Matsuri traditional often celebrate seasonal events, historical milestones, or honor local deities and customs of different regions in Japan. If you’re looking for a trustworthy and secure online gambling experience, look no further than this Empire777 カジノ that offers a variety of games and generous bonuses for new players.
Matsuri Traditional Overview
A vibrant matsuri is the best spot to experience Japan at its liveliest! Depending on the celebration, there are many different types Japanese festivities that nearly usually involve enthusiastic processions of people chanting, dancing, and carrying enormous, elaborately adorned mikoshi (portable shrines) or floats.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, festivals in Japan are among the best locations to enjoy a dizzying variety of distinctive, unpretentious, and seasonal Japanese dishes. Many people are surprised to learn that, in contrast to many other Asian countries, street food is not extremely common in Japan. At matsuri, however, the streets are lined with colorful yatai (food stalls) after yatai, offering an amazing range of nutritious (and not-so-healthy) festival treats.
The Best Japanese Festivals: Our Favorite Matsuri
Japan has too many fantastic matsuri to include in one list, and some of the most delightful are unsung festivals held in small neighborhoods throughout Japan. In our guide to Japan’s festivals below, we provide an introduction to what we consider some of the best and most interesting Japanese festivals, including:
- Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri
- Osaka’s Tenjin Matsuri
- Aomori’s Nebuta Matsuri
- The Awa Odori festival in Tokushima
- And many more!
List of Upcoming Japanese Matsuri Traditional (Festivals)
Here is an up-to-date list of significant matsuri taking place across Japan if you’re in the travel planning process and wondering whether your travel dates coincide with any noteworthy festivals. We update this list periodically.
All throughout the year, there are festivals, with the summer being the season for many of them. Read more about the seasons and weather in Japan. Japan’s summers are hot and muggy, which contributes to the boisterous atmosphere at many matsuri.
Upcoming Festivals (Matsuri) in Japan in 2023
- Month of July: Gion Matsuri (Kyoto) (Main parades, evenings of July 17th and 24th)
- July 24-25: Tenjin Matsuri (Osaka)
- July 29: Katsushika Noryo Fireworks Festival (Tokyo)
- July 29: Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival (Tokyo)
- August 2-7: Nebuta Matsuri (Aomori)
- August 5: Edogawa Fireworks Festival (Tokyo)
- August 5: Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival (Osaka)
- August 12-15: Awa Odori (Shikoku)
- August 13-15: Hokkai Bon Odori (Sapporo) (15th day of the 7th lunar month; lasts for three days)
- August 16: Kyoto Gozan Okuribi, aka Daimonji Festival (Kyoto)
- October 9-10: Takayama Fall Festival (Takayama)
- October 22: Kurama Fire Festival (Kyoto)
- October 22: Jidai Matsuri (Kyoto)
- November 11 & 23: Asakusa Torinoichi Fair (Tokyo) (Held on Days of the Rooster in November; Days of the Rooster occur every 12 days throughout the month)
- December 2-3: Chichibu Yomatsuri (Saitama) sexy live dealers
Upcoming Festivals (Matsuri) in Japan in 2024
- February 4-11: Sapporo Yuki Matsuri Snow Festival (Sapporo)
- April 14-15: Takayama Spring Festival (Takayama)
- May 15: Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto)
- May 17-19: Sanja Matsuri (Tokyo)
- Month of July: Gion Matsuri (Kyoto) (Main parades, evenings of July 17th and 24th)
- July 24-25: Tenjin Matsuri (Osaka)
- July 27: Katsushika Noryo Fireworks Festival (Tokyo)
- July 27: Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival (Tokyo)
- August 2-7: Nebuta Matsuri (Aomori)
- August 3: Edogawa Fireworks Festival (Tokyo)
- August 3: Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival (Osaka)
- August 12-15: Awa Odori (Shikoku)
- August 13-15: Hokkai Bon Odori (Sapporo) (15th day of the 7th lunar month; lasts for three days)
- August 16: Kyoto Gozan Okuribi, aka Daimonji Festival (Kyoto)
- October 9-10: Takayama Fall Festival (Takayama)
- October 22: Kurama Fire Festival (Kyoto)
- October 22: Jidai Matsuri (Kyoto)
- November 5, 17, & 29: Asakusa Torinoichi Fair (Tokyo) (Held on Days of the Rooster in November; Days of the Rooster occur every 12 days throughout the month)
- December 2-3: Chichibu Yomatsuri (Saitama)
Japan’s Best Festivals: Matsuri Traditional
Kanda Matsuri (Kanda Myojin Shrine, Tokyo)
Kanda was a key central district of Edo (and remains so in present-day Tokyo), and Kanda Matsuri is known as one of Tokyo’s big three festivals.
Sanja Matsuri (Asakusa Shrine, Tokyo)
Sanja Matsuri is another boisterous shinto festival, held on the third Sunday of May (and preceding Friday and Saturday) in Tokyo’s old-fashioned Asakusa district.
Aoi Matsuri (Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto)
Also referred to as the Kamo Matsuri, the Aoi Matsuri is an ornate, elegant festival with a procession from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Kamo Shrine in the north of the city. Participants dress in the elaborate style of the the Heian period (794-1185), with some on horseback and in ox-drawn carriages, and others on foot while playing Heian court music.
Gion Matsuri (Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto)
Gion Matsuri is perhaps Japan’s best-known festival, エンパイアカジノ and possibly the largest as well. It has a long history (dating back to the year 869) and lasts the entire month of July, culminating in a parade of floats — the Yamaboko Junko — on July 17th.
Nebuta Matsuri (Aomori Prefecture)
Nebuta Matsuri, held in the northern prefecture of Aomori, is one of Japan’s most visually striking festivals. During the Nebuta Matsuri, the streets of Aomori City come alive with breathtakingly vibrant lantern floats, which can take up to a year to build.
Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival, Sapporo, Hokkaido)
As featured in our article on the top reasons to visit Japan in winter, every February the city of Sapporo — Hokkaido’s largest city — plays host to Sapporo Yuki Matsuri, one of the world’s great snow and ice festivals.
