanterns are lit up, allowing you to enjoy viewing the Yamahoko in a fantastical atmosphere.
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9. Tenjin Festival/ Osaka
Event period: Late June to July 25, 2025
The Tenjin Festival, which is counted as one of the three major festivals in Japan along with the Gion Festival, is also famous as one of the three major summer festivals in Osaka. At the "Gal Mikoshi" held on the 23rd, 80 women take turns carrying two portable shrines weighing about 200 kg, livening up the festival. On the 25th, a large procession of oxcarts, sacred implements, and spears is paraded around the Gohoren, which enshrines the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane, creating a lively atmosphere. At night, a boat procession of about 100 boats travels up and down the Okawa River, and votive fireworks are held, beautifully lighting up the night sky.
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10. Yosakoi Festival/ Kochi
Date: August 9-12, 2025
This festival sees dancers in colorful costumes perform splendid dances. It began in 1954 with the hope of economic recovery, and the word "Yosakoi" is said to be a variation of the old phrase "Yosarikoi (Please come this evening)." Approximately 200 teams and 18,000 dancers gather at the competition and performance halls in Kochi City. To the sound of rattles, performances that combine various genres such as jazz and samba are held. The gorgeously decorated local floats that liven up the festival are also a spectacular sight.
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11. Oita Tanabata Festival/ Oita
Date: August 2nd and 3rd, 2025
This summer festival sees the shopping district in the center of Oita City decorated with beautiful Tanabata decorations. On the first day of the festival, the main venue, "480,000 People Square," features the impressive "Funai Patchin" float, designed with warrior figures and rising dragons. On the second day, the main venue becomes a pedestrian paradise, and events such as the "Oita Chikirin Bayashi Citizens' General Dance" and the "Shrine Mikoshi Float Parade" are held.
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12. Hakata Gion Yamakasa/ Fukuoka
Date: July 1st to 15th, 2025
This festival is known as a dedication ceremony for Kushida Shrine, the guardian deity of Hakata. During the festival, "decorated Yamakasa" made with great care by Hakata doll makers are displayed in 13 locations around Fukuoka city. "Kaki Yamakasa" is held from July 10th to 15th, and the "Oi Yamakasa" in the early morning of July 15th is particularly spectacular. Seven Kaki Yamakasa run through the city for about 5km at dawn, marking the climax of the festival. In 2016, it was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" under "Yama, Hoko and Yatai Events".
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