Cherry Blossoms Festivals

We have tours available to see the best cherry blossom festivals of Japan, such as the Cherry Blossom Festival at Tokyo Ueno Park, one of Tokyo's most popular sites to witness sakura. Additionally, travelers can visit the Cherry Blossom Festival at Matsumae Park, where you can view over 250 varieties of the 10,000 cherry trees planted around the grounds. Visitors can also enjoy a hanami (flower-viewing) party underneath a weeping cherry blossom tree at Maruyama Park.

Cherry Blossom Tours

Takayama Spring Festival

Known for its 12 lavishly-decorated antique floats (yatai), the Takayama Spring Festival is included on a list of our Japan tour packages. Held on April 14th and 15th, the festival showcases several main attractions. This includes the display of festival floats during the day, a karakuri (mechanical puppets) performance, a mikoshi (portable shrine) procession, and an evening showcase of the floats.

Tours including Takayama Spring Festival

Fuji Shibazakura Festival

See thousands of shibazakura during a tour to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, just 3km away from Lake Motosuko. Shibazakura are pink flowers known as "moss phlox", which bloom from April to May. The month and a half long celebration highlights 6 stunning varieties of these "ground cherry blossoms". Observe McDaniel's Cushion, Mont-Blanc, Autumn Rose, Tama-no-Nagre, Little Dot, and Oakington Blue-Eyes at the Fuji Shibazakura Festival.

Tours including Fuji Shibazakura Festival

Kyoto Aoi Festival

Tour to the Aoi Festival, one of Kyoto's most elegant and famous festivals. The Aoi Festival comprises of 500 people wearing Heian Era styled clothing and traditional makeup while parading through the main streets of Kyoto. Its gracious procession illustrates the event where officials deliver the Emperor's message and offerings to the deities of the Kamo Shrines, along with other cultural highlights.

Tours including Kyoto Aoi Festival

The Shibazakura Festivals of Hokkaido

Celebrate pink shibazakura at the Shibazakura Festivals in Hokkaido, renowned for its beautiful fields of blooming flowers. The Takinoue Shibazakura Festival showcases millions of pink moss phloxes, creating a shibazakura paradise. Our tours also give you the opportunity to visit the garden of Kazuo Mishima's home. Mishima planted the tiny shibazakura flowers himself, claiming the garden will never have an entrance fee and all are welcome to relish in its beauty.

Tours including The Shibazakura Festivals of Hokkaido

Gion Summer Festival

Tour to Japan's biggest annual event of the year, the Gion Matsuri, a huge summer festival in celebration of Kyoto culture. It centers on a grand procession of two types of festival floats, 23 yama and 10 hoko. The main event is held on July 17th, while the fewer, remaining floats are displayed on July 24th. Here you will discover people dressed in colorful yukata robes, elaborately decorated floats, and numerous food vendor stands.

Tours including Gion Summer Festival

Aomori Nebuta Festival

The Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori is a highly recommended summer festival that highlights colorful, three-dimensional lantern floats. It is the biggest event out of Tohoku's Three Great Summer Festivals, and is held annually from August 2 to 7. Experience a lively parade of taiko drummers, flute and cymbal players, hundreds of dancers, and huge warrior floats that resemble Kabuki characters and mythological figures.

Tours including Aomori Nebuta Festival

Akita Kanto Festival

The Kanto Matsuri, also known as "pole lantern festival", is held in Akita and is part of the Three Great Summer Festivals of Tohoku. The festival is noteworthy for the impressive skills displayed by the kanto performers, where they balance long bamboo poles with beautifully-lit paper lanterns attached to the ends of them. The Night Parades are the main event of the festival, a magnificent site of kanto poles hoisted into the air, where all the lanterns are lit with real candles.

Tours including Akita Kanto Festival

Sendai Tanabata Festival

Witness elegant decorations made from paper and bamboo at the Sendai Tanabata Matsuri. Visited by more than 2 million tourists annually, colorful decorations fill the streets of Downtown Sendai every year from August 6 to 8. The main highlight of the festival are giant, vibrant streamers that parade the shopping district. Stage performances, live music, food vendors, and other festivities are also enjoyed at the festival.

Tours including Sendai Tanabata Festival

Awa Odori Dance Festival

See one of the best dance festivals in Japan by visiting the Awa Odori Festival. Thousands of dancers are distinguished into various groups, known as "ren", and parade through blocked off streets. It is commonly referred as the "Fool's Dance" because of lyrics to a traditional song, which translates to, "Fools dance and fools watch, if both are fools, you might as well dance!". Spectators can expect high energy, colorful uniforms, and traditional instrument players.

Tours including Awa Odori Dance Festival

Takayama Autumn Festival

Ranked as one of Japan's most beautiful festivals, the Takayama Autumn Matsuri is renowned for its procession of 11 lavishly decorated floats. It is held every year on October 9th and 10th, in addition to its spring counterpart held in April. Thousands of spectators come to see the elegant festival floats, karakuri (mechanical doll) performances, and the mikoshi (portable shrine) procession. The Evening Festival is arguably the most popular attraction of the event.

Tours including Takayama Autumn Festival

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Tour through an ice playground spectacularly lit with colorful lights at the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival. Using water from the beautiful Lake Shikotstu to create ice structures and pillars, this unique fairground takes 2 months to create. The festival features an ice-made slide, a moss draped cave, pony rides, ice forts, local treats, and more. Although this festival is lesser known compared to other winter festivals, the evening light up is one not to miss.

Tours including Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Sapporo Snow Festival

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of Japan's most popular winter attractions, showcasing spectacular snow sculptures that are impressive in size and detail. Held annually during a week in February, the festival draws more than 2 million visitors every year. The main site at Odori Park exhibits the most significant snow sculptures, modeled after famous buildings and characters. Each are colorfully lit up, creating a dream-land atmosphere.

Tours including Sapporo Snow Festival

Otaru Snow Light Path

Enjoy a serene experience at the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival. For ten days, visitors can admire the glow of candlelight along the Otaru Canal. The fundamental idea of the festival is a more of a spiritual event than a commercial one, encouraging a leisurely space for visitors to reflect on themselves. Stroll through a romantic atmosphere along the canal in the Unga Kaijo area, and a snow tunnel with gliterring lanterns and sculptures in the Temiyasen Kaijo area.

Tours including Otaru Snow Light Path

Asahikawa Winter Festival

The Asahikawa Winter Festival showcases the biggest snow sculptures in Hokkaido. Every year, a massive snow sculpture is built, one of them even making it into the Guinness World Records in 1994 as the largest snow structure ever built. The theme of the giant sculpture changes every year, serving as a stage for live performances. Other festivities include ice slides, a make-your-own snowman area, food vendors, an ice sculpture competition, and more.

Tours including Asahikawa Winter Festival

Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival

The Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival features multi-story snow buildings with maze-like pathways and icicle-hanging ceilings. Snow domes, tunnels, ice pillars, snow sculptures, and various events can also be found at this fantastical snow-lit event. Additionally, the festival also reserves special fireworks displays during the weekends. This area is known to be among the coldest in Hokkaido, so dress warmly because some nights experience negative degree weather.

Tours including Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival

Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival

Catch an early sight of Japan's cherry blossoms at the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival. Held from February to early March, the event attracts more than 2 million visitors per year for a chance to see the early blooming Kawazu Cherry Trees. The festival takes place along the Kawazu River, where visitors can enjoy gorgeous rows of cherry blossom trees that continue endlessly. There are numerous festival stalls serving food and souvenirs, as well as a night time illumination.

Tours including Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival