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Hakata Gion Yamakasa -

The dynamic Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka's Hakata district takes place between July 1–15. The festival is famous for the Kakiyama, huge, heavy decorated frames that are carried around the city as an act of float-racing.

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Hakata Gion Yamakasa -

Hordes of young men wearing traditional Japanese happi coats carry the elaborate floats in a frenzied effort to be first into the Kushida Shrine compound.  

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Tanabata -

Tanabata festivals are held across Japan and are usually held on the seventh day of the seventh month. However, depending on what calendar is used, that could mean July or August. 

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Tanabata -

The festival celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively) and is known for its brightly colored handmade decorations and streamers. The biggest Tanabata festival takes place in Sendai City. 

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Mitama Matsuri -

Mitama Matsuri is one of Tokyo's great Obon festivals, held to honor the ancestral spirits. It runs for four days, starting on July 13, and takes place at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.   

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Mitama Matsuri -

Mitama Matsuri is a spectacular event. The shrine is decorated with more than 30,000 traditional Japanese lanterns, running all the way from the great torii gate to the main gate of the sanctuary.

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Gion Matsuri -

Ranked as one of the finest festivals in Japan, the Gion Matsuri is also one of the country's oldest, dating as far back as 869 CE. It takes place in Kyoto from July 13–17. 

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Gion Matsuri -

Gion Matsuri is another festival where decorative floats, impressive in their grandeur, are paraded through the city's streets, pulled on wheels by a small army of men. Participants of Gion Matsuri are all dressed in traditional costume. 

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Tenjin Festival -

Osaka's Tenjin Festival is another must-see summer spectacular. One of Japan's top three festivals, it's held over July 24–25 and involves a land procession (rikutogyo) and a sea procession (funatogyo).

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Tenjin Festival -

Described as a festival of the gods, the lavish processions are typical of the Tenjin Festival, with the boats on the river accompanied by a firework display after dark. 

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Akita Kanto -

Over August 3–7, the residents of Akita City express their hope for a good harvest by carrying around 200 long bamboo poles bearing up to 46 paper lanterns and topped with gohei—decorated wooden wands through the streets. 

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Akita Kanto -

The main event of the festival, the evening parades, are held nightly along Kanto Odori Street in the center of the city, when the poles are raised at the same time to the sound of flutes. 

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Tachi Nebuta -

The sensational Tachi Nebuta summer festival is held annually between August 4–8 in the northern Japanese city of Goshogawara.

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Tachi Nebuta -

The event is notable for its colorful and colossal sky-high floats, which stand as high as 75 feet (23 m)—the same size as a seven-story building!

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Koenji Awa Odori -

Koenji Awa Odori is one of Tokyo's largest street festivals, a colorful and vibrant affair that takes place on the last or second to last weekend of August.

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Koenji Awa Odori -

The Japanese capital's most exciting dance festival, Koenji Awa Odori attracts over 12,000 dancers in 180 groups who perform in the streets of Tokyo's Koenji district as more than a million revelers gather over the weekend to join in the party. 

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Danjiri Matsuri -

Danjiri Matsuri are float-pulling festivals that take place at various locations across Japan in mid-September

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Danjiri Matsuri -

The festival, also known as the "fighting festival," is steeped in 300 years of tradition. The Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri is probably the most famous, but similar, although smaller, events take place in Kobe and Osaka, among other towns and cities. 

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Chichibu Night Festival -

The Chichibu Night Festival is held every year on December 2–3 at Chichibu Shrine in Chichibu near Tokyo. 

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Chichibu Night Festival -

The festival features a parade of floats ornately decorated with lanterns, tapestries, and gilded wood carvings. Drum and flute music fills the air. A huge firework display on the second night rounds off the proceedings. 

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Nagasaki Lantern Festival -

Nagasaki boasts Japan's oldest Chinatown and those cultural ties are celebrated in this charming two-week lantern festival, held over the first 15 days of the Chinese New Year.  

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Nagasaki Lantern Festival -

In fact, the Nagasaki Lantern Festival is the largest of its kind in the country. Visitors can expect fireworks, lion dances, and of course, lots of glowing lanterns.

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Hyoubaku Festival -

Centered around the crystalline beauty of the frozen Ryusei and Ginga waterfalls in Sounkyo, the Hyoubaku Festival is held from late January until March.

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Hyoubaku Festival -

Also referred to as the Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival, Hyoubaku showcases illuminated ice sculptures and statues. Below ground, ice caves glow in rainbow light. 

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Sapporo Snow Festival -

For one week in early February, magnificent snow and sculptures are created in Sapporo's centrally located Odori Park.

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Sapporo Snow Festival -

Two additional city sites also serve as venues: Tsudome, where a variety of snowy activities are held, including snow slides, snow rafting, and family-oriented diversions; and Susukino, the location of the prestigious Ice Sculpture Contest. 

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Hadaka Matsuri -

Hadaka festivals, literally 'naked festivals,' see participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a fundoshi loincloth, sometimes with a short happi coat, but rarely completely naked. 

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Hadaka Matsuri -

The Hadaka Matsuri at the Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, which takes place over variable dates in February, is quite bizarre. Some 9,000 semi-naked men battle to grab a pair of lucky sticks thrown by priests in this, one of the most compelling festivals in Japan.

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Cherry blossom festivals -

Cherry blossom season in Japan is celebrated across the country, with numerous festivals organized to celebrate one of Nature's most dazzling blooms. 

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Cherry blossom festivals -

Most cherry blossom festivals begin around the end of March and can last well into the month of May. Notable events include the Mount Yoshino Cherry Blossom Festival and the Kitakami Tenshochi Cherry Blossom Festival. 

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Takayama Spring Festival -

The Takayama Spring Festival is the annual festival of Hie Jinja Shrine, and heralds the coming of spring to Takayama. Incorporating two festivals, in spring and fall, and thought to be around 400 years old, the Takayama Festival is counted as one of the three most beautiful festivals in Japan.  

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Takayama Spring Festival -

The spring festival is a spectacular prayer for a good harvest. The fall festival, held at Hachiman Shrine in October, is similar and is all about giving thanks.

Sources: (Japan Airlines) (Japan-Guide) 

See also: Wild summer solstice festivals from around the world. 

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