The largest traditional dance festival in Japan, Awa Odori takes place in Tokushima City in the

secluded prefecture of Tokushima on Shikoku Island. Occurring for several days during mid-
August, the Awa Odori boasts over 400 years of profound history and is counted amongst
Japan’s Three Great Bon Odori festivals, which are all large-scale traditional dances occurring
during the summertime holiday of Obon.

Awa Odori features groups of choreographed dancers known as “ren.” There are lots of different
ren of varying sizes, including amatuer ren made up of locals, highly trained professional ren,
and ren of schoolchildren or employees from a company. Each ren is divided between the men’s
dance and the women’s dance, with the men donning a traditional garment known as a “happi”
and socks while women wear a yukata and traditional “amigasa” straw hat with “geta” wooden
clogs. The men’s dance is intense and dynamic while the women’s is refined and elegant. Awa
Odori is also noted for its distinctive duple time music, which is produced by a band called a
“narimono” with a number of instruments including bells, flutes, shamisen, and taiko drums.

2. Sendai Tanabata Matsuri (August 6-8, Sendai)

Vassamon Anansukkasem / Shutterstock

Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival, is an important Japan-wide seasonal celebration taking
place on July 7 and lasting until mid-August (depending on the area and region). During this
time, people will write their wishes on strips of rectangular “tanzaku” paper and hang it on the
leaves of bamboo while praying to the stars. Streets, shopping arcades, homes, and stores will
display decorations of colorful streamers and bamboo leaves, weaving together an energetic,
enchanting atmosphere. The festival was originally based on the Chinese Qixi Festival and
celebrates the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi, star-crossed lovers represented by the stars
Vega and Altair who are separated by the Milky Way. Once a year, during the seventh day of the
seventh lunar month according to the lunisolar calendar, they are allowed to meet, marking the
beginning of Tanabata. During this time, the light shining from Vega and Altair is said to be at
its brightest, leading to the belief that the two deities were finally together.

While much of Japan now celebrates Tanabata on July 7, the city of Sendai, the home of Japan’s
leading Tanabata festival, hosts it a month later in line with Japan’s old lunisolar calendar from
August 6-8. The Sendai Tanabata Matsuri was originally promoted by Sendai’s legendary
samurai founder Date Masamune and continues today as one of Japan’s most flamboyant
celebrations. During this time, the entirety of Sendai and surroundings become engulfed in a
tapestry of dazzling handmade Tanabata decorations, including bamboo, origami, tanzaku paper,
drawstring bags, and streamers. Many are made to be huge and extravagant, with the thick meter-
long streamers hung on huge sticks of bamboo being the most eye-catching.
3. Aomori Nebuta Matsuri (Early August, Aomori)

One of northern Tohoku’s stand-out events, the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is centered around huge,
dramatic “nebuta” paper lantern floats designed in the shapes of deities, mythical creatures,
kabuki actors, and more. The Nebuta Matsuri is celebrated simultaneously in almost every region
of Aomori Prefecture during early August, with popular places to witness it being Aomori City,
Hirosaki, and Goshogawara. Surrounding the floats are “haneto” dancers, who perform an
energetic routine timed to a musical accompaniment while dressed flamboyantly.

Beginning as a ritual to send off the spirits of the dead, the origins of this custom can be traced
back as far as the Tanabata/Obon festivals of the Nara Period (710-794). While most of these
festivals see small lanterns gently gliding down rivers, those in Aomori have evolved into
massive sculpture-like nebuta lanterns reaching up to 5 meters tall and 9 meters wide. With over
two million people mobilized for the event, it remains one of Japan’s largest celebrations and a
part of Tohoku’s Three Great Festivals.

4. Sapporo Snow Festival (Late January/Early February,

Sapporo)

stock_shot / Shutterstock

Aiming to make the bitter cold of Hokkaido’s mid-winter bright and fun, the Sapporo Snow
Festival features hundreds of massive and extraordinarily detailed ice and snow sculptures
adorning the city of Sapporo. The festival’s main location is the central Odori Park, while the
nearby neighborhood of Susukino and the Tsu Dome in Higashi Ward also showcase a delightful
range worth checking out.

Compared with many of the other festivals on this list, the Sapporo Snow Festival has a
relatively short and humble history. It was kicked off by a group of local high schoolers who
started building sculptures out of snow plowed and discarded in Odori Park. Each year, more
professional and passionate sculptors would come to try and outdo each other, making the event
rapidly grow in scale. Now attracting over 2.5 million visitors from Japan and abroad, the ice and
snow sculptures lining the frozen streets grow more ambitious and breathtaking every year. The
festival is also enhanced by stunning illuminations, projection mapping, ice skating, food stalls,
snow slides, and more, providing entertainment well worth braving the cold for!

5. Hakata Dontaku Matsuri (May 3-4, Fukuoka)

PIXTA

One of the most popular Golden Week (holiday period in late April/early May) festivals in
Japan, the Hakata Dontaku Matsuri is held annually on May 3-4 in the city of Fukuoka in
Kyushu. During the festival, the streets are taken over by beautifully costumed dancers, many
bearing the festival’s iconic wooden "shamoji” spoon, alongside gorgeously decorated “hana
jidosha” floats.

The word “dontaku” is said to have originated from the Dutch word “zondag,” meaning
“Sunday” or “holiday.” The word came into use in Japan during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) to
denote the 1st and 6th of each month, which were considered official holidays between 1868 and
1876. The Hakata Dontaku Matsuri itself can be traced back to 1179 as a “Matsubayashi”
festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year. While it was briefly banned by the government in
1872, it was kickstarted again in 1879 on a new date under the fresh name of Dontaku. After the
war, it assumed its current form in 1962, with a series of processions and dances by locals of
both young and old men and women occurring over two days. Nowadays, there are roughly 650
Dontaku groups of over 30,000 performers cheered on by up to 2 million spectators!

6. Nagasaki Lantern Festival (Late January/Early February,

Nagasaki)
Beginning as a humble Chinese New Year celebration, the Nagasaki Lantern Festival is now a
dreamlike display of over 15,000 lanterns transforming the city into a tapestry of fiery reds and
vivid yellows. Occurring during the Lunar New Year, the festival attracts over 1 million visitors
to Nagasaki City’s Chinatown and nearby locations to witness the lanterns alongside fireworks,
traditional dances, theatre performances, and more.

The festival was originally started by Chinese residents living in the Nagasaki Chinatown
celebrating the Chinese New Year. After impressing the other citizens of Nagasaki, the festival
was ramped up and redesigned in 1994 to include all residents, quickly becoming one of
Kyushu’s most prominent winter icons. The festival runs for around two weeks during an ever-
changing period around late January and early February. There are 7 main areas decorated with
lanterns, including the Nagasaki Chinatown, Central Park, the Chinese district of Tojinyashiki,
Kofukuji Temple, and more.

7. Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri (Mid-September, Kishiwada)

traction / Shutterstock

Held in Kishiwada City, Osaka, during mid-September, the Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri is known
for its show of extremely large and heavy “danjiri” wooden floats pulled along at breakneck
speeds. Considered one of the most thrilling traditional festivals in Japan, over 400,000
spectators gather to watch this nail-biting display of raw energy and excitement.

With up to 10 different varieties unique to certain areas, danjiri floats have hundreds of years of
history and are at the heart of Kansai culture. Each danjiri hosts a group of musicians alongside a
collection of locals and one individual chosen to stand atop to shift their weight and help it
around corners. While there are several festivals featuring danjiri, Kishiwada is by far the most
famous. The danjiri here weigh about 4 tons and are generally made from the wood of the
Japanese “keyaki” tree and adorned with intricate carvings by the town’s most skilled carpenters.
To help move it along, a team of up to 200 pull ropes from the front while pushing the wheels
from behind with a stick, carefully matching their power and showing off their strength and
dexterity.

8. Tenjin Matsuri (Late June - July 25, Osaka)

Osaze Cuomo / Shutterstock

Ranked as one of Japan’s top three festivals, the Tenjin Festival in Osaka is celebrated for its
dual land and river processions topped off by a breathtaking fireworks display. While events last
for an entire month, the main spectacle takes place on July 24-25 with over 1 million people
flocking to take part.

Boasting more than 1,000 years of history, Tenjin Matsuri festivals are actually held around the
25th each month at Tenmangu Shrines Japan-wide to honor the deity of scholarship Sugawara
Michizane. Within this tradition, the annual summertime Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka is the most
famous, with the climax of over 5,000 fireworks and convoy of approximately 100 boats, many
bearing bonfires, transforming Osaka into another world.

The processions on the 24th are also worth checking out, with drums and men donning red hats
swarming the streets during the afternoon to announce the completion of festival preparations.
These processions intensify on the 25th, where a costumed crowd of 3,000 will march from
Tenmangu Shrine led by the red-hatted men banging taiko drums while balancing on see-saw-
like stands. With plenty of dances, exotic costumes, and more, it makes for an unforgettable two
days in Osaka!

9. Gion Matsuri (July, Kyoto)

 PIXTA

Held by Yasaka Shrine, which sits between Kyoto’s historical Gion and Higashiyama districts,
the Gion Matsuri is another of Japan’s most famous matsuri festivals. Its history dates all the
way back to 869 with the Emperor declaring a festival be held to appease the gods and curb
plague. It has been held continuously since 970.

The Gion Matsuri is most famous for the spectacular procession of floats on the 17th and 24th of
July along with the smaller “yoiyama” festivals the preceding nights. During the yoiyama, the
giant “yama” and “hoko” floats used for the main processions are displayed outdoors with their
lanterns lit accompanied by Gion-bayashi traditional music. There’s plenty more happening
throughout July, so check out what event lines up with your stay.

The festival is also a time for locals and visitors to don their best kimono and show it off
throughout the town. Surrounded by the ancient, retro streets of Kyoto’s geisha district, the jovial
yet deeply spiritual atmosphere offers an intimate encounter with the soul of Japanese culture.
Being one of Japan’s cultural heartlands, Kyoto is also host to a number of other matsuri
festivals throughout the year, including the iconic burning kanji characters of the Gozan no
Okuribi festival.

10. Kanda Matsuri (May, Tokyo)

Pierre Jean Durieu / Shutterstock

Kanda Matsuri is one of Tokyo’s biggest Shinto festivals. Beginning during the Edo period, it is
held by Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda City and spreads out across neighborhoods
like Kanda, Nihonbashi, Akihabara, and Marunouchi. During this time, over 200 mikoshi
accompanied by roughly a thousand participants and thousands of spectators dominate the
streets. The full “honmatsuri” version takes place on odd-numbered years, while a simplified
version is held on even. Complemented by events throughout the week, the main attractions
usually occur over the weekend closest to May 15, with day-long processions on Saturday and
parades of mikoshi on Sunday.

The origins of the festival are murky, with some form of it believed to exist during the original
construction of Kanda Myojin Shrine in 730. However, its modern iteration truly kicked off
when Tokugawa Ieyasu visited Kanda Myojin Shrine to pray for his victory in the Battle of
Sekigahara in 1600. He decisively won, leading to the start of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Coincidentally, the day Tokugawa officially unified the whole of Japan was also the shrine’s
festival day, naturally leading Tokugawa to believe the shrine held immense power. He allowed
its mikoshi to enter the Edo Castle grounds while it became officially recognized and protected
by the shogunate.

Japan: The Land of Matsuri Festivals

Mouthwatering delicacies, enchanting parades, soulful music, delightful costumes, and elegant
dances of immense spirituality and historical significance - for those seeking an encounter with
traditional Japan, nothing beats a matsuri festival! Even if your trip doesn’t coincide with one of
the big ones, you’re almost guaranteed to find some form of matsuri festival or similar event
throughout the year, so do some research and join the fun!

Top image: julianne.hide / Shutterstock

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