Free Festivals in Japan

Fukushima's spectacular lantern festival with 3,000 paper lanterns on floats.

Moon viewing tradition with dango offerings and pampas grass decorations.

Adrenaline-fueled festival where massive wooden carts race through narrow streets.

Free street jazz festival along Sendai's tree-lined Jozenji-dori.

Elegant evening dance festival in Toyama's Yatsuo district.

Tokyo's version of the Yosakoi dance festival held in Harajuku.

Japan's premier fireworks competition, held annually in Daisen, Akita.

Five great bonfires on Kyoto's mountains to send off ancestral spirits.

National taiko drumming festival showcasing Japan's powerful percussion tradition.

Annual Buddhist festival honoring ancestral spirits with bon dances and lanterns.

The original Awa Odori in Tokushima attracting over 1 million spectators.

Japan's largest dance festival in Tokushima, where 'the dancing fool' philosophy reigns.

High-energy dance festival originating in Kochi, featuring colorful costumes and naruko clappers.

Tokyo's western suburb festival with 19 ornate floats parading through the streets.

Sendai's Tanabata festival with elaborate bamboo decorations across the city.

Lake Biwa's grand fireworks display with approximately 10,000 shots.

Lantern festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu with hand-painted paper lanterns.

Yamagata's flower hat dance festival with thousands of dancers.