The Kansai region is a festival mecca, home to the Gion Festival (Kyoto) and Tenjin Festival (Osaka), two of Japan’s three major festivals. We will introduce you to prestigious festivals with a history of more than a thousand years to lively festivals that are rooted in local communities.
● Gion Festival ~ Kyoto
This festival at Yasaka Shrine boasts a history of approximately 1,100 years and is one of Japan’s three major festivals. Shinto rituals are held for a month from July 1st to 31st, and the highlight is the float parade on the 17th (pre-festival) and 24th (post-festival). It is also registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Date: July 1st (Wednesday) – July 31st (Friday), 2026
Location: Yasaka Shrine, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, various locations in Kyoto City
Transportation: 8 minutes walk from Hankyu “Kawaramachi Station” / 5 minutes walk from Keihan “Gion Shijo Station”
Admission: Free (paid seats available)
Official: http://www.gionmatsuri.or.jp/
Highlights: The sight of 31 floats circling the streets of Kyoto is a sight to behold. “Yoiyama” the night before was also full of emotion.
● Tenjin Festival ~ Osaka
One of Japan’s three major festivals. The festival at Osaka Tenmangu Shrine climaxes with the “Funatogyo,” in which about 100 boats go back and forth on the Okawa River, and about 5,000 votive fireworks.
Event date: July 24th (Friday) to 25th (Saturday), 2026
Location: Kita Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Tenmangu Shrine and Okawa area
Transportation: 3 minutes walk from JR “Osaka Tenmangu Station” / 7 minutes walk from Subway “Minamimorimachi Station”
Admission: Free
Official: https://osakatemmangu.or.jp/
Highlights: Funatogyo and dedicated fireworks on the night of the 25th are a summer tradition in Naniwa.
● Kishiwada Danjiri Festival (Kishiwada Danjiri Festival)
A brave festival in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture. This is a traditional event that has been going on since the Edo period, in which danjiri floats weighing about 4 tons run through the city at speeds of over 40km/h. The audience was thrilled by the powerful and dangerous acrobatics.
Event date: September 19th (Sat) – 20th (Sun), 2026
Location: Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture (various locations in the city)
Transportation: 5 minutes walk from Nankai “Kishiwada Station”
Admission: Free (paid seats available)
Official: https://www.city.kishiwada.osaka.jp/danjiri/
Highlights: The dynamic danjiri “yari mawashi” is truly a masterpiece, worthy of the name “fight festival.”
● Kobe Festival (Kobe Festival)
Kobe City’s largest civic festival. It is characterized by an international parade, with traditional costumes and dances from all over the world, creating a lively atmosphere that can only be found in the multicultural city of Kobe.
Date: Mid-May 2026
Location: Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture (around Sannomiya and Motomachi)
Transportation: 5 minutes walk from JR “Sannomiya Station”
Admission: Free
Official: https://kobe-matsuri.jp/
Highlight: Exotic flower road parade.
● Nara Tokae (Nara Toukae)
A fantastic event that illuminates the entire Nara Park area with the light of approximately 20,000 candles. The world heritage sites of Todaiji and Kofukuji are bathed in soft light, making you feel like you’re in another world.
Event date: Early to mid-August 2026 (approximately 10 days)
Location: Nara City, Nara Prefecture (Nara Park area)
Transportation: 15 minutes walk from JR “Nara Station” / 10 minutes walk from Kintetsu “Nara Station”
Admission: Free
Official: https://www.toukae.jp/
Highlight: The collaboration of deer and candlelight is photogenic.