Five Japanese Festivals Not to Miss in May 2025

Come May, spring is in full swing in Japan. The mild and pleasant weather makes for excellent outdoor activities.

Many flower festivals starting in April continue well into this month, so this is an excellent time to see wisteria, nemophila, and other spring flowers in bloom if you haven’t already. And for those who missed the cherry blossoms in late March or early April, consider heading north to the Tohoku region or Hokkaido to catch sight of those ephemeral pink flowers.

Additionally, marking the start of May in Japan is a string of consecutive holidays collectively called Golden Week. It may not be a literal week’s worth of holidays, but it’s common for citizens to take time off work and relax for the entire week.

As Golden Week is a time when many Japanese people travel, it’s a busy period for the domestic travel sector, which means that anyone planning a trip during the first week of May is highly encouraged to make all necessary arrangements well in advance. Even so, expect prices for transportation and accommodation to be higher than usual during this time.

But don’t let the Golden Week travel rush discourage you from visiting Japan in May, as some of Japan’s best-known festivals take place during this period, and they’re spectacles worth seeing! Regardless of when you’ll be visiting in May, you’ll find a variety of cultural and flower festivals throughout the month. Here are five Japanese May festivals you won’t want to miss.

Date: May 3-4 annually

Widely considered to be Japan’s largest Golden Week festival is the bombastic Hakata Dontaku Festival, held annually on May 3–4 (both public holidays in Japan). Though the current incarnation of this festival started in the 20th century after World War II, it has a long history dating back all the way to 1179, when it was a Lunar New Year parade called Matsubayashi.

To give you an idea of just how large the Hakata Dontaku Festival is, in a span of just two days, it boasts over 30,000 participating performers and attracts over two million visitors from Fukuoka and beyond each year. It’s one of Fukuoka’s top three festivals, and one of Japan’s largest festivals (if not the largest).

Fukuoka City becomes one big stage during the Hakata Dontaku Festival, with its major thoroughfare Meiji-dori Avenue being closed to traffic to make way for two large-scale parades.

The first of these two parades is the Hakata Matsubayashi, a tribute to the festival’s roots. Dressed as the three gods of good fortune, performers on horseback lead a group of dancing and chanting children on a procession around the city, visiting local companies for courtesy calls along the way — just as the performers of the original Matsubayashi would pay their respects to their feudal lord.

Meanwhile, the other is the lively Dontaku Parade, which sees a multitude of performers in colorful costumes, marching bands, and buses called hana-jidosha (“flower cars”) that are decked out with flashy floats. Many dances involve the use of a shamoji (rice scoop) as a clapper, leading to this simple household object becoming a symbol of sorts for this festival.

And if those still aren’t enough, the festivities come to a close with a dance festival, and everyone is welcome to join in on the fun!

Those are just the main activities, mind you! During the Hakata Dontaku Festival, the streets of Fukuoka are dotted with smaller stages featuring various performances, and of course, food and drinks are available so that guests can make merry.

To be at the center of the action, you’ll want to stay near the festival’s main hub of Dontaku Square (Dontaku Hiroba), just a stone’s throw from Nakasu-Kawabata Station. Served by the Fukuoka City Subway’s Hakozaki Line and Kuko Line, this station is minutes away from Fukuoka’s main station, Hakata.

Date: April 1-May 6 annually

Another Golden Week holiday is Children’s Day on May 5, a day to wish for the health and happiness of all the little ones out there. Closely associated with this occasion is the koinobori, a streamer designed like a carp that’s placed up high to flutter in the wind and convey people’s hopes for their children’s future.

Koinobori displays can be found all over Japan as the day approaches, but one of the most beautiful koinobori festivals is the one at Kumamoto’s Tsuetate Onsen, a tranquil hot spring village nestled in a valley. Once bustling, Tsuetate has seen its tourism boom quiet down; nowadays, it appeals to visitors who enjoy small, quiet towns with a nostalgic ambience.

One of the times of the year when Tsuetate Onsen sees an uptick in visitors is from April 1 to May 6, when it holds its Koinobori Festival. A large number of koinobori streamers — once in the hundreds but reaching over 3,000 in 2023 — are hung above the Tsuetate River, which flows through the town, making the colorful carps appear as if they’re soaring high above the water. These streamers are lovingly created by local volunteers, so the town takes pride in these gorgeous creations.

The koinobori are lit up at night, and on weekends during the festival’s duration, there may occasionally be food and merchandise stalls, as well as performances and other events.

While some visit Tsuetate Onsen just for the koinobori, it would be a waste not to take a soak in its piping-hot, slightly alkaline waters and sauna-like steam baths. Come for the koinobori; stay for the hot springs (and the nighttime illuminations)!

Taking place at Fuji Motosuko Resort near Lake Motosu of the Fuji Five Lakes, this festival boasts over 500,000 shiba-zakura of eight different types, covering the ground in bursts of color. The contrast between these vivid blossoms — especially the iconic hot pink or fuchsia ones — and the snow-tipped Mount Fuji in the background is a treat for the eyes. You can even capture two Mount Fujis in one photo, as this festival also features a mound of shiba-zakura arranged to look like Japan’s most famous mountain!

Also available at this event are shiba-zakura-themed souvenirs, fresh local produce, and food stalls offering tasty local specialties of the Mount Fuji area and surrounding Yamanashi.

With direct buses to and from Shinjuku and easy access from Kawaguchiko Station, the Fuji Shibazakura Festival makes for an easy day trip from Tokyo. But why make it a day trip when you can spend the night in the Fuji Five Lakes area and take it easy? After all, there’s a wealth of sightseeing attractions and outdoor activities in this area, especially near the more popular lakes such as Lake Kawaguchi.

Date: May 15 annually

As the cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto is steeped in ancient traditions, and among them is the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto’s three main festivals. Held annually on May 15, this festival’s history goes all the way back to the 6th century; it’s named after a hollyhock-like plant called aoi, whose leaves are used as decorations and offerings throughout the festival.

Aoi Matsuri started out in ancient times as a series of ritual performances to appease the gods and pray for a bountiful harvest, but it has since evolved into a solemn and formal tradition associated with two of Kyoto’s most significant Shinto shrines: Shimogamo and Kamigamo.

While there is usually a series of pre-events leading up to May 15, the big day involves a procession of participants dressed in Heian-period clothing, which starts at the former Imperial Palace, passes through Shimogamo-jinja Shrine, and ends at Kamigamo-jinja Shrine.

The most significant figure in this procession is the Saio-dai, an Imperial Princess depicted by an unmarried woman in Kyoto who’s selected through a rigorous process. Accompanying the Saio-dai are other figures from the era, such as an imperial messenger, court nobles, ladies-in-waiting, and more — some of them leading horses and oxcarts.

Watching this refined ceremonial festival is like being whisked back in time to the Heian period (794–1185). It’s also an opportunity to see other traditional Japanese arts such as yabusame (horseback archery).

Since this festival takes place in central Kyoto, you can’t go wrong with a stay near Kyoto Station, where you can take your pick from an array of transportation options!

Date: Third weekend of May annually 

In contrast to the Aoi Matsuri, Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri (held annually on the third weekend of May) is a rowdy three-day affair that involves a procession of roughly 100 mikoshi (portable shrines) around the streets of Asakusa. This is one of Tokyo’s three main festivals, and, with crowds of about two million or so visitors each year, it’s also one of the country's largest.

As a testament to the syncretism of Buddhism and Shinto in Japan, this festival honors the three founders of Asakusa’s famous Senso-ji Temple, who have been deified as Shinto deities (despite Senso-ji technically being a Buddhist temple). The festival’s epicenter is Asakusa-jinja Shrine, located on the grounds of Senso-ji, and its main attractions are the shrine’s three elaborate mikoshi, which are paraded around the neighborhood on the last day of the festival.

Accompanying the mikoshi parades are the pulsating beats of taiko drums, flute melodies, traditional dance performances, appearances by local geisha, loud and energetic chants, and many other side attractions.

If you’re in Asakusa while this festival is taking place, you need not wander off too far to catch a glimpse; it’s no exaggeration to say that the parade will pass through all of Asakusa!