9 Japan Festivals You Can Still Catch in 2026 — Straight from Tokyo

The Japan festivals 2026 calendar doesn’t stop when the summer fireworks do. Nine matsuri are still to come between late August and the end of October, and most are a single shinkansen ride from Tokyo Station. Asakusa is worth a full day either side of the festival — our guide to the best things to do in Asakusa covers what’s walkable from Sensō-ji.

For each one below: the dates, what it costs, the exact train from Tokyo, and whether you’ll need to stay overnight. Two are inside Tokyo itself, and one is 30 minutes from Ikebukuro. Prices and dates are current as of August 2026. Coming from the west side of the city? The Ultimate Shibuya Guide Map sorts out which station exit you actually want.

Japan Festivals 2026 at a Glance

Festival	Dates	Cost	From Tokyo
Ōmagari National Fireworks	Late August	Free to stand; reserved riverbank seats extra	Akita Shinkansen direct, then 30 min walk
Kōenji Awa Odori	Sat 29 Aug	Free; reserved seats ~¥15,000	In Tokyo — JR Chūō Line to Kōenji
Asakusa Samba Carnival	Sat 29 Aug	Free	In Tokyo — Ginza Line to Asakusa
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri	Fri 18 & Sun 20 Sep	Free; reserved ¥3,300–¥27,500	Nankai Main Line from Namba, 25 min
Nagasaki Kunchi	7–9 Oct	Free; paid venue seating	Fly Haneda–Nagasaki, then city tram
Takayama Autumn Festival	9–10 Oct	Free	Shinkansen to Nagoya + Ltd Exp Hida, ~4 hrs
Tanbo Rice Field Art	Until 12 Oct	¥300 per observation tower	Kōnan Line from Hirosaki, 23 min, ¥430
Kawagoe Matsuri	17–18 Oct	Free	Tobu Tōjō Line from Ikebukuro, 30 min
Jidai Matsuri + Kurama Fire Festival	Thu 22 Oct	Both free; Jidai paid seating	Shinkansen to Kyoto

1. Ōmagari National Fireworks Competition (Fireworks)

The Lowdown: It isn’t even a fireworks display, it’s the annual fireworks competition which takes place at the end of August in Japan and their experimental displays are only used in this competition for the Prime Minister’s Award. Around 760,000 people show up to a town of 30,000. The competition starts around 17:10 (6:10 pm) and runs into the night.

Where: Daisen City, Akita Prefecture

Getting There: Akita Shinkansen from Tokyo Station direct to Ōmagari, then 30 minutes on foot to the riverbank.

Don’t Miss: The competition format. Judges score each team, so the programme builds — the experimental shells come late, not first.

The Vibe: The World Cup final of fireworks

Price: Free to stand; reserved riverbank seats sold in advance

Official Link: Ōmagari Fireworks Festival

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Trains going back from Ōmagari are the real event! Three-quarters of a million people leave one small station at once, and the queue frequently runs past midnight. Book a place overnight in Daisen or Akita City rather than attempting the return the same night – or be prepared to wait two hours in line after the final shell.

2. Kōenji Awa Odori (Street Dance)

The Lowdown: There is the largest Awa Odori other than in Tokushima. Everyday about 10,000 participants dance through the streets of Kōenji from 17:00 until 20:00.

Where: Kōenji, Suginami, Tokyo

Getting There: JR Chūō Line to Kōenji Station, or the Marunouchi Line to Shin-Kōenji. Both put you inside the festival area within a minute or two.

Don’t Miss: There is no stage and no barrier. The dancers pass within a metre of you, which is the whole reason to watch Awa Odori in a street rather than a stadium.

The Vibe: A whole neighbourhood turned inside out

Price: Free to watch; reserved seating around ¥15,000

Official Link: Tokyo Kōenji Awa Odori

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Do not travel on the major highway. It’s possible to find and find a konbini between sets in the performance area near Shin-Kōenji Station, with the same troupes and a third of the crowd as might be found at the performance in the Shin-Keiichihara area. All people make films and nobody can see anything, it is in part outside JR Kōenji.

3. Asakusa Samba Carnival (Parade)

The Lowdown: Not only is it a novelty this time, but the dance from Rio, the execution from Tokyo has been happening since 1981, so I’m not that impressed. Judged, down the samba schools, regarded as each others rivals. Starts 13:00, draws about 500,000.

Where: Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo

Getting There: One minute from Asakusa Station on the Ginza, Toei Asakusa and Tobu Skytree lines. The floats run down Umamichi-dori.

Don’t Miss: The bateria — each school’s full percussion section, judged as part of the score. Stand close to one as it passes; you feel it in your chest.

The Vibe: Loud, sequinned, unexpectedly serious

Price: Free

Official Link: Asakusa Samba Carnival

💡 Japan Pro Tip: This begins at 13:00 and Kownenji Awa Odori begins at 17:00 on the same day — and it’s 25 minutes apart on the two lines (Ginja and Marunouchi) through Akasaka-mitsuke. Indeed there is a possibility to make both of these on Saturday 29 August, if you leave Asakusa before 15:30. It is the greatest holiday of the year in Tokyo, but very few people plan accordingly to enjoy this with their family.

4. Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri (Cart Racing)

The Lowdown: At full speed, the teams compete with each other; the teams are going at 90 degrees at the corner of the street on four tonne wooden floats. The turn is known as yarimawashi, which is both extremely dangerous, and extremely funny. Test pulls: Friday 18th September and the main day will be Sunday 20th September. About 500,000 spectators.

Where: Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture

Getting There: Nankai Main Line from Namba to Kishiwada Station, about 25 minutes, then a 15-minute walk.

Don’t Miss: The daiku-gata — the carpenter who rides the roof of each float and keeps dancing straight through every turn. Watch the roof, not the wheels.

The Vibe: Controlled chaos, with a body count of broken floats

Price: Free along public routes; reserved seats ¥3,300–¥27,500

Official Link: Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri guide

💡 Japan Pro Tip: The Kankan-ba intersection seats (¥8,800-¥27,500) are the only ones that sell you a head-on view of the turn; the rest sell you a side-on view of the same intersection for a third of the price. In the event that you pay for anything, pay for Kankan-ba. Otherwise, stand on a corner rather than a straight – along the straights, the carts are only moving fast.

5. Nagasaki Kunchi (Shrine Festival)

The Lowdown: It’s been happening since 1634 and it shows it in Japanese, Chinese and Dutch styles, dragon dances, and umbrella floats and boat-shaped floats that are pulled through the streets.

Where: Central Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture

Getting There: Fly Haneda to Nagasaki, then the city tram. The main venues — Suwa Shrine, Otabisho, Yasaka Shrine and Chūō Kōen — all sit on the tram network.

Don’t Miss: Whichever programme your dates give you. Only five to seven districts perform in a given year and each district’s turn comes round about once every seven years, so the show you see will not repeat until the 2030s.

The Vibe: Older, stranger and more international than it looks in photos

Price: Free; paid venue seating by advance reservation

Official Link: Nagasaki Kunchi official site

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Prices for the paid seats at the four major venues are sold months ahead of time, but a troupe of performers appears at various venues throughout the day. It’s the niwasaki-mawari (turn around) which is free and where you have the opportunity to get close to listen to the drum blows. Don’t stay in one spot – follow a troupe instead.

6. Takayama Autumn Festival (Float Parade)

The Lowdown: Preserved yatai floats from Edo era (1603-1868) are lacquered and gilded in an old town in the Hida mountains, and some of the floats host working marionettes. This is held every year between 9th – 10th October, at Sakurayama Hachimangū. The highlight of the night parade for each float is 100 or more paper lanterns. When: Wednesday 23rd June, 2019, 8:46 pm until 9:06 pm

Where: Takayama, Gifu Prefecture

Getting There: Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Limited Express Hida — about four hours in total from Tokyo.

Don’t Miss: The karakuri marionettes. A few of the floats carry working mechanical puppets, and the timed daytime performances at Sakurayama Hachimangū are the only moment they move.

The Vibe: Mountain town, lantern light, no skyline

Price: Free

Official Link: Hida Takayama Tourist Information

💡 Japan Pro Tip: Takayama’s rooms sell out up to a year in advance for these two nights – and whatever is left in October is triple priced. Alternatively, take the same line to stay in Gero Onsen (smaller, real onsen ryokan, 45 minutes south). One condition: the last train back after the night parade, so check it before booking!

7. Tanbo Rice Field Art (Land Art)

The Lowdown: Huge murals are planted in rice paddies that are still working, and are composed of 7 varieties of coloured rice and made so that they only “solve” correctly from the ‘observation towers’. This is your last chance – The season of 2026 will end 12 October; after the harvest nothing to see.

Where: Inakadate Village, Aomori Prefecture

Getting There: Kōnan Line from Hirosaki to Tanbo Art Station — 23 minutes, ¥430.

Don’t Miss: The second site. There are two separate artworks, and most day-trippers photograph one and leave without ever learning the other exists.

The Vibe: Agricultural, absurd, genuinely beautiful

Price: ¥300 per observation tower

Official Link: Amazing Aomori — Rice Paddy Art

💡 Japan Pro Tip: These are two places and two artworks, one at the Village Office tower and the other at Yayoi no Sato at Michi-no-eki Inakadate; there is a free shuttle between the two. Its presence typically is noticed by the majority of day-trippers, who take a picture of it and move on. It will require another 40 minutes to do the two. Go when the colors are at their best and have had some time to mature as approaching late seasons such as September and October before they can assume brighter hues than the flat green of June can.

8. Kawagoe Matsuri (Float Battle)

The Lowdown: We are now the UNESCO-listed, 30-minute train ride from Ikebukuro and 370 years old. At night, two-storey floats bump heads at an intersection, their musicians performing in opposition until they out-entertain one another – the hikkawase. Scheduled for 17–18 October 2026.

Where: Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture

Getting There: From Tobu Tōjō Line,circa 30 minutes, Ikebukuro station or the JR Saikyō line, circa 50 minutes, Shinjuku station. Do not Name: The hikkawase itself—floats face-to-face during nighttime. It is the sole time of the day that anyone does not see in Japan.

Don’t Miss: The hikkawase itself — floats meeting head-on after dark. It is the only part of the day that cannot be seen anywhere else in Japan.

The Vibe: Edo-era streets, warehouse district, no shinkansen required

Price: Free

Official Link: Kawagoe Festival official site

💡 Japan Pro Tip: It’s the only one of these festivals that you can take in as an after-darker stroll from inner Tokyo, and hikkawase float duels have a starting time of 16:00, not 10:00. It’s a nice old street in the daytime, sweet potato snacks are numerous in Kawagoe, the big festival is in the night-time.

9. Jidai Matsuri and Kurama Fire Festival (Double Bill)

The Lowdown: On 22 October it is traditional to have two of the three great festivals of Kyoto. Jidai Matsuri leaves from the Imperial Palace at noon, as 2000 participants in carefully-studied period costume retell 12 centuries of Japanese history one after another. That night, the villagers of Kurama carry burning cedar torches weighing as much as 80kg up the hill to Yuki Shrine.

Where: Kyoto — the Imperial Palace for Jidai Matsuri; Kurama, north of the city, for the Fire Festival

Getting There: Karasuma Line to Marutamachi for the palace. For Kurama, the Eizan Line from Demachiyanagi — the only way in and out.

Don’t Miss: The costumes at Jidai Matsuri are museum-grade, researched and remade era by era, which is why the procession reads like a textbook going past.

The Vibe: Museum procession by day, controlled inferno by night

Price: Both free; Jidai Matsuri paid seating available

Official Link: Jidai Matsuri — Japan Guide

💡 Japan Pro Tip: The concept is to visit both on a single day; the Eizan Line to Kurama can be very crowded, and in the past the trains from the village have been delayed for hours after dark, as the inhabitants of the village are not permitted to go anywhere but a designated route outside of the line of sight. The Eizan Line must be boarded by 4 pm at latest and reaching the center of Kyoto after midnight is not out of the question. Sounds like a lot? Take Jidai Matsuri alone and the event will take up a happy afternoon.

Which one should you actually book?

If you have one weekend, consider doing 29 August to Tokyo – Asakusa Samba, and Koenji Awa Odori (both big festivals – no train ride costs or accommodation.) In case there’s enough time to have a complete trip, Takayama 9-10 October becomes one that will never be forgotten while Kawagoe 17-18 October is the biggest bargain in all Japan.

Book before the hotels, the seats will be there for a while after the hotels have closed. Browse our Tokyo tours and festival day trips to build the rest of the itinerary around it.

FAQ

What festivals are on in Japan right now?

The Kōenji Awa Odori as well as the Asakusa Samba Carnival are both scheduled for the Saturday of the 29th August in Tokyo, in late August, while the Ōmagari Fireworks Competition takes place in the city of Akita that same month. Lastly, the Tanbo Rice Field Art is still to be seen until 12 October 2026, and the autumn matsuri season is available from mid-September until 22 October.

Which Japanese festivals can I reach from Tokyo without staying overnight?

The two celebrations, Kōenji Awa Odori and the Asakusa Samba Carnival, are part of Tokyo. Kawagoe Matsuri festival is also easily reached in the evening, which is 30 mins by the Tobu Tōjō Line from Ikebukuro. The other festivals on this list are of overnight type.

Do I need a JR Pass for these festivals?

In Kawagoe, it’s not in the way you get around the city, no matter what it comes to those who live in the region around Tokyo, you can get around using the local train network with the Tobu and JR passes, for around ¥500. Before buying a 7-Day JR Pass, compare your itinerary with a 7-Day JR Pass when travelling to Akita, Gifu, Osaka, Aomori and Nagasaki.

Are Japanese festivals free to attend?

They are almost all, with the exception of the ¥300 viewing tower attractions that are offered at Inakadate. The cost is associated with reserved seating, which is required to enjoy events like Kishiwada, Ōmagari, Nagasaki Kunchi and Jidai Matsuri and costs between ¥3,300 and ¥27,500.

When does Japan’s festival season end?

22nd October is the official end of the autumn matsuri season and celebrated as the Kurama Fire Matsuri. It is next a summer’s turn to autumn leaves and in mid-November it’s time for illuminations for winter.