What's on in Japan

The festivals, tournaments, races and seasons that come back every year, with their next dates, and the sources we use ourselves for concerts, exhibitions and this week's events.

The yearly calendar

Dates come from each event's fixed rule. Festivals can shift with weather or the calendar: check the official page before you book anything around them.

Hakone Daimyō ProcessionFestival

A feudal lord's procession in Hakone-Yumoto on Culture Day.

Next: Nov 3, 2026 · Hakone
Grand Sumo tournamentSport

Fifteen days, every seat fills fast: tickets go on sale about a month before. Jan, May and Sep in Tokyo, Mar in Osaka, Jul in Nagoya, Nov in Fukuoka.

Next: Nov 8 – Nov 22, 2026 (Fukuoka) · Jan 10 – Jan 24, 2027 (Tokyo) · Mar 14 – Mar 28, 2027 (Osaka) · Official page ↗
Autumn leavesSeason

Maples turn from mid-November to early December; Kyoto's temples are at their busiest.

Next: Nov 15 – Dec 10, 2026 approximate, check the dates · All Japan
New Year (shōgatsu)Crowds and closures

Many restaurants, shops and museums close for a few days; shrines are crowded. Book early, check opening days.

Next: Dec 29 – Jan 3, 2027 · All Japan
Comiket (Comic Market)Culture

The giant fan-made manga fair at Tokyo Big Sight, in summer and at the end of December.

Next: Dec 29 – Dec 31, 2026 · Aug 13 – Aug 16, 2027 approximate, check the dates · Tokyo · Official page ↗
Hakone Ekiden (university relay)Sport

Japan's favourite race, Tokyo to Lake Ashi and back. Hakone's roads are packed and partly closed.

Next: Jan 2 – Jan 3, 2027 · Hakone
Kyoto MarathonSport

A Sunday in mid to late February; roads close in the centre.

Next: Feb 21, 2027 approximate, check the dates · Kyoto · Official page ↗
Osaka MarathonSport

Usually the last Sunday of February.

Next: Feb 28, 2027 approximate, check the dates · Osaka · Official page ↗
Tokyo MarathonSport

First Sunday of March. Roads close across central Tokyo for the day.

Next: Mar 7, 2027 · Tokyo · Official page ↗
Cherry blossomSeason

First bloom is usually late March in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka; full bloom about a week later. Hotels fill up.

Next: Mar 22 – Apr 8, 2027 approximate, check the dates · All Japan
Golden WeekCrowds and closures

A string of holidays: trains, hotels and sights are at their busiest. Book everything early.

Next: Apr 29 – May 5, 2027 · All Japan
Sanja MatsuriFestival

Asakusa's festival, three days of portable shrines around Sensō-ji: loud, crowded, wonderful.

Next: May 14 – May 16, 2027 · Tokyo · Official page ↗
Kanda MatsuriFestival

One of Tokyo's three great festivals, in odd-numbered years: portable shrines through Kanda and Akihabara.

Next: May 15 – May 16, 2027 approximate, check the dates · Tokyo · Official page ↗
Aoi MatsuriFestival

A Heian-court procession through Kyoto, from the Imperial Palace to Kamigamo Shrine (rain moves it a day).

Next: May 15, 2027 · Kyoto · Official page ↗
Mount Fuji climbing seasonSeason

Yoshida trail from Kawaguchiko side, with online booking and an entry fee. Outside it, Fuji is for looking at.

Next: Jul 1 – Sep 10, 2027 · Kawaguchiko
Gion MatsuriFestival

All July in Kyoto; the great float processions are on 17 and 24 July, the lantern-lit evenings just before.

Next: Jul 1 – Jul 31, 2027 · Kyoto · Official page ↗
Tenjin MatsuriFestival

Osaka's summer festival: a river procession of boats and fireworks on the second evening.

Next: Jul 24 – Jul 25, 2027 · Osaka · Official page ↗
Sumidagawa FireworksFestival

Last Saturday of July over Asakusa. Arrive in the afternoon or watch from a terrace.

Next: Jul 31, 2027 · Tokyo · Official page ↗
ObonCrowds and closures

Families travel home: trains and roads are full, some small shops close.

Next: Aug 13 – Aug 16, 2027 · All Japan
Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji)Festival

Bonfires in the shape of characters on Kyoto's hills, from 20:00.

Next: Aug 16, 2027 · Kyoto · Official page ↗
Kishiwada Danjiri MatsuriFestival

Huge wooden floats run at speed through Kishiwada, south of Osaka.

Next: Sep 18 – Sep 19, 2027 · Osaka · Official page ↗
Jidai MatsuriFestival

Kyoto's festival of the ages: a costume procession through a thousand years of history.

Next: Oct 22, 2027 · Kyoto · Official page ↗

Dates: organisers' rules (checked November 2026). Seasons: Japan Meteorological Agency normals 1991–2020, rounded into a window by us.

Concerts, exhibitions, this week

There is no free, open list of everything that's on, so these are the places we look. Each line says whether a visitor can buy tickets there.

What's on, all kinds

Japan.travel (JNTO) ↗Japan's tourism board: festivals and seasonal events across the country.Listings
GO TOKYO ↗Tokyo's official guide: events, illuminations, exhibitions.Listings
Kyoto City Official Travel Guide ↗Kyoto's official guide: upcoming events, temple special openings.Listings
Osaka Info ↗Osaka's official guide: festivals, night events, exhibitions.Listings
Tokyo Cheapo ↗A weekly roundup of Tokyo events, many free.Listings
Time Out Tokyo ↗Things to do this week: exhibitions, gigs, food.Listings

Art and museums

Tokyo Art Beat ↗Tokyo Art Beat: thousands of exhibitions a year, museums and galleries.Listings

Tickets: concerts, theatre, sport

Ticket Pia ↗Ticket Pia, one of Japan's biggest ticket sellers: music, stage, sport.Partly: some events need a Japanese account or payment at a konbini
e+ (eplus) overseas ↗e+ overseas site: selected concerts sold to visitors.Partly: some events need a Japanese account or payment at a konbini
Lawson Ticket ↗Lawson Ticket: many events need payment at a Lawson store in Japan.Partly: some events need a Japanese account or payment at a konbini
Peatix ↗Small events, talks, workshops and markets.Foreign cards OK
Kabuki Web ↗Kabuki Web: Kabukiza's programme, booking in English.Foreign cards OK

Sport

Ticket Oosumo ↗The official sumo ticket site, in English.Foreign cards OK
NPB ↗Japanese baseball, late March to October.Partly: some events need a Japanese account or payment at a konbini

Running

RUNNET Global ↗Race entries for Japanese runs and marathons.Foreign cards OK
Tokyo Marathon ↗Tokyo Marathon: overseas entries by lottery or charity.Foreign cards OK

Live music and clubs

Tokyo Gig Guide ↗Tokyo Gig Guide: live music listings in English.Foreign cards OK
Resident Advisor ↗Resident Advisor: club nights in Tokyo and Osaka.Foreign cards OK

Plan a trip around thisDay by day, only with places from the guides Get the full guide€33 once · all three guides + 3 personal plans · 12 languages

Keep exploring

Tokyo, neighbourhood by neighbourhoodEbisu, Nakameguro, Shimokitazawa… where to stay in one and walk the next.Where to stayRyokan, design hotels and quiet bases, by area and budget.Eating in TokyoCounters, izakaya and the reachable top tables, area by area.After darkCocktail bars, standing bars and the small rooms worth the climb.Records and listening barsWhere to dig, and the rooms built around a sound system.Shopping and what to bring homeFrom the 100-yen shop to Japanese knives and fine stationery.Onsen, tea and matchaHot springs inside the city, tea houses and the matcha trail.Temples, shrines and gardensWhere the city goes quiet, and when to arrive.KyotoThe thousand-year capital: temples, kaiseki, the old streets.OsakaJapan's kitchen: street food, bars and the loud, warm city.Hakone, Fuji and IzuRyokan nights, Fuji at dawn and the Izu coast.