Feature
Festivals
At the Yokohama Expo you can see festivals and traditional performing arts from around Japan, from the Aomori Nebuta floats on permanent display to the danjiri of Izumisano. This page collects the dates at the venue, when each festival takes place at home, the nearest stations and the stories behind them.
Festivals and local-government events at the Expo
As of 2026.09.15. From the Association’s first event list: the Aomori Nebuta display and the local-government events filed under festivals and traditional culture. More will be added as the Association announces them.
| Festival or event | Organiser | At the Expo | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aomori Nebuta | The Association (Omatsuri Saijiki Project) | On permanent display throughout the Expo; parade dates to be announced | Not announced |
| Hamamatsu City event (details to be announced) | Hamamatsu City | 22 March 2027 | Event Hall (provisional name) |
| Kishiwada “Bamboo Innovation” The announced theme is bamboo reuse; danjiri are not mentioned | Kishiwada City | 20–21 April 2027 | Event Hall (provisional name) |
| Chiba Prefecture Day stage event (provisional) | Chiba Prefecture | 15 May 2027 | Event Hall (provisional name) |
| Izumisano Danjiri Festival | Izumisano City | 27 June 2027 | Grand Event Plaza (provisional name) |
When the festivals take place at home
Festivals we have written about, with dates checked against the organiser, tourism association or shrine. Dates can change with the weather, so check the official page before you travel.
| Festival or event | When | Place and nearest station | Link to the Expo | Official information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Izumisano autumn festivals (danjiri and yagura floats) Read the article | Every October; dates differ by district | Izumisano City, Osaka | Izumisano Danjiri Festival at the Expo on 27 June 2027 | Izumisano Tourism Association checked 2026.09.19 |
| Karatsu Kunchi Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan (1980); part of UNESCO’s Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals (2016) | 2–4 November every year Monday 2 to Wednesday 4 November 2026 | Karatsu City, Saga 10 minutes on foot from JR Karatsu Station to Karatsu Shrine, according to the shrine | — | Karatsu Shrine checked 2026.09.19 |
| Tori-no-ichi in Yokohama (Kotohira Otori Shrine) Registered as an intangible folk cultural property by the Yokohama City Board of Education in 1991, according to the shrine | Days of the Rooster in November Saturday 7 and Thursday 19 November 2026 | Minami Ward, Yokohama 5 minutes on foot from Bandobashi Station (Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line) | — | Kotohira Otori Shrine checked 2026.09.19 |
| Tori-no-ichi in Asakusa (Otori Shrine and Chokokuji) | Days of the Rooster in November, open for 24 hours Saturday 7 and Thursday 19 November 2026 | Senzoku, Taito Ward, Tokyo 7 minutes on foot from Iriya Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) | — | Asakusa Tori-no-ichi official site checked 2026.09.19 |
| Chichibu Night Festival UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals, 2016); Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan | 2 December (eve) and 3 December (main day) every year | Chichibu City, Saitama 3 minutes on foot from Chichibu Station (Chichibu Railway), 15 minutes from Seibu-Chichibu Station, according to Chichibu Shrine | — | Chichibu Tourism Association checked 2026.09.19 |
| Setagaya Boroichi market Intangible Folk Cultural Property designated by Tokyo | 15–16 December and 15–16 January every year 15–16 December 2026 and 15–16 January 2027 | Setagaya 1-chome, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo 3 minutes on foot from Setagaya or Kamimachi Station (Tokyu Setagaya Line) | — | Setagaya City checked 2026.09.19 |
| Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan (1979) | 15–18 December every year; the procession is on the 17th Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 December 2026 | Kasuga Taisha, Nara City 11–15 minutes by bus from Kintetsu-Nara or JR Nara Station; about 25 minutes on foot from Kintetsu-Nara, according to the shrine | — | Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri Preservation Society checked 2026.09.19 |
| Hagoita-ichi at Sensoji | 17–19 December every year | Sensoji, Taito Ward, Tokyo 5 minutes on foot from Asakusa Station, according to the temple | — | Sensoji checked 2026.09.19 |
| Takasaki Daruma Market (Takasaki Station west exit) | 1–2 January in recent years; the 2027 notice is not out yet | Takasaki, Gunma (street in front of Takasaki Station west exit) JR Takasaki Station, west exit | — | Takasaki Daruma Market committee checked 2026.09.19 |
| Shorinzan Nanakusa Festival daruma market | 6–7 January every year | Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple, Takasaki, Gunma About 20 minutes on foot from Gunma-Yawata Station (JR Shin-etsu Line), according to the temple | — | Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple checked 2026.09.19 |
| Toka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine | 9–11 January every year | Naniwa Ward, Osaka Next to Imamiya-Ebisu Station (Nankai Koya Line); about 8 minutes on foot from Daikokucho Station (Osaka Metro Midosuji Line) | — | Imamiya Ebisu Shrine checked 2026.09.19 |
| Toka Ebisu and the Lucky Man race at Nishinomiya Shrine | 9–11 January every year; the gate opens at 6 a.m. on the 10th | Nishinomiya City, Hyogo 5 minutes on foot from Nishinomiya Station (Hanshin Main Line) | — | Nishinomiya Shrine checked 2026.09.19 |
| Wakakusa Yamayaki (mountain burning) | Fourth Saturday of January; fireworks from 18:15, the hill is lit at 18:30 | Mt. Wakakusa, Nara About 30 minutes on foot from Kintetsu-Nara Station, according to Nara Prefecture | — | Nara Prefecture: Wakakusa Yamayaki checked 2026.09.19 |
| Setsubun at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple | 3 February, the day before the first day of spring | Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, Narita, Chiba 10 minutes on foot from JR Narita or Keisei-Narita Station, according to the temple | — | Naritasan Shinshoji Temple checked 2026.09.19 |
| Sapporo Snow Festival | Early February; dates are announced each year Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027 | Sapporo (Odori, Susukino and Tsudome sites) Odori and Susukino subway stations; Sakaemachi Station (Toho Line) for Tsudome | — | Sapporo Snow Festival checked 2026.09.19 |
| Nagasaki Lantern Festival | Around Lunar New Year; dates are announced each year Friday 5 to Sunday 21 February 2027; Emperor’s Parade on the 13th and 20th, Mazu Procession on the 7th and 14th | Nagasaki (Shinchi Chinatown, Hamaichi, Kanko-dori and other sites) Shinchi Chinatown tram stop, four stops from Nagasaki Station on route 1 | — | Nagasaki City official tourism site checked 2026.09.19 |
| Yokote Kamakura (snow hut) Festival | Second Friday and Saturday of February on a trial basis from 2026 to 2029 (formerly 15–16 February) Friday 12 and Saturday 13 February 2027, 18:00–21:00 | Yokote, Akita (in front of City Hall, Yokote Park, Futaba-cho and elsewhere) | — | Yokote City: Kamakura checked 2026.09.19 |
| Namahage Sedo Festival The New Year’s Eve custom “Oga no Namahage” is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property (designated 22 May 1978); the February festival is a separate event | Friday to Sunday including the second Saturday of February; advance booking required Friday 12 to Sunday 14 February 2027, 18:00–20:30 | Shinzan Shrine, Oga, Akita About 30 minutes by special paid bus from the roadside station next to JR Oga Station, according to the organisers | — | Namahage Sedo Festival committee checked 2026.09.19 |
| Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri (Naoi Shinji) | 13th day of the first lunar month Friday 19 February 2027 from 15:00; the scramble starts around 16:00 and lasts about an hour | Owari Okunitama Shrine, Inazawa, Aichi 3 minutes on foot from the north exit of Meitetsu Konomiya Station, according to the shrine | — | Owari Okunitama Shrine checked 2026.09.19 |
| Omizutori (Shuni-e) at Todaiji Nigatsudo | 1–14 March every year; torches every evening, the water-drawing rite around 1:30 on the 13th Monday 1 to Sunday 14 March 2027; some restrictions on viewing the torches | Nigatsudo Hall, Todaiji Temple, Nara About 20 minutes on foot from Kintetsu-Nara Station to the temple grounds, according to the temple | — | Todaiji Temple: Shuni-e checked 2026.09.19 |
| Aomori Nebuta Festival Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan (designated 28 January 1980) Read the article | 2–7 August every year (eve festival on the 1st) | Aomori City, Aomori | On permanent display at the Expo | Aomori Nebuta Festival official site checked 2026.09.19 |
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Aomori Nebuta at GREEN×EXPO 2027: origins, nebuta vs neputa, and the August festival
Aomori Nebuta will be on permanent display at GREEN×EXPO 2027. Where it comes from, how it differs from Hirosaki neputa, and the 2 to 7 August festival.
Photo: Nebuta Museum WA RASSE in Aomori, where full-size floats are on display outside the festival season
Photo: Mccunicano (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Festivals at GREEN×EXPO 2027: Aomori Nebuta on permanent display, Izumisano danjiri on 27 June
Which Japanese festivals you can see at the Yokohama Expo, from the Association's 15 September 2026 event list: dates, venues and what is still undecided.
Photo: Aomori Nebuta (from the Association's press material). It will be on permanent display; parade dates are to be announced
©Kamon Haruka ／ ©Expo 2027 (from the GREEN×EXPO Association press release, 15 Sept 2026)
A GREEN×EXPO 2027 booth at the Shibusai festival on 4 October, outside Kozashibuya Station
Kanagawa Prefecture will run a GREEN×EXPO 2027 booth at the third Shibusai festival in Yamato on Sunday 4 October 2026, in the plazas on both sides of Kozashibuya Station.
First event list: Aomori Nebuta floats on show all season, a Kanagawa musical, National Days set for 59 participants
On 15 September 2026 the GREEN×EXPO Association published a first list of events for the 192 days: Nebuta floats, a musical, National Days and monthly highlights.
Photo: Aomori Nebuta (from the release). A float will be on permanent display; parade dates are still being arranged
©Kamon Haruka / ©Expo 2027 (GREEN×EXPO Association press release, 15 September 2026)
GREEN×EXPO 2027 booth at the Fujisawa Citizens' Festival on 27 September, near Fujisawa Station
Kanagawa Prefecture will run a GREEN×EXPO 2027 booth at the 51st Fujisawa Citizens' Festival on Sunday 27 September only, at Sunpearl Plaza by Fujisawa Station.
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