Must-see June Festivals in Japan 2024

Every summer, Japan gears up for matsuri (festival) season. Throughout the country, these events occur at local shrines, temples, and sometimes even just on the street. Many of the festivals trace back hundreds of years, and locals have upheld the traditions to honor their legacies. 

No two festivals are the same, as the themes and traditions differ between every single one. One might celebrate the coming of sakura (cherry blossom) season, while another involves a ceremony where sumo wrestlers carry crying babies. One may take place over a single day, while another is spread out over three full days of events. 

But no matter its unique quirks, each matsuri has the same celebratory, jovial atmosphere that people love. Gathering with friends, family, and loved ones, festivalgoers can enjoy cultural, historical, and culinary delights. Every matsuri is accompanied by stalls of vendors who sell typical matsuri street food: yakisoba noodles, takoyaki octopus poppers, chocolate-dipped bananas, baked potatoes with a buffet of toppings, and more. 

By June, the beginning of summer, you’ll find matsuri season in full gear. Here are eight for you to check out!

Date: June 7–17, 2024

This matsuri takes place every even-numbered year — so luckily, that includes this year. (Kagematsuri, a matsuri of a lesser scale, takes place on odd-numbered years, but the main events only take place on even-numbered years.) As far as the length of the matsuri goes, it’s fairly long, clocking in at over a week with all of its events. However, the main attraction is unmistakably the Sanno Grand Parade.

The parade starts and ends at the Hie-jinja Shrine near Asakusa in Tokyo, a shrine associated with the Tokugawa family who ruled the Edo period. This historic shrine was where the initial celebrations happened when Tokyo (then known as Edo) became the new center of Japan. During the parade, you’ll see over 500 people dressed in traditional garb, playing drums, and carrying enormous floats throughout the route.

Date: June 6–9, 2024

Torikoe Matsuri is another Tokyo-based festival located at Torikoe-jinja Shrine near Kuramae. Here, during the procession, you’ll witness people carrying the heaviest mikoshi (portable shrine) in all of Tokyo. It weighs a whopping four tons and is certainly the star of the show when it comes to this matsuri. On the festival’s last day, the enormous mikoshi draws in heavy crowds as the procession begins bright and early by the shrine around 6 a.m. and returns after dark.

Date: June 30 to July 2 annually

Aizen Matsuri is often referred to as the first major summer festival of the year in Osaka. It’s one of the top three biggest Osaka festivals.

Taking place around Aizen-do Temple, affectionately known as “Aizen-san” by the locals, this festival is dedicated to the Buddhist god of good luck, charms, love, and marriage. In fact, this matsuri dates back over 1,400 years, when it was initially established to pray for good luck and health. One of the most unique parts of this festival is its Hoekago Parade. Around 10 women are hoisted onto a palanquin and paraded through the streets towards the temple. It’s quite a sight, especially as the women are chosen from a recruitment process of 300 to 400 applicants!

Date: June 5–9, 2024

If you’re headed up north to Hokkaido this summer, don’t miss the Yosakoi Soran Matsuri. You’ll find this dance festival in Odori Park, where it’s been a staple summer event since 1992. Yosakoi is a type of team dancing that started in the 1950s as a more modern form of the traditional Awa Odori dance. While Awa Odori was born out of Buddhist customs, making it a much more ritualistic dance, Yosakoi has very few rules. Yosakoi is usually accompanied by drums, chanting, and flag-waving, making for a lively and spirited show.  

Date: Second Saturday of June annually

Over in Iwate, check out the Chagu Chagu Umakko horse festival. Featuring about 60 costumed horses, the onomatopoeia chagu-chagu comes from the sound made by the bells they wear on their colorful and elaborately decorated clothing. Historically, this festival dates back to the olden days when farmers would visit shrines to give thanks for their horses, whose strength allowed them to work the fields and reap a bountiful harvest.

Parade participants ride the horses from Onikoshi Sozen-jinja Shrine in Takizawa to Morioka Hachiman-gu Shrine. The horses (and their riders) leave early in the morning, trotting to the second shrine and arriving by the late afternoon. Spectators eagerly gather all along the route to see the horses in action and give the riders encouragement.

Date: May 31–June 2, 2024

Back in the feudal age of Edo-period Japan, Kaga (ancient province of modern-day Ishikawa) was the biggest domain in the land. This particular festival celebrates Kanazawa City’s golden age and all the traditions that came with it. It’s the biggest festival in the city and is held over the course of three days. 

Special ceremonies include a water-drawing ceremony from a sacred well, a grand tea ceremony, parades, and more. 

Date: June 22–23, 2024

Of all the yukata festivals in Japan, Himeji Yukata Matsuri is the oldest at over 260 years old. Yukata are breathable, lightweight kimonos often worn during the hot and humid summer months. Many people wear their yukata at any festival, but at a yukata matsuri, they make the extra effort to don their best. 

This huge evening festival has many stalls for bites and drinks and some entertainment. If you come dressed in a yukata, you’ll even get discounts on nearby attractions like the zoo, museum, and Himeji Castle!

Date: June 24 annually

Izawanomiya Otaue Matsuri is one of Japan's three major festivals celebrating otaue — a Shinto ritual revolving around the planting and sowing of rice. This matsuri takes place on June 24 at Izawa-no-miya Shrine, one of more than 120 Shinto shrines that make up the famous Ise Jingu shrine complex in Mie.

Folklore says the festival marks the day seven mystical sharks swam the Nogawa River to visit the shrine. Legend has it that they visit even now, so local fishermen stop their activity during this time to avoid accidentally catching a shark.