Days until the next season

Moon-viewing 月見

31next season
Autumn foliage 名月と芒Season word

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Recommended events

Once-a-year festivals and the shows you cannot see anywhere else.

Autumn 2026 秋 13Matsuri Days until the event 7 – 9 OCT · NAGASAKI Nagasaki Kunchi Dragon dances, a Dutch ship and whaling boats: Nagasaki’s trade history as a festival National folk heritage Photo · Masoud Akbari · CC BY-SA 3.0
7–9 Oct · Matsuri

Nagasaki Kunchi 長崎くんち

Suwa Shrine and the old town, Nagasaki
Nagasaki's autumn festival is where Dutch, Chinese and Portuguese trade history turns into dance: a Chinese dragon dance, a Dutch ship on wheels, whaling boats spun on the shoulders of forty men. Each neighbourhood performs once every seven years, so the programme is never the same twice.
Dates
7–9 Oct

Where
Suwa Shrine and the old town, NagasakiGoogle Maps

Open
Wed 7 Oct · Suwa Shrine from 7:00, Central Park from 8:10, Otabisho from 9:10 · evening: Suwa Shrine 16:00, Central Park 17:10Thu 8 Oct · Yasaka Shrine 7:00–9:30, Central Park 8:00–10:30 · evening: Suwa Shrine from 16:20Fri 9 Oct · Otabisho from 7:00, Suwa Shrine from 8:20

Tickets
Paid seats at Suwa Shrine and Otabisho sell out early; the Central Park stand sells through Ticket Pia; free viewing along the town route. On sale since 3 AugBuy tickets

Heritage
Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property · 1979 長崎くんちの奉納踊

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-22

Photos

4 photos · credits

Masoud Akbari · CC BY-SA 3.0
Masoud Akbari · CC BY-SA 3.0
Masoud Akbari · CC BY-SA 3.0
Marufish · CC BY-SA 2.0
15Matsuri Days until the event 9 – 10 OCT · GIFU Takayama Autumn Festival Eleven gilded eighteenth-century floats in the preserved merchant streets UNESCO heritage · National folk heritage Photo · Chme82 · CC BY-SA 4.0
9–10 Oct · Matsuri

Takayama Autumn Festival 秋の高山祭

Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine, old town, Gifu
Eleven gilded festival floats, most of them eighteenth-century and all national cultural properties, pulled through the preserved merchant streets. On the evening of the 9th they parade lit by a hundred lanterns each; one performs marionette plays worked by strings from inside.
Dates
9–10 Oct

Where
Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine, old town, GifuGoogle Maps

Open
Fri 9 Oct · Floats on show 9:30–17:00 · marionettes 12:00 and 14:00 · lantern parade 18:15–20:30Sat 10 Oct · Floats on show 9:30–16:00 · marionettes 11:00 and 13:00

Tickets
Free; the town's inns book out months ahead — stay in Gero or Hida-Furukawa and take the train.

Heritage
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage · 2016 山・鉾・屋台行事（ユネスコ無形文化遺産代表一覧表）Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property · 1979 高山祭の屋台行事

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-08

Photos

4 photos · credits

Chme82 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chme82 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sjaak Kempe · CC BY 2.0
大野一将 · CC BY-SA 4.0
23Matsuri Days until the event 17 – 18 OCT · SAITAMA Kawagoe Festival Two dozen towering floats and musical face-offs after dark, forty minutes from Tokyo UNESCO heritage · National folk heritage Photo · Kounosu · CC BY-SA 3.0
17–18 Oct · Matsuri

Kawagoe Festival 川越まつり

Kawagoe old town, Saitama
A float festival within reach of Tokyo, forty minutes from Ikebukuro. Two dozen towering floats meet at crossroads after dark for hikkawase: the musicians face off and the crowd decides who played harder. The warehouse-lined streets of Little Edo are the set.
Dates
17–18 Oct

Where
Kawagoe old town, SaitamaGoogle Maps

Open
Streets closed to traffic 10:00–22:00 both daysSat 17 Oct · Yoiyama: floats lit by lanterns, music on board · hikkawase face-offs after darkSun 18 Oct · Float parade past the city hall · hikkawase face-offs after dark

Tickets
Free. Go after 18:00 for the face-offs; the last trains back are crowded but frequent.

Heritage
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage · 2016 山・鉾・屋台行事（ユネスコ無形文化遺産代表一覧表）Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property · 2005 川越氷川祭の山車行事

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-08

Photos

4 photos · credits

Kounosu · CC BY-SA 3.0
江戸村のとくぞう · CC BY-SA 4.0
江戸村のとくぞう · CC BY-SA 4.0
江戸村のとくぞう · CC BY-SA 4.0
28Matsuri Days until the event 22 OCT · KYOTO Jidai Matsuri Two thousand people in costume walk a thousand years of Kyoto history Photo · Peter 111 · Public domain
22 Oct · Matsuri

Jidai Matsuri 時代祭

Kyoto Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine, Kyoto
A two-kilometre procession of two thousand people in costume, walking backwards through a thousand years of Kyoto: Meiji soldiers first, Heian courtiers last. The costumes are researched to the dye recipe. It leaves the palace at noon and reaches Heian Shrine mid-afternoon.
Dates
22 Oct

Where
Kyoto Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine, KyotoGoogle Maps

Open
Procession leaves Kyoto Gyoen at 12:00; about two hours to pass any point

Tickets
Paid seats at the palace, on Oike-dori and Jingu-michi, ¥5,000–7,500, sold through Kyoto City Tourism Association; free anywhere along the route. On sale since 8 SepBuy tickets

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-12

Photos

4 photos · credits

Peter 111 · Public domain
Corpse Reviver · CC BY-SA 3.0
Corpse Reviver · CC BY-SA 3.0
Corpse Reviver · CC BY-SA 3.0
28Matsuri Days until the event 22 OCT · KYOTO Kurama Fire Festival Villagers carry five-metre pine torches through a single mountain street Photo · Indiana jo · CC BY-SA 4.0
22 Oct · Matsuri

Kurama Fire Festival 鞍馬の火祭

Yuki Shrine, Kurama, Kyoto
The same evening as Jidai Matsuri, an hour up the Eizan line: villagers carry pine torches up to five metres long through a single mountain street until the shrine steps are a wall of fire. It starts at 18:00 and peaks around 21:00; trains back run past midnight.
Dates
22 Oct

Where
Yuki Shrine, Kurama, KyotoGoogle Maps

Open
From 18:00 into the night

Tickets
Free, but the small station is capacity-controlled — arrive before 17:00 or expect to queue.

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-08

Photos

3 photos · credits

Indiana jo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Indiana jo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Indiana jo · CC BY-SA 4.0
38Show Days until the event 1 – 10 NOV · KYOTO Gion Odori The only autumn dance season of Kyoto’s geiko and maiko Photo · Kirakirameister · CC BY-SA 3.0
1–10 Nov · Show

Gion Odori 祇園をどり

Gion Kaikan, Kyoto
Four of Kyoto’s five geisha districts stage their public dances in spring; Gion Higashi alone dances in autumn, on the same ten days every year. About an hour of dance by its geiko and maiko, twice a day, with a tea-ceremony seat beforehand for those who take the dearer ticket.
Dates
1–10 Nov

Where
Gion Kaikan, KyotoGoogle Maps

Open
Open every day · Performances at 13:30 and 16:00, about one hour; doors open an hour before

Tickets
¥7,000 with the tea-ceremony seat, ¥6,000 without; sold through the district’s own online shop. Buy tickets

Holidays
Culture Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

Photo credit

Kirakirameister · CC BY-SA 3.0
39Matsuri Days until the event 2 – 4 NOV · SAGA Karatsu Kunchi Fourteen lacquered floats, the oldest from 1819, dragged through a castle town UNESCO heritage · National folk heritage Photo · MC MasterChef · CC BY-SA 2.5
2–4 Nov · Matsuri

Karatsu Kunchi 唐津くんち

Karatsu Shrine and the town, Saga
Fourteen lacquered floats shaped as lions, a sea bream, a helmet, a phoenix — the oldest from 1819 — dragged through the castle town and, on the 3rd, across the sand of Nishinohama beach. Karatsu's pottery kilns are open the same week.
Dates
2–4 Nov

Where
Karatsu Shrine and the town, SagaGoogle Maps

Open
Mon 2 Nov · Yoiyama: lantern-lit floats through the town from 19:30Tue 3 Nov · Beach day: procession from about 9:30, the floats dragged onto the Nishinohama sandsWed 4 Nov · Town parade: the fourteen floats pulled 8 km through the old castle town and back to their hall

Tickets
Free. Beach day on the 3rd is the one to see.

Holidays
Culture Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Heritage
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage · 2016 山・鉾・屋台行事（ユネスコ無形文化遺産代表一覧表）Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property · 1980 唐津くんちの曳山行事

Source
Official site · dates to be confirmed

Photos

4 photos · credits

MC MasterChef · CC BY-SA 2.5
MC MasterChef · CC BY-SA 2.5
MC MasterChef · CC BY-SA 2.5
Z001 · Public domain
Winter 2026–27 冬 68Show Days until the event 1 – 24 DEC · KYOTO Kaomise kabuki at Minamiza The December run in which kabuki’s leading actors of east and west appear together UNESCO heritage Photo · Conveyor belt sushi · CC BY 2.0
1–24 Dec · Show

Kaomise kabuki at Minamiza 吉例顔見世興行

Minamiza, Shijo, Kyoto
Kaomise, face-showing, is the December run in which the leading actors of Tokyo and Osaka kabuki share one bill at Minamiza, the theatre beside the Kamo river on the ground where kabuki began. From late November the facade carries the maneki, wooden boards with each actor’s name brushed in thick black script, which Kyoto reads as the start of winter.
Dates
1–24 Dec

Where
Minamiza, Shijo, KyotoGoogle Maps

Tickets
Seat prices, closed days and the general sale date are posted by Shochiku; its members’ pre-sale comes first.

Heritage
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage · kabuki, 2008 歌舞伎（ユネスコ無形文化遺産代表一覧表）

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

2 photos · credits

Conveyor belt sushi · CC BY 2.0
Asturio Cantabrio · CC BY-SA 4.0
105Matsuri Days until the event 7 JAN · FUKUOKA Oniyo fire festival Six giant torches carried round a shrine by hundreds of men on a January night National folk heritage Photo · Pontafon · CC BY-SA 3.0
7 Jan · Matsuri

Oniyo fire festival 鬼夜

Daizenji Tamataregu, Kurume, Fukuoka
A rite of driving out demons held on the night of 7 January for more than 1,600 years, counted among Japan’s three great fire festivals and a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property since 1994. Several hundred young men in loincloths raise six torches, each 13 metres long, a metre across at the head and 1.2 tonnes, and carry them burning round the precinct.
Dates
7 Jan

Where
Daizenji Tamataregu, Kurume, FukuokaGoogle Maps

Open
Rites from 13:00 · in 2026 the great torches were lit about 20:40 and the night ended about 23:10 · the 2027 timetable is not published yet

Tickets
Free, held rain or shine. Daizenji Stn on the Nishitetsu Tenjin–Omuta Line, 5 min on foot.

Heritage
Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property · 1994 大善寺玉垂宮の鬼夜

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

2 photos · credits

Pontafon · CC BY-SA 3.0
STA3816 · CC BY-SA 4.0
107Matsuri Days until the event 9 – 11 JAN · OSAKA Toka Ebisu A million people come for a lucky bamboo branch for the year’s trade Photo · Mixtribe Photo · CC BY 2.0
9–11 Jan · Matsuri

Toka Ebisu 十日戎

Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, Naniwa, Osaka
The New Year rite of merchant Osaka: over three days about a million people come to the shrine of Ebisu, god of trade, for a fukuzasa, a bamboo branch given out free, and have the fuku-musume, shrine maidens chosen each year, hang paid charms on it. On the 10th the Hoekago procession of decorated palanquins brings geisha, kabuki actors and bunraku puppets to the shrine.
Dates
9–11 Jan

Where
Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, Naniwa, OsakaGoogle Maps

Open
In 2026 branches were given out 7:00–1:00 on all three days, with the fuku-musume on duty 9:00–21:00Sun 10 Jan · Main day, with the Hoekago palanquin procession to the shrine

Tickets
Free to enter; you pay for the charms hung on the branch. The 10th is the most crowded day.

Holidays
Coming of Age Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

3 photos · credits

Mixtribe Photo · CC BY 2.0
Ogiyoshisan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mixtribe Photo · CC BY 2.0
133Matsuri Days until the event 4 – 11 FEB · HOKKAIDO Sapporo Snow Festival Snow statues the size of buildings along Odori Park, in its 77th year Photo · t-konno · CC BY-SA 3.0
4–11 Feb · Matsuri

Sapporo Snow Festival さっぽろ雪まつり

Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome, Sapporo, Hokkaido
It began in 1950, when local school pupils set up six snow statues in Odori Park; the 2026 edition drew 2.54 million people. The Odori site lines the park with snow statues the size of buildings, several raised by the Ground Self-Defense Force, which has taken part since 1955. Susukino, a site since 1983, has the ice carvings, and Tsudome the snow slides.
Dates
4–11 Feb

Where
Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome, Sapporo, HokkaidoGoogle Maps

Open
Open every day · Odori Park statues lit until 22:00

Tickets
Free at all three sites. Sapporo’s hotels sell out for the week: book in autumn. Site hours for 2027 are published from mid-December.

Holidays
National Foundation Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

3 photos · credits

t-konno · CC BY-SA 3.0
京浜にけ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Materialscientist · CC BY-SA 3.0
135Light-up Days until the event 6 – 13 FEB · HOKKAIDO Otaru Snow Light Path Candles in the snow along the Otaru Canal, lit by volunteers each evening Photo · t-konno · CC BY-SA 3.0
6–13 Feb · Light-up

Otaru Snow Light Path 小樽雪あかりの路

Otaru Canal area, Hokkaido
Candles set in snow lanterns along the canal and the old railway line, lit by hand each evening by volunteers, many of whom travel from Korea, China and Taiwan for the week. It started in 1999 and takes its name from a 1926 poetry collection by Ito Sei, who grew up in Otaru. The 29th edition overlaps the Sapporo Snow Festival on 6–11 February, and Otaru is about 35 min from Sapporo by rapid train.
Dates
6–13 Feb

Where
Otaru Canal area, HokkaidoGoogle Maps

Tickets
Free. Venues and lighting hours for 2027 are not announced yet; in past years the candles burned from 17:00 to 21:00.

Holidays
National Foundation Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

2 photos · credits

t-konno · CC BY-SA 3.0
t-konno · CC BY-SA 3.0
Spring 2027 春 171Sport Days until the event 14 – 28 MAR · OSAKA Grand Sumo — March Tournament The one tournament of the year in Kansai, in a compact arena in Namba Photo · Ogiyoshisan · CC BY-SA 3.0
14–28 Mar · Sport

Grand Sumo — March Tournament 大相撲三月場所

Edion Arena Osaka, Namba, Osaka
The only one of the six annual tournaments held in Kansai, in a compact arena a few minutes from Namba where even the upper seats are close to the ring. The stables lodge at temples and halls around the city for the month, so wrestlers are a common sight on the streets and trains.
Dates
14–28 Mar

Where
Edion Arena Osaka, Namba, OsakaGoogle Maps

Tickets
The sale date is posted by the Japan Sumo Association; buy from the official seller. Buy tickets

Holidays
Vernal Equinox Day, Substitute holiday · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

2 photos · credits

Ogiyoshisan · CC BY-SA 3.0
KishujiRapid · CC BY-SA 4.0

All events · 80

Recommended places

The windows worth planning a trip around, one date each.

Autumn 2026 秋Photo · pakku · CC BY 3.0Hokkaido — Autumn foliage · 08–28 SEP · peak 18 SEPAsahidake, Sugatami Pond旭岳姿見の池The first autumn colour in Japan, a month before HonshuSpecial Natural MonumentIn season now
08–28 SEP · Nature · Autumn foliage

Autumn foliage — Asahidake, Sugatami Pond 旭岳姿見の池

Hokkaido
The first autumn colour in Japan, in mid-September, a month before the hills of Honshu turn. At 1,600 m on the flank of Hokkaido’s highest peak the red is not maple but mountain ash, with alpine bearberry and Aleutian avens colouring the ground, under the steaming vents of the volcano. A 1.7 km loop of about an hour from the upper ropeway station passes Sugatami Pond.
Dates
08–28 SEP

Where
HokkaidoGoogle Maps

Open
Ropeway in September 6:00–17:30, 1–20 Oct 6:30–17:30 · round trip ¥3,500, children ¥1,750 · closed for maintenance 16 Nov – 10 Dec

Survive
It can snow here before the end of September: bring a windproof layer and proper shoes, the loop is rocky. On peak weekends the ropeway queue builds through the morning, so take the first cars.

Holidays
Respect for the Aged Day, Citizens' Holiday, Autumnal Equinox Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
Ropeway from Asahidake Onsen, 10 min, every 15 min in season. The base station is about 1 h 50 from Asahikawa Stn by the Ideyu-go bus (¥1,800, four a day), which also calls at Asahikawa Airport.

Heritage
Special Natural Monument · Daisetsuzan, 1977 大雪山特別天然記念物

Source
Official site Autumn foliage page · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

2 photos · credits

pakku · CC BY 3.0
lumoplank · CC0
Photo · Guilhem Vellut · CC BY 2.0Tokyo — Cosmos · 12 SEP – 25 OCT · peak 10 OCTShowa Kinen Park国営昭和記念公園Four million cosmos on the Flower Hill of a former air baseIn season now
12 SEP – 25 OCT · Nature · Cosmos

Cosmos — Showa Kinen Park 国営昭和記念公園

Tokyo
Two windows back to back in a former air base in Tachikawa. Four million yellow cosmos cover the Flower Hill from mid-September, followed by 200,000 Sensation cosmos in October. Then the ginkgo avenues turn: 106 trees along the Canal in early to mid-November, 98 more on the 300 m Katarai avenue in mid to late November.
Dates
12 SEP – 25 OCT

Where
TokyoGoogle Maps

Open
9:30–17:00, to 18:00 at weekends April–September, to 16:30 November–February · ¥450, children free · closed 31 Dec, 1 Jan and Monday to Friday of the third week of January

Survive
The park covers about 170 hectares and the Flower Hill is at the far end from the Tachikawa gate: enter from Nishi-Tachikawa or hire a bicycle inside.

Holidays
Respect for the Aged Day, Citizens' Holiday, Autumnal Equinox Day, Sports Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
JR Ome Line to Nishi-Tachikawa, 2 min on foot to the gate; or 10–18 min on foot from Tachikawa Stn, about 40 min from Tokyo Stn.

Source
Official site Cosmos page · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

4 photos · credits

Guilhem Vellut · CC BY 2.0
Guilhem Vellut · CC BY 2.0
Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo · na0905 · CC BY 2.0Tokyo — Moon-viewing · 24–26 SEP · peak 25 SEPMukojima-Hyakkaen向島百花園The last Edo townspeople’s garden, lit for three moon nightsScenic Beauty · Historic SiteIn season now
24–26 SEP · Nature · Moon-viewing

Moon-viewing — Mukojima-Hyakkaen 向島百花園

Tokyo
The one surviving flower garden of the Edo townspeople, opened in the early nineteenth century, and it still keeps their moon-viewing: for three evenings around the harvest moon the garden stays open until 21:00, painted lanterns are lit along the paths from 17:50 and a koto plays from 18:00 to 20:00. The 30 m tunnel of bush clover flowers in the same weeks.
Dates
24–26 SEP

Where
TokyoGoogle Maps

Open
9:00–17:00, last entry 16:30 · ¥150 · closed 29 Dec – 3 Jan

Survive
In 2026 the evenings are 24–26 September, last entry 20:30; tea in the tea house on the 25th and 26th, 15:00–20:00, ¥1,500. The koto and the opening ceremony are cancelled in rain.

Access
Higashi-Mukojima Stn on the Tobu Skytree Line, 8 min on foot; Keisei Hikifune, 13 min.

Heritage
Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site · 1978 向島百花園名勝・史跡

Source
Official site Moon-viewing page · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

2 photos · credits

na0905 · CC BY 2.0
Arashiyama · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo · ttshr1970 · CC BY 3.0Kyoto — Moon-viewing · 25–27 SEP · peak 25 SEPDaikaku-ji大覚寺Moon-viewing from dragon boats on a ninth-century pondPlace of Scenic BeautyDays until the season
25–27 SEP · Nature · Moon-viewing

Moon-viewing — Daikaku-ji 大覚寺

Kyoto
A former imperial villa in Sagano, whose Osawa Pond was dug in the ninth century so the moon could be watched from a boat. The temple's moon-viewing evenings, Kangetsu no Yube, are held on the nights around the harvest moon: dragon-headed boats cross the pond and the moon rises twice, once in the sky and once on the water.
Dates
25–27 SEP

Where
KyotoGoogle Maps

Open
9:00–17:00 · last entry 16:30 · ¥500

Survive
Heavy. In 2026 the evenings are 25–27 September, starting on the night of the harvest moon: gates 17:30–21:00, last entry 20:30, and the evening is ticketed separately, so daytime visitors are asked to leave first. The boat ride with tea was sold by advance lottery, ¥7,000, applications 6–24 July, now closed; without it you can still walk the pond and watch from the shore. The temple decides at 11:00 each day whether the evening goes ahead. The dates move with the lunar calendar: check the temple's site each year.

Access
Kyoto Bus 28 or 91 to Daikakuji, about 50 min from Kyoto Stn; or a 20 min walk from JR Saga-Arashiyama Stn.

Heritage
Place of Scenic Beauty · Osawa Pond, 1922 大沢池附名古曽滝跡名勝

Source
Official site Moon-viewing page · checked 2026-09-21

Photos

3 photos · credits

ttshr1970 · CC BY 3.0
m-louis .® · CC BY-SA 2.0
ignis · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo · くろふね · CC BY-SA 4.0Kyoto — Autumn foliage · 10 NOV – 06 DEC · peak 25 NOVKitano Tenmangu北野天満宮350 maples on Hideyoshi’s rampart above the Kamiya riverNational Treasure · Historic SiteDays until the season
10 NOV – 06 DEC · Nature · Autumn foliage

Autumn foliage — Kitano Tenmangu 北野天満宮

Kyoto
The head shrine of Tenjin, the deified scholar Sugawara no Michizane, whose flower is the plum: about 1,500 trees of 50 varieties flower here from January to late March. On 25 February, the day of his death, geiko and maiko of the neighbouring Kamishichiken district serve tea in the open air at the Baikasai. In autumn the shrine opens its maple garden on the Odoi, the earth rampart Hideyoshi raised round the city in 1591: about 350 maples above the Kamiya river.
Dates
10 NOV – 06 DEC

Where
KyotoGoogle Maps

Open
Precinct open daily, free · plum garden in 2026: 1 Feb – 24 May, 9:00–20:30 · maple garden 31 Oct – 6 Dec 2026, 9:00–16:00, lit from mid-November until 20:00

Survive
On the 25th of every month the Tenjin-san flea market fills the approaches: come for it or avoid it. In 2026 the plum garden cost ¥3,000 and was lit every evening; the maple garden is ¥1,500 with tea and a sweet.

Holidays
Labour Thanksgiving Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
City bus to Kitano Tenmangu-mae, about 30 min from Kyoto Stn; or the Randen tram to Kitano-Hakubaicho, then 5 min on foot.

Heritage
National Treasure · main halls 北野天満宮本殿・石の間・拝殿・楽の間国宝Historic Site · the Odoi earthwork of the maple garden, 1930 御土居史跡

Source
Official site Autumn foliage page · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

4 photos · credits

くろふね · CC BY-SA 4.0
pcs34560 · Public domain
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tmv · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo · Bariston · CC BY-SA 4.0Aichi — Autumn foliage · 15 NOV – 05 DEC · peak 25 NOVKorankei Gorge香嵐渓4,000 maples of eleven varieties, turning in layersDays until the season
15 NOV – 05 DEC · Nature · Autumn foliage

Autumn foliage — Korankei Gorge 香嵐渓

Aichi
4,000 maples planted by the monk San'ei around 1634 as an offering along the path to the temple. Eleven different varieties, so the slope turns colour in layers rather than all at once.
Dates
15 NOV – 05 DEC

Where
AichiGoogle Maps

Open
Open at all hours, free · maples lit 1–30 November, from sunset to 21:00 · car park ¥1,000

Survive
Lit until 21:00 throughout November. The approach road gridlocks at weekends — come by bus or on a weekday.

Holidays
Labour Thanksgiving Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
45 min by bus from Meitetsu Toyota-shi Stn.

Source
Official site Autumn foliage page · checked 2026-09-22

Photos

3 photos · credits

Bariston · CC BY-SA 4.0
T.Takida · CC BY 3.0
Bariston · CC BY-SA 4.0
Winter 2026–27 冬Photo · 経済特区 · CC BY-SA 4.0Kyoto — Snow · 20 JAN – 25 FEB · peak 01 FEBMiyama Kayabuki-no-Sato美山かやぶきの里A thatched hamlet under snow, lanterns on eight winter eveningsPreservation districtDays until the season
20 JAN – 25 FEB · Nature · Snow

Snow — Miyama Kayabuki-no-Sato 美山かやぶきの里

Kyoto
A farming hamlet in the mountains north of Kyoto where 39 of the 50 houses keep their thatched roofs, a national preservation district since 1993. Under snow, from late January through February, it is the old countryside intact. For the eight evenings of the winter lantern festival, 30 January – 6 February in 2027, the lanes and houses are lit from 17:00 to 19:00 with about 80 paper lanterns and 200 more.
Dates
20 JAN – 25 FEB

Where
KyotoGoogle Maps

Open
Village open at all hours, free · lantern festival 30 Jan – 6 Feb 2027, lit 17:00–19:00

Survive
During the lantern festival every car needs a parking reservation made in advance, on all days. Snow tyres are required on the road in. The winter fireworks of earlier years are not held.

Holidays
National Foundation Day, Emperor's Birthday · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
About 80 min by car from Kyoto. By public transport, the JR Sagano Line to Hiyoshi and then the Nantan city bus to Kita; check the last bus back before you go.

Heritage
Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings · 1993 南丹市美山町北重要伝統的建造物群保存地区

Source
Official site Snow page · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

2 photos · credits

経済特区 · CC BY-SA 4.0
経済特区 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo · そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0Fukuoka — Plum blossom · 25 JAN – 10 MAR · peak 20 FEBDazaifu Tenmangu太宰府天満宮6,000 plum trees at the grave of Tenjin, from late JanuaryImportant Cultural PropertyDays until the season
25 JAN – 10 MAR · Nature · Plum blossom

Plum blossom — Dazaifu Tenmangu 太宰府天満宮

Fukuoka
The shrine built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane, the exiled scholar worshipped as Tenjin, whose flower is the plum: about 6,000 trees of 200 varieties flower in the grounds from late January to early March. The first to open is the Tobiume to the right of the main hall, the tree said to have flown from Kyoto in one night to follow him. The main hall reopened for worship in September 2026 after a restoration of three and a half years, its first in 124 years, and 2027 brings the grand festival held once in 25 years, 1,125 years after his death; its dates are not published yet.
Dates
25 JAN – 10 MAR

Where
FukuokaGoogle Maps

Open
Gates open 6:30 from the autumn equinox and 6:00 from the spring equinox · close 18:30 Dec–Mar, 19:00 Apr–May and Sep–Nov, 19:30 Jun–Aug · free

Survive
Heavy. January and February are exam season, and Tenjin is the god of learning: at weekends the approach is packed from the station to the hall. Come at gate opening, 6:30 in winter, and see the plums before the crowd arrives.

Holidays
National Foundation Day, Emperor's Birthday · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
Nishitetsu from Fukuoka (Tenjin) with a change at Futsukaichi, about 35 min, then 5 min on foot from Dazaifu Stn. The direct bus Tabito takes about 45 min from Hakata Bus Terminal and about 25 min from the international terminal of Fukuoka Airport.

Heritage
Important Cultural Property · main hall, 1907 太宰府天満宮本殿重要文化財

Source
Official site · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

3 photos · credits

そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0
酒呑みおやぢ · CC BY-SA 3.0
そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo · kkawamura · CC BY 4.0Hokkaido — Snow · 04 FEB – 15 MAR · peak 20 FEBAbashiri drift ice網走の流氷Drift ice from the Amur, and an icebreaker that rides up onto itDays until the season
04 FEB – 15 MAR · Nature · Snow

Snow — Abashiri drift ice 網走の流氷

Hokkaido
The Sea of Okhotsk is the southernmost sea in the northern hemisphere to freeze: ice born off the Amur estuary drifts about a thousand kilometres south and reaches this coast around the start of February. The icebreaker Aurora rides up onto the floes and breaks them under its own weight, on a cruise of about an hour.
Dates
04 FEB – 15 MAR

Where
HokkaidoGoogle Maps

Open
Sails daily 20 Jan – 31 Mar, three to five departures between 9:00 and 15:30, about 1 h · ¥7,000, children ¥3,500 at last season’s fares; 2027 fares not yet posted

Survive
Wind can push the ice offshore overnight, so allow two days. The normal dates for 1991–2020 are 22 Jan for the first ice on the horizon and 4 Feb for ice at the shore. A sailing with 15 bookings or fewer may be cancelled: reserve ahead.

Holidays
National Foundation Day, Emperor's Birthday · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Access
The Aurora sails from the Ryuhyo Kaido Abashiri roadside station, 10 min by bus from JR Abashiri Stn.

Source
Official site Snow page · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

2 photos · credits

kkawamura · CC BY 4.0
Lkj12344321 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Spring 2027 春Photo · Raita Futo · CC BY 2.0Tokyo — Cherry blossom · 24 MAR – 20 APR · peak 31 MARShinjuku Gyoen新宿御苑900 cherries of 70 varieties on the lawns of a former imperial garden, late March into mid-AprilDays until the season
24 MAR – 20 APR · Nature · Cherry blossom

Cherry blossom — Shinjuku Gyoen 新宿御苑

Tokyo
A former imperial garden of 58 hectares in the middle of Shinjuku, with about 900 cherry trees of some 70 varieties, so the season runs long: early kanzakura from February, Somei-yoshino from late March, then the double-flowered yaezakura into mid-April on the wide lawns of the English garden. Tokyo’s normal first flowering is 24 March, full bloom 31 March.
Dates
24 MAR – 20 APR

Where
TokyoGoogle Maps

Open
9:00–18:00 from 15 March, last entry 17:30; 9:00–16:30 from October to mid-March · ¥500, over-65s and students ¥250, children free · closed Mondays except 25 March – 24 April, and 29 December – 3 January

Survive
Heavy. No alcohol and no bicycles inside, and the gates may switch to advance booking at weekends in the cherry weeks. Go on a weekday at the 9:00 opening; the yaezakura of mid-April draw half the crowd of the Somei-yoshino.

Access
Shinjuku Gate is 5 min from Shinjuku-gyoemmae Stn on the Marunouchi line and 10 min from JR Shinjuku Stn; Sendagaya Gate is 5 min from JR Sendagaya Stn.

Source
Official site Cherry blossom page · checked 2026-09-24

Photos

2 photos · credits

Raita Futo · CC BY 2.0
Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0