Festival calendar of Japan: matsuri month by month

Sapporo Snow Festival

Held for about a week in early February since 1950, with large snow and ice sculptures along Ōdōri Park and in the Susukino district.

YOSAKOI Soran Festival

Dance festival in Sapporo in early June, begun in 1992, fusing Kōchi's Yosakoi dance with the Hokkaido herring-fishing song Sōran-bushi.

Otaru Snow Light Path

Candles in snow lanterns line the Otaru Canal and old rail line for ten days each February.

Asahikawa Winter Festival

Winter festival in early February known for very large snow sculptures on the banks of the Ishikari River.

Marimo Festival

Ainu festival at Lake Akan in October honouring the lake's rare spherical algae (marimo), with ceremonies and dance in the Akan Ainu Kotan.

Hakodate Port Festival

Summer festival in early August with fireworks over the harbour and thousands of dancers in a parade.

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri

Held 2–7 August: large illuminated floats of warriors and deities paraded through Aomori city, accompanied by haneto dancers; on the final day the floats are carried out on the bay.

Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri

Held 1–7 August: fan-shaped floats painted with battle scenes on the front and beauties on the back, pulled through the castle town.

Goshogawara Tachineputa

Early-August festival of standing floats more than 20 m tall, revived in 1998 from Meiji-era photographs.

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai

Festival of three shrines held from 31 July to 4 August with elaborate mechanical floats; part of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Hachinohe Enburi

Pre-spring rite held 17–20 February in which dancers in horse-head hats pray for a good rice harvest.

Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival

Spring festival from late April into early May around the moats and turrets of Hirosaki Castle, one of Japan's best-known cherry blossom sites.

Osorezan Grand Festival

Held 20–24 July at the temple of Bodai-ji on Osorezan, when itako mediums traditionally hold séances for visitors.

Morioka Sansa Odori

A parade of dancers and taiko drummers through central Morioka from 1 to 4 August, rooted in the Mitsuishi demon legend.

Chagu Chagu Umakko

Around a hundred horses in bright harnesses hung with bells walk from Onikoshi Sozen Shrine in Takizawa to Morioka Hachimangu in June, honouring the region's horse-breeding past.

Fujiwara Festivals

Spring (1–5 May) and autumn (1–3 November) festivals in Hiraizumi with a costumed procession recalling the Oshu Fujiwara and Yoshitsune.

Kitakami Michinoku Performing Arts Festival

An early-August gathering in Kitakami of folk performing arts groups, especially oni-kenbai sword dances and deer dances.

Tono Festival

A September festival in Tono with horseback archery, deer dances and other local folk arts.

Sendai Tanabata Matsuri

Held from 6 to 8 August, when the shopping arcades are hung with huge washi streamers; a tradition encouraged since Masamune's time.

Sendai Aoba Matsuri

Spring festival in May with historical processions, yamaboko floats and troupes performing the suzume odori sparrow dance.

Donto-sai

On the night of 14 January New Year decorations are burned at shrines, and white-clad pilgrims walk to Osaki Hachimangu in the hadaka mairi.

Shiogama Minato Matsuri

Summer festival of the port of Shiogama, in which the portable shrines of Shiogama Jinja are carried aboard decorated boats across the bay.

Sendai Pageant of Starlight

In December the zelkova trees of Jozenji-dori are strung with lights for the winter illumination.

Ishinomaki Kawabiraki Matsuri

Riverside festival at the turn of July and August honouring Kawamura Magobei, who redirected the Kitakami River, with lantern floating and fireworks.

Akita Kanto Festival

From 3 to 6 August performers balance bamboo poles up to about 12 metres high hung with dozens of lanterns on their palms, foreheads, shoulders and hips.

Namahage of Oga

On New Year's Eve (31 December) young men in demon masks and straw capes visit homes to admonish idle children and bless the household; part of UNESCO's Raiho-shin listing (2018).

Namahage Sedo Festival

A February festival at Shinzan Shrine in Oga combining the Namahage with a Shinto bonfire ritual.

Yokote Kamakura

On 15 and 16 February children in Yokote welcome visitors into snow huts with altars to the water deity.

Omagari Fireworks

The National Fireworks Competition in Daisen, held on the last Saturday of August, where Japan's leading pyrotechnicians compete.

Nishimonai Bon Odori

From 16 to 18 August dancers in patchwork kimono and deep straw hats or black hoods perform an elegant bon dance in Ugo town.

Kakunodate Festival

From 7 to 9 September festival floats collide in negotiated 'yama-buttsuke' clashes in the streets of Kakunodate.

Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri

Held from 5 to 7 August in central Yamagata: thousands of dancers parade with straw hats decorated with red safflower blossoms to the Hanagasa Ondo. Counted among the major summer festivals of Tohoku.

Uesugi Festival

Yonezawa's spring festival at the turn of April and May, with a procession of armoured warriors and a large re-enactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima.

Kurokawa Noh at the Ogi Festival

On 1 and 2 February the farmers of Kurokawa in Tsuruoka perform an all-night programme of Noh transmitted within their village for over five centuries, dedicated to Kasuga Shrine.

Shinjo Festival

Late-August festival of Shinjo with some twenty elaborate floats; the float procession is part of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Imoni-kai Festival

In September a giant iron cauldron, stirred by construction machinery, cooks imoni for tens of thousands on the banks of the Mamigasaki River in Yamagata city.

Haguro-san Shoreisai

New Year's Eve rite on the summit of Haguro-san in which two groups of yamabushi compete in fire rituals to divine the coming year's fortune.

Soma Nomaoi

Held in late July in Soma and Minamisoma: several hundred riders in armour race and compete for sacred banners, a tradition of the Soma clan going back to its cavalry training.

Aizu Festival

Autumn festival of Aizu-Wakamatsu in late September, centred on a procession representing the successive lords of Aizu and the Byakkotai.

Fukushima Waraji Festival

Summer festival in Fukushima city in early August, in which a straw sandal about 12 m long is carried through the streets, echoing the offering of giant sandals at Shinobu-yama.

Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival

Held in early October; floats hung with hundreds of paper lanterns are hauled through the former castle town of Nihonmatsu.

Sukagawa Torch Festival

On the second Saturday of November giant torches are lit on Gorodai hill in Sukagawa, in memory of the fall of Sukagawa castle in 1589.

Mito Plum Festival

Held from February into March while some 3,000 plum trees bloom in Kairakuen and Kodokan.

Hitachi Furyumono

Giant float-stages with mechanical puppets, shown at the Kamine Shrine festival in Hitachi; part of UNESCO's inscription of Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Tsuchiura National Fireworks Competition

One of Japan's three major fireworks competitions, held in autumn on the banks of the Sakura River.

Ishioka Festival

The autumn festival of Hitachi-no-kuni Soja Shrine in the old provincial capital, with floats and lion dances.

Nikko Toshogu Spring Grand Festival

On 17–18 May, including the procession of a thousand warriors (Hyakumono-zoroe Sennin Gyoretsu) and horseback archery.

Karasuyama Yamaage

In late July in Nasukarasuyama, towns erect huge painted paper scenery on the street as a stage for kabuki dance.

Kanuma Autumn Festival

Richly carved festival wagons of Imamiya Shrine paraded through Kanuma on an October weekend.

Nikko Gohanshiki

A rite at Rinnoji on 2 April in which monks press mountainous bowls of rice on the participants.

Takasaki Daruma Market

New Year market where the city's red papier-mâché daruma dolls are sold for the year's wishes.

Kiryu Yagibushi Festival

Summer festival in early August with street dancing to yagibushi folk song around a raised stage.

Numata Festival

In early August; women carry a giant tengu-mask portable shrine through the streets.

Shibukawa Navel Festival

Summer festival of the town that claims to be the geographic centre ('navel') of Japan, with painted-belly dancers.

Chichibu Night Festival

On 2–3 December, lantern-lit floats are hauled up a slope to the sound of drums beneath winter fireworks.

Kawagoe Festival

On the third weekend of October, towering floats meet at crossroads for musical 'battles' (hikkawase).

Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival

In July, Kumagaya's float festival, among the largest in Kanto, named after the fans once handed out to visitors.

Kasukabe Giant Kite Festival

On 3 and 5 May, a huge kite of around 15 m by 11 m is flown over the Edo River.

Sawara Grand Festival

Float festivals in July and October in Sawara, with giant doll-topped floats; part of UNESCO's Yama, Hoko, Yatai inscription.

Ohara Hadaka Festival

In late September at Isumi, near-naked bearers race portable shrines into the Pacific surf.

Naritasan Setsubun

On 3 February, beans are thrown from a stage at Shinshoji by sumo wrestlers and actors.

Mobara Tanabata

One of Kanto's large Tanabata festivals, held in late July with streamers and dance parades.

Sanja Festival

On the third weekend of May, about a hundred portable shrines are carried through Asakusa.

Kanda Festival

The festival of Kanda Myojin in mid-May, with a grand procession in odd-numbered years; one of Edo's three great festivals.

Sanno Festival

The festival of Hie Shrine in June, with an imperial-style procession through central Tokyo in even-numbered years.

Sumidagawa Fireworks

On the last Saturday of July, a descendant of Edo's river fireworks held since the eighteenth century.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Grand Festival

In mid-September in Kamakura, with horseback archery (yabusame) along the shrine's approach.

Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

One of Kanto's largest Tanabata festivals, held in early July with elaborate streamers.

Chakkirako

New Year dance by girls and women at Misaki on 15 January, inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Hakone Daimyo Procession

On 3 November, a costumed feudal procession through Hakone-Yumoto.

Odawara Hojo Godai Festival

On 3 May, a warrior parade honouring the five generations of Hojo lords of Odawara.

Nagaoka Fireworks Festival

Held on 2 and 3 August over the Shinano River; one of Japan's three great fireworks displays, dedicated to the victims of the 1945 air raid.

Earth Celebration

International festival hosted each August by the taiko ensemble Kodō in Ogi on Sado.

Tōkamachi Snow Festival

Snow sculpture and stage festival in February, regarded as the first modern citizens' snow festival in Japan.

Niigata Festival

Summer festival in Niigata City with folk-dance parades across Bandai Bridge and fireworks over the Shinano.

Echigo-Tsumari Art Field

Triennial contemporary art festival across Tōkamachi and Tsunan, with permanent works in villages and rice terraces.

Owara Kaze-no-Bon

Held from 1 to 3 September in Yatsuo, where dancers move through the lantern-lit streets to prayers for calm winds and a good harvest.

Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival

Procession of lacquered and metalwork floats on 1 May.

Gokayama Kokiriko Festival

Autumn festival at Kamitaira in Gokayama with Kokiriko dances played on bamboo clappers.

Tonami Tulip Fair

Spring flower show from late April in Tonami, centre of Japan's tulip-bulb growing.

Uozu Tatemon Festival

Tall lantern-hung masts dragged along the shore in early August as prayers for fishermen's safety.

Hyakumangoku Festival

Kanazawa's main festival in early June, recalling Maeda Toshiie's entry into the city with a costumed procession.

Noto kiriko festivals

Summer and autumn festivals in villages across Noto with giant lantern floats, recognised as a Japan Heritage.

Seihakusai

Nanao's festival from 3 to 5 May with the huge dekayama floats; part of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai festivals.

Wajima Taisai

Late-August festival of Wajima's four shrines with kiriko lanterns and torch rites.

Mikuni Festival

Held from 19 to 21 May in the old port of Mikuni, with towering floats bearing warrior figures.

Katsuyama Sagichō

Late-winter festival with drumming on street towers and a great bonfire on the Kuzuryū riverbank.

Omizu-okuri

On 2 March at Obama, sacred water is poured into the Onyū River to flow to Tōdai-ji in Nara.

Kehi Festival

Long September festival of Kehi Jingū in Tsuruga, with floats and portable shrines.

Fukui Phoenix Festival

Summer festival of Fukui City celebrating its recovery from war and earthquake.

Shingen-kō Festival

Held in Kōfu in April around the anniversary of Shingen's death, with a procession of warriors in armour.

Yoshida Fire Festival

On 26 and 27 August, torches up to three metres tall are lit through Fujiyoshida to close the climbing season.

Fuji Shibazakura Festival

Moss phlox in bloom below Fuji near Lake Motosu from mid-April to late May.

Kawaguchiko Autumn Leaves Festival

Maple corridor on the northern shore of Lake Kawaguchi in November.

Onbashira

Held every six years, in the years of the Tiger and the Monkey, when huge fir trunks are ridden down slopes and raised at the four Suwa Taisha shrines.

Nozawa Fire Festival

On 15 January, villagers defend a wooden shrine tower against torch-bearing attackers before it is burned.

Zenkō-ji Gokaichō

Public showing of a sacred copy of Zenkō-ji's hidden Buddha, traditionally held at six-year intervals.

Lake Suwa Fireworks

Large fireworks display over Lake Suwa on 15 August.

Shimotsuki Festival of Tōyama-gō

December rites in the remote valleys of Iida in which masked gods are entertained around boiling cauldrons.

Takayama Festival

Held on 14–15 April and 9–10 October with ornate floats and mechanical puppets; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Gujō Odori

Dances on some thirty nights from July to September in Gujō Hachiman, all night long from 13 to 16 August.

Nagara River cormorant fishing

Night fishing by torchlight with trained cormorants from 11 May to 15 October.

Furukawa Festival

On 19–20 April in Hida-Furukawa, with the Okoshi-daiko drum procession through the night.

Doburoku Festival

Autumn shrine festivals in Shirakawa-gō at which unfiltered sake is offered and shared.

Hamamatsu Festival

From 3 to 5 May, with kite battles on the Nakatajima dunes and illuminated palace floats at night.

Shizuoka Festival

Early April festival re-creating Ieyasu's cherry-blossom viewing procession at Sunpu Castle.

Shimoda Black Ship Festival

May festival in Shimoda commemorating the opening of the port and Japanese–American friendship.

Shimada Obi Festival

Held in October every three years, with retainers carrying brides' obi sashes on wooden swords.

Mishima Festival

August festival of Mishima Taisha with shagiri music and floats.

Owari Tsushima Tennō Festival

Held on the fourth Saturday and Sunday of July, with boats bearing hundreds of lanterns on the river at Tsushima.

Inuyama Festival

On the first Saturday and Sunday of April, thirteen three-storey floats with karakuri puppets parade below the castle.

Kōnomiya Naked Festival

Late-winter festival in Inazawa, held on the 13th day of the first lunar month, where thousands of men in loincloths try to touch the chosen "god-man".

Toyohashi Gion Festival

July festival famous for tezutsu hanabi, hand-held tube fireworks fired by participants.

Nagoya Festival

October festival with a procession of the three unifiers and their retinues.

Shikinen Sengū

The rebuilding and transfer of Ise Jingū's sanctuaries every twenty years, with years of preparatory rites involving local people.

Ueno Tenjin Festival

Autumn festival in Iga with ornate floats and a procession of demon figures, also part of UNESCO's Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals listing.

Kuwana Ishidori Festival

Held in early August in Kuwana, famous for its deafening all-night drumming and gongs on some forty floats; part of UNESCO's Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals listing.

Kumano Fireworks

Summer fireworks on Shichiri-mihama beach, with shells fired over the sea and the cliff of Onigajō.

Nagahama Hikiyama Festival

Spring festival in mid-April at which children perform kabuki on ornate float stages; part of UNESCO's float festivals listing.

Sagichō Festival

Fire festival at Himure Hachimangū in Ōmi-Hachiman in March, with decorated torches that are jostled together and burnt.

Ōtsu Matsuri

Autumn float festival of Tenson Shrine with mechanical puppet performances on thirteen floats.

Sannō Festival

Spring festival of Hiyoshi Taisha in Sakamoto, famous for heavy portable shrines carried at night.

Gion Matsuri

Month-long July festival of Yasaka Shrine with the processions of yamahoko floats on 17 and 24 July; a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage element.

Aoi Matsuri

Procession in Heian-period court dress from the Imperial Palace to the Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrines on 15 May.

Jidai Matsuri

Heian Shrine's historical costume parade on 22 October, tracing Kyoto's history era by era.

Gozan no Okuribi

Bonfires in the shape of characters and symbols lit on five mountains on 16 August to send off ancestral spirits.

Miyazu Tōrō-nagashi

Thousands of lanterns set afloat on Miyazu Bay for the spirits of the dead on 16 August, followed by fireworks.

Tenjin Matsuri

Osaka Tenmangū's festival on 24–25 July, with a river procession of boats on the Ōkawa and fireworks; one of Japan's three great festivals.

Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

September festival in which teams pull heavy wooden danjiri floats at speed around street corners.

Aizen Matsuri

Summer festival at Shōman-in in Tennōji, opening Osaka's festival season with palanquins carrying women in yukata.

Tōka Ebisu

9–11 January at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine: merchants buy lucky bamboo branches for prosperity.

Sumiyoshi Matsuri

Summer festival of Sumiyoshi Taisha, whose portable shrine crosses the Yamato River into Sakai.

Nada Fighting Festival

Matsubara Hachiman Shrine's festival in Himeji on 14–15 October, where portable shrines are clashed together.

Kobe Luminarie

Light festival first held in December 1995 to commemorate the earthquake victims and symbolise recovery.

Tōka Ebisu at Nishinomiya

9–11 January at Nishinomiya Shrine, head of Japan's Ebisu shrines, with the dawn race for the title of "lucky man".

Kōshien high-school baseball

Spring and summer national high-school baseball tournaments at Kōshien Stadium, followed nationwide.

Omizutori (Shuni-e)

Tōdai-ji Nigatsu-dō's rite of repentance held every year since 752, from 1 to 14 March, with great torches on the balcony.

Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri

Festival in mid-December with ancient court dances and a historical procession, held since 1136.

Wakakusa-yama Yamayaki

The grass of Wakakusa-yama is set alight on the fourth Saturday of January, with fireworks.

Nara Tōkae

Thousands of candles lit in Nara Park on August evenings.

Nachi Fire Festival

14 July: twelve large torches purify the path for twelve portable shrines before Nachi Falls.

Oto Matsuri

6 February: some two thousand men in white run down the 538 stone steps of Kamikura Shrine in Shingū with burning torches.

Kishū Tōshōgū Waka Festival

May festival in Wakayama city with a costumed procession, established by the Kishū Tokugawa house.

Kōya-san Candle Festival

13 August: tens of thousands of candles line the approach to Okunoin for Obon.

Tottori Shan-shan Festival

A mid-August street festival in Tottori city built around the Inaba umbrella dance, with thousands of dancers twirling bell-hung paper umbrellas.

Mochigase Nagashi-bina

On the third day of the third month of the old lunar calendar, paired paper dolls are set afloat on the Sendai River in small straw boats to carry away misfortune.

Daisen Summer Mountain Opening

An early-June torchlight procession from Daisen-ji and Ōgamiyama Shrine marking the start of the climbing season.

Kaike Onsen Fireworks

Summer fireworks over the beach of Yonago's seaside hot-spring resort.

Kamiari-sai at Izumo Taisha

A series of rites in the tenth month of the lunar calendar (usually November) welcoming the gods of Japan to Izumo.

Hōran'enya

One of Japan's great boat festivals, held in Matsue about once a decade, when decorated boats carry the deity of Jōzan Inari Shrine on the Ōhashi River and Lake Shinji.

Tsuwano Sagi-mai

The heron dance of Yasaka Shrine in Tsuwano, performed on 20 and 27 July, a form that came from Kyoto's Gion festival.

Iwami Kagura

Fast-paced shrine dance-drama with elaborate costumes and serpent costumes, performed at autumn festivals and on stages in Hamada and Masuda.

Saidai-ji Eyō

A "naked festival" at Saidai-ji temple in Okayama on the third Saturday of February, when thousands of men in loincloths compete for sacred wooden sticks; an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

Okayama Momotarō Festival

The city's summer festival, with the Uraja street dance inspired by the ogre Ura, and fireworks on the Asahi River.

Kōraku-en Illuminations

Evening openings of the garden in summer and autumn, with the castle illuminated across the river.

Peace Memorial Ceremony

Held on 6 August in the Peace Memorial Park, followed in the evening by lanterns floated on the Motoyasu River.

Kangensai

Itsukushima Shrine's summer festival on the 17th day of the sixth lunar month, when court music is played on boats at night.

Hiroshima Flower Festival

A large parade and stage festival on Peace Boulevard from 3 to 5 May.

Tōkasan

A summer festival of Enryū-ji temple in Hiroshima in early June, traditionally the first day of the year to wear yukata.

Saijō Sake Festival

An October festival in Higashi-Hiroshima when the breweries of Saijō open their doors.

Senteisai

From 2 to 4 May at Akama Shrine in Shimonoseki, women dressed as Heian-period courtesans cross an arched bridge in memory of Emperor Antoku.

Yamaguchi Tanabata Lantern Festival

On 6 and 7 August tens of thousands of red lanterns light the streets of Yamaguchi, a custom traced to the Ōuchi.

Hōfu Tenmangū Gojinkōsai

A naked festival in late November in which men in white carry a heavy portable shrine down the shrine's steps.

Kintaikyō Festival

A spring procession of costumed samurai across the Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni.

Awa Odori

From 12 to 15 August, Tokushima city's streets and stages fill with dance groups; smaller Awa Odori are held across the prefecture.

Naruto Ninth Symphony Concert

An annual June performance of Beethoven's Ninth by a large citizens' choir in Naruto, commemorating the 1918 premiere at the Bandō camp.

Hiwasa Taiko

An autumn festival in which drum floats are carried into the sea at Hiwasa.

Setouchi Triennale

A contemporary art festival held every three years since 2010 on islands and ports of the Inland Sea, in spring, summer and autumn sessions.

Konpira Ōshibai

Spring kabuki performances at the Kanamaru-za, Japan's oldest surviving kabuki theatre, in Kotohira.

Kotohira-gū Autumn Grand Festival

A procession from the shrine down into the town in October.

Takamatsu Festival

Summer dancing and fireworks over the port of Takamatsu.

Niihama Taiko Festival

From 16 to 18 October, huge decorated drum floats weighing several tonnes are lifted and clashed by teams of bearers.

Matsuyama Autumn Festival

In early October portable shrines are rammed together in front of Dōgo Onsen and elsewhere in the city.

Saijō Festival

An October festival with more than a hundred danjiri floats, some carried into the Kamo River.

Uwajima Ushi-oni Festival

A July festival in which giant ox-demon floats parade through Uwajima.

Yosakoi Festival

From 9 to 12 August, teams dance through Kōchi city with naruko wooden clappers, in costumes and music that change every year.

Tosa no Okyaku

A March festival of banquets and drinking in the centre of Kōchi, celebrating the local party culture.

Kōchi Sunday Market

A street market held every Sunday on Otesuji below the castle, with a history of more than three centuries.

Hakata Gion Yamakasa

Kushida Shrine's festival from 1 to 15 July, ending at dawn on 15 July with teams racing heavy floats through Hakata; an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and part of UNESCO's Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals listing.

Hakata Dontaku

A spring parade on 3 and 4 May with roots in the New Year visits of Hakata townsmen to the lord of Fukuoka Castle.

Hōjōya

Autumn festival of Hakozaki-gū held from 12 to 18 September, with hundreds of stalls along the approach.

Kokura Gion Daiko

Kitakyushu's summer festival in July, known for drums played on both faces while being pulled on floats.

Tamaseseri

On 3 January, men in loincloths struggle for a sacred wooden ball at Hakozaki-gū to divine the year's harvest and catch.

Karatsu Kunchi

The autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine from 2 to 4 November, with fourteen huge lacquered floats pulled through the town; part of UNESCO's float festival listing.

Saga International Balloon Fiesta

One of Asia's largest hot-air balloon events, held over several days in late October or early November on the Kase River.

Arita Ceramics Fair

A pottery market stretching along the main street of Arita from 29 April to 5 May, during Golden Week.

Imari Tontenton Matsuri

An autumn 'fighting festival' in October in which two portable shrines clash in the Imari River.

Kashima Gatalympic

Early-summer games held on the Ariake mudflats at Kashima, with races and contests in the mud.

Nagasaki Kunchi

Autumn festival of Suwa Shrine held 7–9 October, with dragon dances, floats shaped like Chinese and Dutch ships and performances by rotating city districts.

Shōrō nagashi

On the evening of 15 August families pull decorated boats for the souls of the recently deceased through the streets amid firecrackers.

Nagasaki Lantern Festival

Chinese New Year celebration with thousands of lanterns around Chinatown and the city centre.

Peiron boat races

Dragon-boat style rowing races of Chinese origin, held in Nagasaki harbour and coastal towns in summer.

Yamaga Lantern Festival

On 15 and 16 August women dance with gilded paper lanterns on their heads in the onsen town of Yamaga.

Fujisaki Hachimangū Autumn Festival

Kumamoto City's great shrine festival in September, with decorated horses and drum-beating processions.

Aso fire-swinging rite

In March participants swing burning bundles of straw in circles at Aso Shrine to celebrate a divine marriage.

Ushibuka Haiya Festival

Spring dance festival in the fishing port of Ushibuka, Amakusa, origin of the haiya dance songs spread by sailors throughout Japan.

Hita Gion float festival

Tall decorated floats are pulled through Hita in July; part of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Shujō Onie

New Year fire rite of the Kunisaki temples in which torch-bearing demons bless worshippers; held in the first lunar month.

Beppu Hatto Onsen Matsuri

Spring festival of Beppu's hot springs, with free bathing and processions in early April.

Nakatsu Gion

Summer float festival of the castle town of Nakatsu, with floats carried and pulled to festival music.

Takachiho yokagura

Cycle of 33 kagura dances performed through the night in private houses from November to February; a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

Miyazaki Jingū Grand Festival

Autumn festival known as "Jimmu-sama", with a large costumed procession through the city in late October.

Hyūga Hyottoko Summer Festival

Dance festival in Hyūga city in August, with dancers in comic hyottoko and okame masks.

Mera kagura

Mountain kagura of the Mera villages in the upper Hitotsuse valley, performed in winter.

Ohara Festival

Kagoshima city's largest festival in early November, when tens of thousands dance through the streets to the folk song Ohara-bushi.

Rokugatsu-dō

Summer lantern festivals held at shrines and temples across the prefecture during July, with painted paper lanterns and night stalls.

Myōenji Pilgrimage

An October march in armour to Tokushige Shrine in Hioki, commemorating Shimazu Yoshihiro's retreat through enemy lines at Sekigahara in 1600.

Hatsuuma Festival

Spring festival at Kagoshima Jingū in Kirishima, in which decorated horses dance to drums and shamisen.

Eisā

Drum dance performed by young people around the Obon festival to see off ancestral spirits; the largest gathering is the Okinawa Zentō Eisā Matsuri in Okinawa City.

Naha Ōtsunahiki

Giant tug-of-war on a Sunday in October in central Naha, with a rope of rice straw weighing many tonnes.

Hārī

Dragon-boat races held by fishing communities, traditionally on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, most famously in Itoman.

Shīmī

Spring festival of ancestral tombs in April, when families gather and share food in front of their large family tombs.

Shuri Castle Festival

Autumn festival recreating Ryukyu court ceremonies and processions in Shuri.