Summer 夏

Hakata’s festival of 1–15 July, traced to 1241, when the Zen priest Shoichi Kokushi was carried through the town sprinkling holy water against a plague; it is on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage. For two weeks decorated floats 10 to 15 metres tall stand on view around the city. The racing floats come out on the 10th, and at 4:59 on the 15th the first of seven district teams, men in loincloths and short coats, charges its one-tonne float into Kushida Shrine and out along a five-kilometre course, the others following minutes apart against the clock. In 2027 the 15th is a Thursday.

Dates

1–15 Jul

Where

Kushida Shrine and the streets of Hakata, FukuokaGoogle Maps

Open

Thu 1 Jul · Decorated floats go on view across the city, until the 14thFri 9 Jul · Oshioi-tori: all seven teams run to the beach at Hakozaki for purifying sandSat 10 Jul · Nagare-gaki: the racing floats come out, each in its own districtSun 11 Jul · Asa-yama in the early morning, then runs into the neighbouring districtsMon 12 Jul · Oiyama-narashi, the timed rehearsal, from 15:59Tue 13 Jul · Shudan-yamamise: the floats parade on Meiji-dori from 15:30Wed 14 Jul · Nagare-gaki, the last district runsThu 15 Jul · Oiyama: the first float enters Kushida Shrine at 4:59

Tickets

Free from the street: come well before dawn for the race. Seats in the stand inside Kushida Shrine are sold in person at the shrine on 26 June; in 2026 about 280 seats at ¥7,000 went in 15 minutes.

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 博多祇園山笠行事

Source

Official site · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

3 photos · credits

1. ぱちょぴ（pacyopi） · CC BY-SA 3.0
2. Pontafon · CC BY-SA 3.0
3. そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

Kyoto’s festival of July, begun in 869 as a rite against plague. Thirty-four floats, the tallest about 25 metres and hung with tapestries from as far as Persia and Flanders, are pulled through the centre in two processions: the Saki Matsuri on the 17th and the smaller, quieter Ato Matsuri on the 24th. On the three evenings before each, the floats stand lit in their home streets. In 2027 both processions fall on Saturdays, and the 24th leaves time to reach the boats of Osaka’s Tenjin Matsuri the next evening.

Dates

14–24 Jul

Where

Yasaka Shrine and the float districts of central Kyoto, KyotoGoogle Maps

Open

Wed 14 Jul · Yoiyama evenings of the Saki Matsuri, 14–16 July: floats lit in their streetsSat 17 Jul · Saki Matsuri procession from 9:00, 23 floatsWed 21 Jul · Yoiyama evenings of the Ato Matsuri, 21–23 JulySat 24 Jul · Ato Matsuri procession from 9:30, 11 floats

Tickets

Free from the pavement; paid seats usually go on sale in June. Rooms for 14–17 July sell out months ahead.

Holidays

Marine Day · long weekend: expect full trains and hotels

Heritage

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage · 2009 京都祇園祭の山鉾行事（ユネスコ無形文化遺産代表一覧表）Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property · 1979 京都祇園祭の山鉾行事

Source

Official site · checked 2026-09-20

Photos

3 photos · credits

1. Edomura no Tokuzo · CC BY-SA 4.0
2. Edomura no Tokuzo · CC BY-SA 4.0
3. Sakurai Midori · CC BY-SA 3.0

The festival of Osaka Tenmangu, held on the same two dates every year and said to date from 951. On the 25th a land procession of about 3,000 people in court dress leaves the shrine in mid-afternoon, and from about 18:00 the deity boards a fleet of about a hundred boats on the Okawa, lit by bonfires, under votive fireworks. In 2027 both days fall at a weekend.

Dates

24–25 Jul

Where

Osaka Tenmangu and the Okawa river, OsakaGoogle Maps

Open

Sat 24 Jul · Eve: the hoko-nagashi rite on the river and lion dancers through the districtSun 25 Jul · Land procession in mid-afternoon · boat procession from about 18:00 · votive fireworks after dark

Tickets

Free from the bridges and banks, which fill by late afternoon. Times for 2027 are not published yet.

Source

Official site · checked 2026-09-19

Photos

3 photos · credits

1. Midori · CC BY-SA 3.0
2. Ogiyoshisan · CC BY-SA 3.0
3. Tomi Mäkitalo · CC BY-SA 3.0