2026 · October 6–12, 14–18, 20–25, 27–31; November 1, 3–8, 10–15, 17–23, 25–29KyotoExhibitionsOngoing
Kyoto National Museum’s 2026 special exhibition traces how The Tale of Genji shaped manuscripts, painting, decorative arts, textiles and performing traditions across centuries. The travelling project is planned around approximately 250 cultural properties across its venues; for Kyoto, the museum’s dated object list is the guide to what is actually on view on each visit date.
Choose your date around the work you most want to see. The National Treasure Tale of Genji Scroll shows Hashihime from 3–15 November and Yadorigi III from 17–29 November. The Teika manuscript Wakamurasaki is shown throughout, while all five surviving Teika Genji volumes appear together only from 3–15 November. Part I, 6 October–1 November, includes the Wakamurasaki leaf from an Important Cultural Property album, a portrait of Murasaki Shikibu and the Sekiya/Miotsukushi screens. Part II, 3–29 November, includes a pale-blue kosode. The Hatsune trousseau Uji incense box and Uji Princesses are listed throughout.
This is a strong reason to plan a Kyoto museum visit by date rather than by the exhibition title alone. Some objects rotate within the two broad parts, and the museum may change works or display periods, so check the current Kyoto object list before travelling.
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- Venue
- Kyoto National Museum, Heisei Chishinkan Wing
- Nearest station
- Shichijo Station (Keihan Main Line), about 7 minutes on foot
- Reservation
- Usually not required
2026 · October 3–4, 6–12, 14–18, 20–25, 27–31; November 1, 3–8, 10–15, 17–23, 25–29; December 1–6, 8–13, 15–20TokyoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
The Tokyo leg of this touring exhibition traces Marimekko’s printmaking and design history through more than 60 dresses, celebrated patterns, archival material and new installations.
The exhibition follows Marimekko from Armi Ratia’s founding of the company in 1951 through a design archive of more than 3,500 prints. More than 60 dresses connect fabric patterns to changing silhouettes, while named works such as Unikko, Seireeni, Iso Unikko, Kaivo and Siirtolapuutarha show how recurring motifs moved across decades and collections.
The Tokyo presentation also includes plaplax’s video installation about the Helsinki print factory and a new installation by Akira Minagawa. Japanese connections include designers Katsuji Wakisaka and Fujiwo Ishimoto. The Main Building—the former Prince Asaka residence—adds an Art Deco architectural setting to the design history; it should not be mistaken for a Marimekko installation itself.
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- Venue
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building and Annex
- Nearest station
- Shirokanedai or Meguro Station
- Reservation
- Check ahead
2026 · September 5–6, 12–13, 19–27; October 3–4, 10–12, 17–18, 24–25, 31; November 1, 3, 7–8, 14–15, 21–23, 28–29OsakaSeasonal openingsOngoing
Osaka Castle’s autumn special opening lets visitors enter the usually closed Tamon and Sengan turrets. These surviving defensive buildings offer a closer look at the castle’s working fortifications, with admission also covering Nishinomaru Garden. The season has 34 planned opening dates, rather than daily access throughout September–November.
Start with the turrets’ defensive purpose: watching approaches and protecting the castle through openings for arrows and matchlocks. At Sengan, the official tourism programme describes aiming a replica matchlock through a gunport toward Otemon Gate. It is an aiming experience, not gunfire. Seeing the openings from inside helps explain how these buildings functioned as more than decorative landmarks.
The surviving structures belong to the castle rebuilt under the Tokugawa shogunate after the fall of the Toyotomi family. Compare those enclosed defensive spaces with Nishinomaru Garden’s open lawns and views of the main tower and stone walls. This autumn visit covers Tamon and Sengan; the Inui turret’s summer opening is a separate, completed season.
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- Venue
- Tamon and Sengan turrets, Nishinomaru Garden, Osaka Castle Park
- Nearest station
- Tanimachi 4-chome Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
2026 · August 14–16; September 19–23; October 10–11, 17–18, 24–25OsakaSeasonal openingsOngoing
Tennoji Zoo stays open into the evening on 14 specific dates in August, September and October. Lights come on around 17:00, offering a chance to observe the zoo beyond its usual opening hours. Plan around the animal-house timetable: the zoo closes at 20:00, but several areas finish much earlier.
The attraction is the change from an afternoon zoo visit to an evening walk, with time to observe how the animals behave as the light changes. Under the zoo’s timetable updated on 18 October, the bird areas, small-animal house and bear house close at 17:30. The monkey and baboon house, indoor chimpanzee room and Polar Bear Coast close at 18:00. The nocturnal animal house, Penguin Park & Sea Lion Wharf, Reptile House Ifar and Southern Hemisphere House have published viewing times until 19:45. Outdoor chimpanzees go indoors at 15:30 even on Night Zoo dates.
A stamp rally runs on all 14 Night Zoo dates, with stamp stations around the grounds. On 17 and 18 October only, the animal-search BINGO adds a separate activity: find LED animals hidden among the illuminations on the lawn beside the multipurpose plaza, from 17:00 to 19:45. Completing BINGO earns a prize. The illuminations also operate on the other Night Zoo dates, but the BINGO activity does not.
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- Venue
- Tennoji Zoo
- Nearest station
- Tennoji Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
April 28, 2026 8:45 PM – October 31, 2026 9:05 PM JSTToyakoFireworks FestivalsRecurring
Lake Toya Long-Run Fireworks 2026 is a bounded nightly fireworks season scheduled by the Lake Toya Onsen Tourism Association from April 28 to October 31, with launches from 20:45 to about 21:05 along the Lake Toya Onsen lakeside. Treat it as a Hokkaido regional overnight or lake-stay plan, not as a Sapporo city event or a quick same-night add-on.
This is a strong fit if you are already staying around Lake Toya or building a regional Hokkaido night around the onsen area. It is weaker as a casual day trip from Sapporo because official pages do not promise event-night transport capacity, parking availability, taxi supply or a fast return.
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- Venue
- Lake Toya Onsen lakeside
- Nearest station
- JR Toya Station / 洞爺駅
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 12, 2026 – November 1, 2026MatsuyamaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Bansuiso brings together 55 artists from 12 countries for an international contemporary-art exhibition inside its historic French-style villa. Art Connection explores different ideas and materials in rooms built for a very different era, adding an art stop to a visit around Matsuyama Castle.
The setting is central to the experience. Completed in 1922, Bansuiso has a history as a place of hospitality and social gatherings; this exhibition places contemporary expression within that architectural setting. Look at how a work’s material, scale and mood relate to the room around it, rather than treating the building simply as a container for pictures.
The participating artists come from Japan, South Korea, the United States and countries across Europe and Asia. The appeal is the range of approaches gathered in one historic place: compare works across that variety rather than expecting a single artist’s retrospective. This is a useful pairing for visitors interested in both contemporary art and the villa’s French-style architecture.
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- Venue
- Bansuiso, 3-3-7 Ichibancho, Matsuyama
- Nearest station
- Okaido tram stop
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 10, 2026 – November 1, 2026TakamatsuCultural exhibitionsOngoing
The Kagawa Museum’s postwar chapter of Showa Life examines how everyday life changed as electricity spread through Kagawa. Marking 100 years since the start of the Showa era in 1926, it uses familiar household objects and local records to connect larger social changes with individual lives.
Three objects offer a useful route through the exhibition. A visitor guide to the 1949 Takamatsu Tourism Exposition links the rebuilding of a city damaged by wartime air raids with the promotion of local sights and products. A 1956 Toshiba ER-5 electric rice cooker, used in a household in what is now Higashikagawa, brings that story into the kitchen.
A hand-knitted sweater from the Showa 30s, roughly 1955–1964, adds the perspective of someone who learned knitting and dressmaking after work and followed a pattern in Kurashi no Techo magazine. Together, these objects let you compare public reconstruction, domestic technology and handmade clothing. The earlier prewar and wartime phase ended on 6 September; the current display is the postwar phase.
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- Venue
- The Kagawa Museum, 2F permanent exhibition rooms 4–5
- Nearest station
- Kataharamachi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 24, 2026 – November 3, 2026HiroshimaOngoing
Autumn Green Fair 2026
09:00–16:30, last entry 16:00; garden entry free during the fair. Workshops have separate dates, capacities and fees. Some outdoor activities cancel in rain.
Seasonal flowers, garden walks and selected hands-on sessions make this a botanical-garden outing. Choose a workshop date rather than assuming the full programme runs daily.
- Venue
- Hiroshima Botanical Garden, Saeki, Hiroshima
July 19, 2026 – November 3, 2026OsakaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Aki Sasamoto turns ordinary objects, sound and movement into changing installations at the National Museum of Art, Osaka. This Osaka version reshapes the 2025 Tokyo exhibition and adds works from the museum’s collection. The installations can be visited during exhibition hours; seeing Sasamoto perform requires a separately scheduled session.
Look for the contrast between Wrong Happy Hour, with its coffee and bar apparatus, and Yield Point, which brings a dumpster, trampoline materials and material-testing videos into the gallery. In catch or be caught and Sounding Lines, motors and springs give familiar materials another role. Following how objects are suspended, connected or set in motion is a useful way into Sasamoto’s experiments with everyday habits, language and physical forces. A performance adds the artist’s speech and movement to that setting, but it is not part of every visit.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- National Museum of Art, Osaka — B3 galleries
- Nearest station
- Watanabebashi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 19, 2026 – November 8, 2026TokyoOngoing
Water Margin — Tokyo Station Gallery
19 Sep–8 Nov; 10:00–18:00, Fridays to 20:00, last entry 30 minutes before close. Monday closure with holiday/final-week/Silver Week exceptions; consult calendar.
Chinese and Japanese artworks trace the novel's reception; this is a temporary exhibition, not a daily live performance.
- Venue
- Tokyo Station Gallery, Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo
October 24, 2026 – November 8, 2026HiroshimaOngoing
Hiroshima Castle Chrysanthemum Exhibition
10:00–16:30; opening ceremony 24 Oct at 10:30; closes 15:30 on 8 Nov. Free public display. Recheck notices before an outdoor visit.
Chrysanthemum displays fill the Ninomaru grounds, offering a seasonal garden stop beside the castle. This is the outdoor exhibition, not a promise of castle-building access.
- Venue
- Hiroshima Castle Ninomaru, Motomachi, Hiroshima
October 3, 2026 – November 8, 2026MatsuyamaOngoing
Jimmy Onishi: Hometown — Ehime
09:40–18:00, last entry 17:30. Closed 6/13/19/26 Oct and 4 Nov. Adult on-the-day ticket ¥1,200; separate school-age rates and concessions. One entry during the exhibition period.
Original works connect Jimmy Onishi’s painting with places that shaped his travels and creative life. It adds a museum visit near the castle park beyond Bansuiso.
- Venue
- The Museum of Art, Ehime, main building 1F, Horinouchi, Matsuyama
September 12, 2026 – November 8, 2026SapporoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Tatsuya Tanaka’s MINIATURE LIFE 2 brings about 180 photographs and three-dimensional miniature works to Gallery B at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. Tiny figures and familiar objects become landscapes, buildings and comic situations through the Japanese idea of mitate: seeing one thing as another.
A baumkuchen becomes a rainbow in お菓子な虹, while sushi becomes a city in おスシティー. Comparing the photographed scenes with the miniature objects makes the shifts of scale and viewpoint part of the visit. Two Hokkaido-exclusive works take their subject from HTB’s television programme 水曜どうでしょう: 胃袋ギュウギュウ、モ〜限界 and 失“パイ”は成功のもと. These local additions give returning fans something specific to seek out, alongside photo spots that place visitors inside a miniature-world setting.
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- Venue
- Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art — Gallery B
- Nearest station
- Nishi-18-chome Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 12, 2026 – November 8, 2026OkayamaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Lacquer Landscapes at the Hayashibara Museum of Art explores how famous places, seasonal flowers and birds become decoration on lacquer furnishings. Gold and silver maki-e, carved lacquer and iridescent mother-of-pearl offer different ways to depict nature on objects made for use.
Look for shelves decorated with Yoshino Mountain and the Tatsuta River, and inkstone boxes featuring Sakurabashi and Hamamatsu. The exhibition lets you follow a landscape across the surfaces of a functional object, then compare it with furnishings decorated with flowers, butterflies, birds and lions.
The techniques reward close looking: gold and silver decoration contrasts with black lacquer, carved surfaces create another kind of detail, and mother-of-pearl changes the effect of colour and light. Comparing these approaches makes the visit especially worthwhile for visitors interested in decorative arts, materials and the relationship between useful objects and images.
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- Venue
- Hayashibara Museum of Art, 2-7-15 Marunouchi, Okayama
- Nearest station
- Kencho-dori tram stop
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 20, 2026 – November 15, 2026KyotoOngoing
Kyoto Botanical Gardens Chrysanthemum Exhibition 2026
09:00–17:00, entry until 16:00. These are this venue's dates, not the umbrella listing's wider dates.
A seasonal chrysanthemum display is distinct from the gardens' permanent planting.
- Venue
- Great Lawn temporary display, Kyoto Botanical Gardens, Kyoto
October 17, 2026 – November 15, 2026NagoyaOngoing
Yattokame Cultural Festival DOORS 2026
17 Oct–15 Nov; separately scheduled performances, walks and cultural sessions across the city, not continuous admission.
Traditional performance and neighbourhood walks offer different ways into Nagoya's cultural history. Choose a specific session, location and application condition rather than treating the month-long range as a drop-in schedule.
- Venue
- Multiple programme venues within Nagoya city
October 8, 2026 – November 15, 2026NagoyaOngoing
Tokimeku Hako: The Art of Boxes
8 Oct–15 Nov, 10:00–17:00; last admission 16:30. Closed Mondays except 12 Oct; closed 13 Oct.
Look beyond decoration to how boxes protected, carried and recorded valued objects. The focus on containers makes this a different visit from the museum's general collection displays.
- Venue
- Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya
September 12, 2026 12:00 PM – November 23, 2026 5:00 PM JSTOkayamaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
About 250 pre-Common-Era gold objects show how ancient societies across West and East Asia and Central and South America used gold to express power, belief and technical skill. The special exhibition is scheduled through November 23 at Okayama City Orient Museum; the museum’s regular collection display is unavailable during the run.
Look at how gold carried ideas about power and belief, as well as how it was worked. The museum's highlights connect decorated vessels, ornaments and offerings across ancient cultures, including fine granulation made by joining tiny gold beads. For a focused visit, choose the making techniques or the meanings of the objects as your thread instead of trying to absorb every historical period.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Okayama City Orient Museum
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 9, 2026 – November 23, 2026OsakaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
New Discoveries: Naniwa Archaeology 2026 brings about 150 objects to the Osaka Museum of History’s eighth-floor feature gallery. Finds mainly from fiscal 2024–25 excavations trace the city from early settlements through Naniwa Palace, Toyotomi Osaka Castle and Edo-period metalworking.
Start with jars from Nagahara: their bases grow rounder across the late Yayoi to early Kofun sequence, and soot suggests cooking use. Compare them with eighth-century Naniwa Palace tiles, including an eaves tile with three concentric rings, then with fragments of gold-leaf tiles from Toyotomi Osaka Castle. Small handled crucibles from the later castle town carry metal residue; comparison with nearby finds suggests possible brass casting, rather than a confirmed identification. These objects make the layers under modern Osaka tangible, from household routines to palace building and urban craft.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Osaka Museum of History — 8F feature gallery
- Nearest station
- Tanimachi 4-chome Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
July 11, 2026 – November 23, 2026KyotoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
At Kyoto City Archaeological Museum, excavated objects, maps and photographs explain how Toyotomi Hideyoshi changed Kyoto in little more than a decade. Castles, new roads, temple districts and earthworks reveal a city repeatedly reshaped, rather than an ancient street plan left untouched.
The exhibition follows six themes: Kyoto before Hideyoshi; Myokenji Castle and Jurakudai; the Tensho-era land divisions, Teramachi, Odoi earthworks, Kyoto Shinjo and the court-noble district; Fushimi and Yodo castles; Hokoji’s Great Buddha; and tea ceramics excavated in Kyoto. This range links political projects to changes in the streets and objects of everyday urban life.
A particular highlight is the gold-leaf roof tiles from Fushimi Castle excavated at Toryo Junior High School. Alongside the artifacts, excavation photographs and historical map panels help relate fragments to places. The introduction also shows an excavation photograph of Shigetsu Fushimi Castle’s stone wall: viewing it as archaeological evidence helps connect a vanished complex with what survives below ground.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Kyoto City Archaeological Museum — 1F special exhibition
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 12, 2026 – November 23, 2026KochiSeasonal openingsOngoing
A temporary outdoor platform beside Sakamoto Ryoma’s statue at Katsurahama brings visitors close to its face and up to its Pacific Ocean sightline. About 13 metres high, the seasonal structure changes how you see a familiar Kochi landmark: you can study the statue’s profile and look out to sea from beside it.
The main attraction is the change of viewpoint. From the ground, Ryoma stands high above you; from the seasonal platform, his side profile and the horizon become the focus. The organizer also provides a giant Ryoma face-in-hole panel for commemorative photographs. This is a short outdoor viewing experience, with the sea and the statue as its subjects.
It adds a reason to time a Katsurahama visit for autumn if Ryoma or landmark photography interests you. For a separate museum visit, the optional combination ticket includes the Kochi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum. The platform admission alone does not include that museum.
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- Venue
- Beside the Sakamoto Ryoma statue, Katsurahama Park, Urado, Kochi
- Nearest station
- JR Kochi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 19, 2026 – November 23, 2026MatsumotoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
For the Former Kaichi School’s 150th anniversary, an exhibition of drawings preserved by the Tateishi family explores how Matsumoto carpenter Tateishi Seijū planned and built the school and other buildings. All seven plans designated as associated National Treasure material are shown alongside drawings for Seba School, Matsumoto Court and newly discovered wooden working drawings.
The seven Kaichi plans make the school’s layout a subject to study, rather than simply a backdrop to a visit. Look at how rooms and circulation were planned, then relate the drawings to the building around you. Tateishi combined Japanese and Western forms at a time when local carpenters were adapting traditional woodworking skills to unfamiliar architectural designs.
Drawings for Seba School, completed in 1877, and Matsumoto Court, completed in 1878, broaden that comparison beyond Kaichi. The exhibition also presents newly discovered drawings on wooden boards for the first time, including an entrance elevation. These were working drawings used at construction sites. Comparing paper plans with the boards shifts attention from the finished facade to the decisions and drawing methods behind construction.
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- Venue
- Former Kaichi School, first-floor special exhibition room and other areas
- Nearest station
- Matsumoto Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 9, 2026 – November 29, 2026OkayamaOngoing
Insects: Takeshi Yoro and Kenji Kohiyama
09:00–17:00; 9 Oct opens 10:00; 31 Oct/28 Nov until 19:00, last entry 30 min before. Closed 13/19/26 Oct, 9/16 Nov. Adults¥1,500 (advance¥1,300 through 8 Oct); university/high-school¥1,000, school¥500. Lecture/fieldtrip booking is separate.
Detailed insect photographs offer an art-and-nature choice; ordinary exhibition entry does not depend on winning a lecture lottery.
- Venue
- Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, 8-48 Tenjincho, Okayama
October 10, 2026 – November 29, 2026TakamatsuOngoing
Moving! Light, Sound and Motion: 100 Years of Art
09:30–17:00, Fri/Sat until 19:00, last entry 30 min before. Closed Mondays except 12 Oct/23 Nov; 13 Oct/24 Nov closed. Adults¥1,200, university¥600, high-school age and younger free.
Light, sound and movement shape the exhibition. The existing 11 Oct artist talk is a separate 1F auditorium event, not included as another exhibition session.
- Venue
- Takamatsu City Museum of Art, 2F exhibition rooms, 10-4 Konya-machi, Takamatsu
September 10, 2026 – November 29, 2026KagoshimaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Reimeikan marks 120 years since the death of the 12th Chin Jukan (1835–1906) with ceramics and documents tracing his work and the history of Naeshirogawa. The exhibition connects a community descended from Korean potters with Satsuma ware’s development for overseas markets, bringing objects, designs and business records into the same story.
Look closely at the decorated tiger and Ohara-woman figures by the 12th Chin Jukan, both from the later nineteenth century. Their modelled shapes offer a different way to understand ceramic decoration from the broad painted surface of an 1857 blue-and-white dish showing pine, bamboo, plum, cranes and tortoises. Comparing the figures and the dish makes the range of form and ornament concrete.
Documents widen that view beyond individual objects. A Naeshirogawa history record connects the ceramics with the community, while an 1892 catalogue of items intended for the Chicago exposition reveals the world of overseas display and trade. The exhibition follows Korean customs retained under the domain’s protection and control, and Chin Jukan’s pottery enterprise, 玉光山陶器製造場. Read the vessels and figures alongside those records to see how local production became part of a wider commercial story.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Reimeikan, 3F planned exhibition room, 7-2 Shiroyamacho, Kagoshima City
- Nearest station
- Shiyakushomae tram stop
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 19, 2026 – November 29, 2026NagoyaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Nagoya City Art Museum brings together 70 paintings by 42 artists from Cologne’s Wallraf–Richartz Museum & Fondation Corboud. Six sections follow painting from Realism and the Barbizon school through Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Pointillism to 20th-century colour. Van Gogh’s Drawbridge is part of this wider story of artists finding new ways to see and paint.
Begin with the contrast between Van Gogh’s 1885 painting of a farmhouse in Nuenen and his 1888 Drawbridge. Seeing the two within a larger exhibition lets you compare his work with different approaches to landscape, everyday subjects and colour, rather than treating the famous bridge as an isolated highlight.
The selection also includes Manet’s bunch of asparagus, Monet’s fishing boats at Étretat, Cézanne’s still life with pears, Signac’s Capo di Noli and Matisse’s old mill in Corsica. Follow the six sections and compare how recognisable subjects are constructed through brushwork and colour. The sequence connects the painters who preceded Impressionism with those who developed different forms of expression after it. The published checklist contains 70 entries, although the museum notes that displayed works may change.
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- Venue
- Nagoya City Art Museum, Shirakawa Park
- Nearest station
- Fushimi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 19, 2026 – November 29, 2026KumamotoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Seven artists at the Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto explore how personal experience can become a public voice. The exhibition begins with Mitsuko Tabe’s 1961 essay and work Placard, then connects her challenge to social inequality with six artists working through photographs, moving images, installations and small sculptural objects.
The exhibition gives Tabe’s ideas a substantial presence through 26 of her works. Her five-part Placard uses collage and kiss marks on sliding-door panels, making the choice of materials part of its challenge to established forms. Artificial Placenta grew from her experience of pregnancy and women’s inequality; the museum holds the 2004 recreation, since the 1961 original no longer survives. These works provide a starting point for asking how an experience that is difficult to express can take a visible form.
The six other artists approach that question in distinct ways. Tomoko Ushijima combines words on irregular washi with an installation rooted in daily life and making. Lieko Shiga presents the re-edited video installation 風の吹くとき (2022–2025) and two photographs, drawing on her experience of the 2011 disaster and reconstruction. Shingo Kanagawa’s ongoing projects 祈り／長崎 and 明るくていい部屋 reconsider family and faith through his own life and body.
Look closely at scale and materials: Sawako Tanizawa’s tiny ceramic-paper placards give form to voices that history has suppressed, while her cut-paper works enter into dialogue with earlier women artists. Yuki Iiyama’s film 海の観音さまに会いにいく follows a family trying to engage with the hallucinations experienced by her sister. Yuriko Sasaoka’s new 2026 Working Pig turns an old stuffed toy into a singing pig that asks its human audience about labour. Together, the works invite attention to how an image is made and who gets to speak, as well as to the subjects depicted.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Galleries I and II
- Nearest station
- Torichosuji tram stop
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 12, 2026 – November 30, 2026MatsumotoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
The Baba Family Residence in Uchida opens its usually closed middle gate for an autumn walk through the small courtyard. You can also approach the front of the retirement house and see it and the tearoom at closer range. The setting is a preserved family estate on the edge of the Matsumoto plain.
The middle gate gives this seasonal opening a particular meaning: in the Edo period, it was opened for visits by the Suwa lord of Takashima. Passing through it lets you look at the relationship between the main household, the courtyard and the retirement house. A waterwheel once turned in the courtyard; today, that history helps explain how the estate combined buildings and landscape.
The wider residence includes an 1851 main house in the regional honmune-zukuri style and an imposing front gate with longhouses built in 1859. Compare the carefully designed reception spaces with everyday living spaces, then look at the woodland and earth banks around the estate. An 1895 house plan helped guide the restoration, giving the visit a connection to how the family actually arranged its home.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Baba Family Residence, Uchida
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 3, 2026 – December 6, 2026OsakaOngoing
Andrew Wyeth — Osaka
Tue–Fri 10:00–20:00; Mon/weekends/holidays 10:00–18:00; closed 5 Oct. Last entry 30 minutes before close; works rotate 4 Nov.
Wyeth's people and landscapes anchor this temporary show; check the exhibition period if you want particular works.
- Venue
- Abeno Harukas Art Museum, 16F, Abeno, Osaka
October 3, 2026 – December 6, 2026KumamotoOngoing
Two Kumamoto Castles — Toyotomi and the End of Sengoku Higo
09:00–17:00. Closed Mondays, or Tuesday after a Monday holiday. Included in museum admission: adults ¥400. Related talks and tours may require separate advance registration.
Excavated objects and models trace the earlier castle and changes in Higo. The museum adds historical context to a castle-area trip, with its own admission and opening schedule.
- Venue
- Kumamoto City Museum, second-floor Special Exhibition Room, Kumamoto
October 10, 2026 – December 13, 2026MatsuyamaOngoing
From Painting to Mass Media
09:40–18:00, last entry 17:30. Closed 13/19/26 Oct; 4/9/16/24/30 Nov; 8 Dec. Adults ¥340, high-school/university students ¥230; listed concessions apply. Check the exact closure dates rather than a weekly assumption.
Yanase Masamu and Manabe Hiro moved from painting into graphics, cartoons and illustration. Their contrasting paths offer a focused introduction to artists connected with Ehime.
- Venue
- The Museum of Art, Ehime, main building 2F collection rooms 1–2, Horinouchi, Matsuyama
September 1, 2026 – December 13, 2026TakamatsuCultural exhibitionsOngoing
The Kagawa Museum brings together paintings and prints of the prefecture, seen both as a hometown and as a place to visit. Seven works appear across the exhibition’s run, with two shown in different phases. This small collection display connects the scenery of a Kagawa trip with artists’ views of changing towns, coastal industry, temples and gardens.
Look at how each artist chooses to describe a place. Nakamura Eisuke’s Inokuma Residence (1979) finds an old house in a changing town, while Tanaka Takashi’s The Last Day of the Salt Fields (1972) records the year Kagawa’s salt fields were abolished. Fujishima Takeji’s Sunrise over Mount Goken (1932) captures a passing moment of dawn from Yashima. Kado Taku’s 艶景（讃山） (1983) brings several landmarks together symbolically, rather than painting a single literal view; Takeda Saburo’s Motoyamaji Temple (1980) uses the lines, restrained colour and empty spaces of a woodcut.
The two rotating works offer another comparison. Nakanishi Toshio’s Ritsurin Garden (1936), a watercolour arranging the garden in layers before Mount Shiun, is shown only from 1 September to 12 October. Hirayama Ikuo’s Tsuda Pine Grove (1988), with blue sea and a golden sky beyond the pines, follows from 14 October to 13 December. The museum is closed for the changeover on 13 October; the seven works are not all on view at once.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- The Kagawa Museum — Permanent Exhibition Room 2, 2F
- Nearest station
- Kataharamachi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 10, 2026 – December 20, 2026OsakaOngoing
50 Years of NHK Sunday Art Museum
10:00–17:00, last entry 16:30. Closed Mondays, 13 Oct/24 Nov; open 12 Oct/23 Nov. Some works rotate.
Artworks and programme footage are shown together; the museum exhibition is separate from watching the television broadcast.
- Venue
- Nakanoshima Museum of Art, 5F, Kita, Osaka
October 9, 2026 – December 20, 2026OsakaOngoing
Ming Calligraphy: Treasures of the Ho Chuang-Shi Collection
09:30–17:00, last entry 16:30; Mondays closed except 12 Oct/23 Nov; closed 13 Oct/24 Nov. Reservation not required by exhibition page.
The temporary show focuses on Ming-period calligraphy; it offers a focused museum visit rather than a workshop booking.
- Venue
- Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Tennoji, Osaka
July 28, 2026 – December 20, 2026KyotoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
The Kanji Museum uses familiar Chinese dish names to explore characters, cooking methods and the way food culture changes between China and Japan. Its second-floor exhibition combines word games, hands-on displays and a restaurant-style photo set. This is a language and culture visit, not a meal or tasting event.
Six elements turn the theme into something you can explore. Pose in a Chinese-restaurant-style photo booth, then try an ingredient and dessert quiz: read the Chinese names, use the hints and open the doors to find their Japanese equivalents. A rotating table lets you connect dish names with the characters for cooking methods.
The other sections explain the origins of names such as gyoza, spring rolls and bangbang chicken; introduce Chinese regional cuisines through their characteristics and seasoning words; and look at dishes developed in Japan, including ramen and Tenshinhan. Together they show how familiar menu words can carry a method, a story or a change of cultural context. The photo set represents a restaurant; it does not serve food.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Kanji Museum — 2F temporary exhibition space
- Nearest station
- Gion-Shijo Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 16, 2026 – December 20, 2026MatsumotoCultural exhibitionsOngoing
Kawase Hasui and Yoshida Hiroshi turned travel sketches into landscape prints during the Taisho and Showa eras. At the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, their representative series show how traditional woodblock techniques could create new impressions of mountains, cities and the sea. The exhibition has two phases, with every work replaced between them.
The first phase, 16 September–1 November, includes Hasui’s Night at Shinkawa from Twelve Tokyo Views and Taisho Pond at Kamikochi. Yoshida’s Glittering Sea from the Inland Sea series and Morning at Tsurugi from Twelve Scenes in the Japanese Alps offer a comparison between water, mountain forms and changing light. Takahashi Shotei’s Snow on the Ayase River is also assigned to this phase.
The second phase, 3 November–20 December, brings Hasui’s Zojoji Temple at Shiba and the Golden Hall at Chusonji, alongside Yoshida’s Breithorn and Evening after Rain. Ito Shinsui’s Hira from Eight Views of Omi belongs to this phase too. Follow how each artist translates a place into lines, colour and atmosphere; choosing a phase matters because none of the first-phase works stays on display for the second.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Japan Ukiyo-e Museum
- Nearest station
- Oniwa Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
February 24, 2026 – January 3, 2027MatsuyamaCultural exhibitionsOngoing
The Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum’s 19th thematic exhibition explores the knowledge, judgement and abilities of Meiji figures in politics, diplomacy and the military. Documents and personal objects connect people appearing in the novel with the turbulent years around the 1894 Sino-Japanese War, the Triple Intervention and growing tensions between Japan and Russia.
Five objects offer different ways into that history: Saigo Tsugumichi’s admiral shoulder boards, an Order of the Sacred Treasure breast star associated with Hayashi Tadasu, Tamura Iyozo’s military-academy diploma, a letter from Akashi Motojiro to Kato Takusen, and dagger fittings owned by Yamamoto Gonnohyoe. They bring correspondence, education, rank and public service into the same exhibition.
Compare what each kind of object can tell you. A letter is evidence of communication between people, a diploma records training, and insignia makes an official position visible. Looking at these differences gives a more varied account of the people behind the novel than a sequence of battles alone. The exhibition’s use of “intelligence” centres on historical wisdom and capability in a period of international crisis.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum — 4F Exhibition Room 3
- Nearest station
- Okaido tram stop
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 10, 2026 – January 11, 2027SapporoOngoing
Five Great Ukiyo-e Masters — Sapporo
10 Oct–11 Jan;9:45–17:00,last admission16:30. Closed Mondays except holidays, then following Tuesday;2Nov open;28Dec–4Jan closed.
Portraits, landscapes and warrior prints make this a focused introduction to five different ukiyo-e artists. Check the museum's closure calendar before making the Art Park trip.
- Venue
- Sapporo Art Museum, Sapporo Art Park
October 3, 2026 – January 11, 2027HiroshimaOngoing
Artists at the Café — Hiroshima
09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30. Closed 16 Nov and 29 Dec–2 Jan; displays change after 15 Nov. Adult admission ¥2,200; check ticket options.
Paintings and prints explore café culture and artistic exchange from Impressionism to Picasso. A central-city indoor stop; works differ between the two display periods.
- Venue
- Hiroshima Museum of Art, Naka, Hiroshima
October 10, 2025 – February 28, 2027MatsuyamaOngoing
DOGO ART — Mika Ninagawa with EiM × Dogo Onsen
Project through 28 Feb 2027; installations include the Asuka-no-Yu courtyard. Honkan west-side projection only through 30 Sep 2026: starts every 15 minutes from 19:30 to 21:30, about 5 minutes each. Check component opening and bathing rules separately.
Colourful installations add an art walk around the hot-spring district; this is one project across several locations.
- Venue
- Dogo Onsen district, Matsuyama
September 5, 2026 – May 30, 2027KumamotoOngoing
Kaguya Hime Light Garden — Chapter 4
5 Sep 2026–30 May 2027, 18:00–21:00; last entry 20:45. Admission required. Year-end/New Year closures may apply; check the rooftop garden's operating notice before visiting.
A finite rooftop light installation combines illuminated paths, water and mist, with an evening visit that can continue into spring.
- Venue
- Sakura Machi Kumamoto rooftop garden, Kumamoto
October 18, 2026 – December 20, 2026TakamatsuUpcoming
Yusa Castle Autumn Tea Gatherings
Only 18 Oct, 15 Nov and 20 Dec. Seats start 09:30, 10:15, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00; 14:00 is the last seating, not a confirmed finish. Advance ¥900 / day ¥1,000. Morning seats can be busy; follow the host’s seating guidance and check ticket arrangements.
Tea and sweets offer a local cultural visit in suburban Konan; allow time to travel from central Takamatsu.
- Venue
- Konan Museum of History and Folklore, second training room, 253-1 Yusa, Konan-cho, Takamatsu
October 26, 2026 – November 4, 2026TokyoUpcoming
39th Tokyo International Film Festival
26 Oct–4 Nov; individual screenings and events follow their own programme and ticket rules.
Use the public festival programme to choose a screening; this record does not represent the separate industry market.
- Venue
- Hibiya, Yurakucho, Marunouchi and Ginza area venues, Tokyo
October 27, 2026 – January 24, 2027TokushimaUpcoming
Tokushima in Showa Photographs
09:30–17:00; free entry. Closed Mondays and third Thursdays (next day when a public holiday), plus 29 Dec–4 Jan. The Archives reopened in July; this is its 2F space, not the art museum’s closed 2F.
Historic photographs reveal everyday Tokushima in the Showa era and why family images matter as records. The long run offers a winter local-history stop.
- Venue
- Tokushima Prefectural Archives, 2F exhibition and lecture rooms, Bunka-no-Mori, Tokushima
October 31, 2026 – November 1, 2026TokyoUpcoming
Roppongi Art Night 2026
31 Oct–1 Nov overnight festival; installations and venue opening periods differ. No single continuous interval is asserted.
Art installations and performances are spread across Roppongi; choose venues from the programme, with some admission charges separate.
- Venue
- Roppongi district venues and public spaces, Minato, Tokyo
October 31, 2026 – January 31, 2027OsakaUpcoming
Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum — Osaka
10:00–17:00, Fridays to 20:00. Mondays closed except 23 Nov/11 Jan; closed 24 Nov, 31 Dec, 1 and 12 Jan. Last entry 30 minutes before close.
The Osaka tour stop presents Edo painting and prints; it starts after the Tokyo presentation has ended.
- Venue
- Nakanoshima Museum of Art, 4F, Kita, Osaka
October 31, 2026 – November 3, 2026YokohamaUpcoming
National Furusato Food Fair 2026
31 Oct–3 Nov 10:00–18:00; rain proceeds, severe weather cancels; free entry.
Regional food stalls make this a tasting stop during a Red Brick visit rather than a seated meal reservation. Entry is free, with individual food choices made at the event.
- Venue
- Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Event Square
October 31, 2026 – January 11, 2027KochiUpcoming
Ekin: Stories Told, Stories Retold
09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30. On opening day (31 Oct), admission begins after the opening ceremony starting at 10:00. Closed 27 Dec–1 Jan. Adult tickets ¥1,200 advance / ¥1,500 on the day; university students ¥1,000, high-school age and younger free. Admission is free on 3 Nov for the museum anniversary. Check exhibition ticket notices.
Discover Ekin’s dramatic paintings alongside the living traditions that preserve them in Kochi. This is the prefectural museum exhibition, with its own ticket and holiday schedule.
- Venue
- The Museum of Art, Kochi, 353-2 Takasu, Kochi
October 31, 2026 – April 18, 2027KanazawaUpcoming
From Today to Tomorrow: Passing on Works
31 Oct 2026–18 Apr 2027, 10:00–18:00; Fri/Sat until 20:00, Jan 2–3 until 17:00. Closed Mondays except Nov 23, Jan 11 and Mar 22; also closed Nov 24, Dec 29–Jan 1, Jan 12 and Mar 23. Exhibition admission required. Check separate booking rules for individual experiences before planning them into your visit.
Consider this temporary exhibition for its focus on how artworks are preserved and passed on, in galleries 1–6 and the exchange zone.
- Venue
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, galleries 1–6 and exchange zone
November 1, 2026 – November 30, 2026KagoshimaUpcoming
67th Sengan-en Chrysanthemum Festival
09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30. Included with Sengan-en admission: general¥1,600, school pupils¥800; ticket also includes Goten and Shoko Shuseikan. Check outdoor-display/weather notices before departure.
Seasonal chrysanthemum displays add a garden visit overlooking the bay, with a month-long window.
- Venue
- Sengan-en, 9700-1 Yoshinocho, Kagoshima
November 1, 2026 12:00 AM – November 3, 2026 1:00 PM JSTSapporoCultural exhibitionsUpcoming
The 64th Sapporo Chrysanthemum Festival is scheduled for November 1–3, 2026. Chi-Ka-Ho is the main venue, with related displays at Aurora Square in Aurora Town and the Hokuhoku Sapporo Building entrance and Lilac Gallery. The official notice says public viewing is planned from around 15:00 on October 31 and that the final day ends at 13:00; recheck before departure.
Choose it when the horticultural craft is the point: the official guide explains that judges look beyond flower size to form, leaf condition, root structure and overall balance across several trained styles. Because the displays are spread through underground and indoor spaces, it fits best as a route-integrated central-Sapporo stop, not as a single seated program.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway (Chi-Ka-Ho)
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
November 1, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 1, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 2, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 2, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 3, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 3, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 4, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 4, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 5, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 5, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 6, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 6, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 7, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 7, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 8, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 8, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 9, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 9, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 10, 2026 · 1:30 PM start; End time not published & November 10, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not publishedKyotoPerforming artsUpcoming
Gion Higashi presents its ten-day autumn dance programme at Gion Kaikan, with performances at 13:30 and 16:00 each day. The approximately one-hour production brings together geiko and maiko in an original-script sequence of nagauta and kiyomoto dance, followed by the Gion Higashi Kouta finale.
The value is in seeing one hanamachi’s own stage tradition rather than a general Kyoto dance sampler. The programme moves through a choreographed medley before the full-company finale sings of the seasons around Gion Higashi. Its annual November run gives a Gion visit a specific scheduled performance to build around.
Choose the earlier or later performance around the rest of your Gion day. Doors open around 40 minutes before curtain time. If you buy the tea-included ticket, the tea service is a separate arrangement: it begins one hour before the performance and ends five minutes before curtain.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Gion Kaikan
- Nearest station
- Gion-Shijo Station (Keihan Main Line), about 10 minutes on foot
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
November 2, 2026 – November 3, 2026KagoshimaUpcoming
75th Ohara Festival
2 Nov 18:50–20:20; 3 Nov 10:20–15:25, according to the current official 2026 event notice. These are separate public festival sessions, not an overnight programme. Dancer recruitment has closed; recheck the timetable, weather and traffic notices before departure.
Street dancing brings a large city-centre festival choice; select the evening or daytime session before planning where to watch.
- Venue
- Tenmonkan tram street, Takami Baba–Izuro–Sanbashi, Kagoshima
November 3, 2026TokushimaUpcoming
Bunka-no-Mori Autumn Festival
3 Nov 09:30–16:00. The museum’s listed festival programme is free and needs no advance application. Check individual activity and weather notices; the art museum’s 2F remains closed.
Family-oriented museum activities give a reason to explore the cultural park on Culture Day. Choose suitable activities from the day’s programme and allow time to move between the announced spaces.
- Venue
- Bunka-no-Mori Comprehensive Park, Hachimancho, Tokushima
November 3, 2026 · 11:00 AM–7:00 PM JSTFukuokaFestivalsUpcoming
100FES brings art, market stalls, food and performances together for an intergenerational public festival at Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park. Its mix of activities makes it useful for a selective city stop rather than a visit built around one attraction.
Decide whether you want to browse or attend a particular performance. For browsing, the mix of art, stalls and food gives you several interests to follow within one park. If a stage item is the reason for coming, use the official programme to choose your arrival instead of assuming it repeats throughout the day.
Weather changes that choice: the city says stage events continue in rain, while only some booths may operate. A performance-focused visit and a market-focused visit therefore do not have the same weather resilience. Keep a stall-led plan flexible rather than treating the whole festival as an all-weather promise.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City Park
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
November 3, 2026 5:00 PM – January 1, 2027 1:00 AM JSTOsakaWinter IlluminationUpcoming
According to the City of Osaka's 2026 announcement, Midosuji Illumination runs from November 3 to December 31, 2026 along the corridor from the Hanshin-mae intersection to the Namba West Exit intersection, with lighting around 17:00 to 25:00. For visitors, it works best as a choose-one-section winter city walk linked to dinner, shopping, or a hotel return in central Osaka rather than as an obligation to cover the whole boulevard in one night.
Think of the illumination as a way to connect an Osaka evening you already want, rather than a separate attraction that requires the entire roughly 4 km corridor. A dinner or shopping plan near Umeda, Hommachi, Shinsaibashi or Namba gives you a useful route anchor; choose the stretch that joins that anchor to your return direction.
The listed lighting window extends beyond midnight, but it is not a transport timetable. A later walk still needs a separately checked journey home. If photography is your priority, keep that flexible within the chosen section rather than making every photo stop a requirement; busy pedestrian movement may make a shorter walk more enjoyable.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Midosuji Avenue (Hanshin-mae to Namba West Exit)
- Nearest station
- 梅田 Umeda / 淀屋橋 Yodoyabashi / 本町 Hommachi / 心斎橋 Shinsaibashi / なんば Namba
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
November 6, 2026 – December 6, 2026KumamotoUpcoming
Lux Night KUMAMOTO 2026 — Hanazaku Mizukagami
6 Nov–6 Dec, 18:00–21:00; last entry 20:30. Admission required; ticket sales expected around October. Check weather and operating notices before the evening garden visit.
Bamboo, flower and reflected-light installations offer a night view of Suizenji's garden landscape.
- Venue
- Suizenji Jojuen, 8-1 Suizenji Koen, Kumamoto
November 7, 2026 – November 8, 2026YokohamaUpcoming
LOCALGREEN FESTIVAL 2026
7–8 Nov; free entry in 2026; stage and market operating times not yet verified.
Music and plant, vintage and lifestyle markets form a mixed waterfront outing. Admission is free in 2026, but the performance timetable still needs checking before choosing when to go.
- Venue
- Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Event Square and Red Brick Park
November 7, 2026 & November 19, 2026TokyoFestivalsUpcoming
Asakusa Tori no Ichi 2026 is officially held on two separate Tori days, November 7 and November 19, at Chokokuji Temple Grounds in Taito. Each official event day runs from 00:00 to 24:00, so visitors should treat the two dates as separate visits rather than as one continuous festival period.
A strong pick for travelers who want a traditional Tokyo fair with shrine-market atmosphere, late-night energy, and lucky-rake shopping, but it works best if you can handle dense crowds and flexible timing instead of expecting a tightly managed event flow.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Chokokuji Temple Grounds
- Reservation
- Usually not required
2026 · September 19–22; November 7, 14–15, 21–22, 28–29KanazawaFestivalsUpcoming
Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen open after dark on 11 published autumn nights, lighting Kenrokuen landmarks, castle buildings, stone walls and Gyokusen'inmaru Garden. The four September nights have concluded; seven November nights remain, with free night entry until the 20:45 final admission.
This is a two-venue night walk rather than an extension of ordinary daytime sightseeing. In Kenrokuen, the published lighting includes Kotoji Lantern, Karasaki Pine and the fountain; across Kanazawa Castle Park, the focus shifts to illuminated castle architecture, stone walls and Gyokusen'inmaru Garden. Selected nights also have short traditional-music performances around Uchihashitei by Kasumigaike, but the programme may change.
Use the evening as its own visit. The public window is only two or three hours, the Kotoji Lantern area can become one-way for safety, and moving between the garden and castle takes time. Choose a starting gate, continue through the adjacent venue instead of repeatedly doubling back, and decide the return bus or taxi before entering. The outer castle walls may remain lit until 22:00, but park admission still ends at 20:45 and the gates close at 21:00.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Kenrokuen and Kanazawa Castle Park
- Nearest station
- Kenrokuen-shita / Kanazawa Castle bus stop
- Reservation
- Usually not required
November 9, 2026SapporoUpcoming
Monster Hunter Orchestra Concert: Hunting Music Festival 2026 — Sapporo
9 Nov, performance starts19:00; finish time not published in the retained source.
This is a seated orchestral performance of game music, not a drop-in gaming event. Check tickets and the preschool-age admission restriction before fitting it into your evening.
- Venue
- Sapporo Cultural Arts Theater hitaru
November 12, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 13, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 14, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 15, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 16, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 17, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not published & November 18, 2026 · 4:00 PM start; End time not publishedKyotoPerforming artsUpcoming
Kamishichiken’s annual autumn performance brings geiko and maiko to the stage of Kamishichiken Kaburenjo for five named works of dance, song and shamisen. One performance begins at 16:00 on each of the seven days, with doors at 15:30. Kyoto City Tourism Association describes the running time as approximately two hours; no exact finish time is published.
The programme is specific enough to choose this event for the repertoire, not simply for a generic hanamachi atmosphere. It includes the nagauta works 宝船, 屋敷娘, 旅 and 棒しばり, together with the sōfūraku work 田螺. The changes in group size and performers across those works give the evening a sequence of distinct scenes.
The setting adds a second reason to go: Kyoto City tourism describes Kamishichiken as the city’s oldest hanamachi and the theatre as normally closed to the general public. Attend for the scheduled performance rather than expecting an unscheduled building visit.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Kamishichiken Kaburenjo
- Nearest station
- Kitano Tenmangu-mae or Kamishichiken bus stop, about 3 minutes on foot
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
November 13, 2026KanazawaUpcoming
ALICE THE MUSICAL — Ishikawa
13 Nov; doors 18:00, performance 18:45 at Honda no Mori Hokuden Hall. Reserved seats: S ¥11,000 / A ¥9,000. Check current ticket availability. Preschool children are not admitted.
A Japanese-language musical provides an indoor evening performance; enjoyment of the story depends on Japanese comprehension.
- Venue
- Honda no Mori Hokuden Hall, Kanazawa
November 14, 2026 – March 28, 2027TokyoUpcoming
What a Wonderful World: Masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay
09:30–17:30, Fridays until 20:00; Mondays closed with official holiday exceptions. 23 Nov open and 24 Nov closed; later year-end closures also apply.
Paintings, sculpture and other works explore everyday life: an exhibition to consider for an art-focused visit in Ueno.
- Venue
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, special exhibition galleries, Ueno, Tokyo
November 14, 2026 – December 13, 2026OsakaUpcoming
Osaka Directory 13: Hazuki Tachibana
10:00–17:00; closed Mondays and 24 Nov, open 23 Nov.
This free temporary artist exhibition uses the museum's second-floor space, separate from its ticketed upper-floor shows.
- Venue
- Nakanoshima Museum of Art, 2F multipurpose space, Kita, Osaka
November 14, 2026 – November 15, 2026NagoyaUpcoming
Endoji Autumn Paris Festival 2026
14–15 Nov, 11:00–18:00; free entry to the shopping-arcade festival.
French-style stalls and live music change the atmosphere of the arcade for two days. This is a street-market visit rather than a single performance with a fixed seated programme.
- Venue
- Endoji Shopping Arcade, Nagono1-chome, Nishi-ku, Nagoya
November 14, 2026 – November 29, 2026NagoyaUpcoming
National Treasure Tale of Genji Scrolls: Yokobue and Yadorigi II
14–29 Nov, 10:00–17:00; last admission 16:30. Mondays closed except holidays, then the following weekday closes.
This short special display presents two named sections of the original Genji scrolls, not a year-round promise that all scrolls are on view. Match your museum date to this narrow viewing window.
- Venue
- Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya
November 14, 2026 – November 15, 2026MatsumotoUpcoming
OVERHEAD FES
Both days: doors 11:00, start 12:00, end about 19:00. General tickets: 2 days¥12,000; 1-day adult¥7,000/high-school¥3,000. Up to 2 middle-school-age or younger children free per accompanying guardian. Early-bird sales ended; check ticket availability.
A two-day music option at Yamabiko Dome; this is separate from the MPAC halls undergoing construction.
- Venue
- I-net Yamabiko Dome, Shinshu Sky Park, 9036-4 Kukohigashi, Matsumoto
November 15, 2026HiroshimaUpcoming
Hiroshima International Festa 2026
15 Nov, 10:00–16:00; listed as open to the public. The 2026 session, booking and activity-fee details are not yet published; check the organizer before choosing an activity.
A community exchange day focused on international cultures. It offers a different reason to visit Peace Memorial Park; older programme photos do not guarantee this year’s activities.
- Venue
- International Conference Center Hiroshima, Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima
November 15, 2026KochiUpcoming
Akibare Harmonia
15 Nov at 14:00 only. Audience tickets ¥2,000 advance via Lawson Ticket / ¥2,500 on the day, subject to availability. Performer recruitment has closed and is separate from audience tickets.
An inclusive Japanese-language theatre project brings different voices to a small Kochi stage. Plan for the scheduled performance, not an all-day attraction or open workshop.
- Venue
- Mini Theatre Tako-gura, 28 Minamikanada, Kochi
November 19, 2026 – January 11, 2027TokyoUpcoming
Ways of Reading — Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
09:30–17:30, Fridays until 20:00; closes 7 Dec and 21 Dec–3 Jan. Last admission 30 minutes before close.
A free temporary exhibition brings five artists into dialogue; galleries A/C are distinct from the simultaneous archives display.
- Venue
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, galleries A/C, Ueno, Tokyo
November 19, 2026 – January 11, 2027TokyoUpcoming
The History of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
09:30–17:30, Fridays until 20:00; closes 7 Dec and 21 Dec–3 Jan. Last admission 30 minutes before close.
The free anniversary archives exhibition traces the museum's history; it is not the institution's ordinary permanent opening.
- Venue
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, gallery B, Ueno, Tokyo
November 20, 2026 – March 14, 2027SapporoUpcoming
Sapporo White Illumination 2026–27
From 20 Nov; Odori ends 25 Dec, Ekimae-dori 11 Feb, other listed central venues 14 Mar. Lighting hours vary and were not verified.
Choose the illuminated area before planning your evening walk: the Odori installations and the station-area lights have different closing dates.
- Venue
- Odori Park, Ekimae-dori, Minami 1-jo, Akapla and Sapporo Station south square
November 20, 2026 – December 25, 2026SapporoUpcoming
Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo 2026
20 Nov–25 Dec; open 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:45). Recheck the 2026 stall programme; older programme information remains on the official page.
Pair the Christmas stalls with the neighbouring lights, but check the 2026 market programme before choosing a meal stop; the published detail page still carries older information.
- Venue
- Odori Park, Nishi 1–2-chome
November 20, 2026 – November 29, 2026OkayamaUpcoming
Korakuen Autumn Fantasy Garden
17:00–20:30, last entry 20:00. Garden admission applies; check the current evening programme and weather notices. Performer recruitment is separate from visitor entry.
Autumn illumination offers a later garden visit after daytime sightseeing; it is a separate seasonal opening from September moon viewing.
- Venue
- Okayama Korakuen, 1-5 Korakuen, Okayama
November 20, 2026 – November 29, 2026TakamatsuUpcoming
Ritsurin Garden Autumn Illumination
20–29 Nov at Ritsurin Garden. Programme details are expected in late October; check evening hours, admission and weather notices before travelling.
An autumn evening garden visit adds an outdoor choice beyond the city’s museums.
- Venue
- Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu
November 21, 2026 12:00 AM – November 30, 2026 9:30 PM JSTKyotoAutumn LeavesUpcoming
Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing 2026 gives Kyoto visitors a classic Higashiyama evening plan, but the climb, crowds, and return trip matter as much as the view. Treat it as a timed night outing with a clear route in and a clear route out.
Choose the night viewing for an after-dark temple visit within a Higashiyama evening. The practical question is whether your group can manage the uphill approach and descent as well as the visit itself. It is a stronger plan when dinner and the return journey are arranged around the temple, rather than when the temple is squeezed in after a late reservation.
Admission reception ends at 21:00, before the 21:30 closing. Plan backwards from that entry cutoff, including the official approach and any wait; reaching the area near closing is not the same as being admitted. The reviewed pages do not confirm the opening time or exact admission amount, so those still need a current temple check before choosing an arrival.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple
- Nearest station
- 五条坂 Gojozaka / 清水道 Kiyomizu-michi (bus) / 清水五条 Kiyomizu-Gojo (25-minute walk)
- Reservation
- Usually not required
November 23, 2026 · 12:30 PM–5:00 PM JSTKagoshimaTraditional performing artsUpcoming
This Satsuma biwa gathering offers a specific local traditional-performing-arts focus at Kagoshima City Central Community Center. Free admission makes cost straightforward, while the brief city listing leaves the individual performance sequence and attendance arrangements unconfirmed.
Choose it when listening to Satsuma biwa is a priority, rather than expecting a broad festival that can be sampled in any order. The city lists one afternoon window but no running order, so that window cannot tell you when a particular piece or performer will appear. A short drop-in aimed at one unannounced item would be a fragile plan.
The practical distinction is between interest and certainty. The event identity, venue and free admission are established; seating, reservation conditions and language support are not. If one of those is essential to your group, seek current attendee information before building the afternoon around the gathering.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Kagoshima City Central Community Center
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
November 28, 2026 – November 29, 2026KanazawaUpcoming
KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2026
Public days: Nov 28, 11:00–19:00; Nov 29, 11:00–18:00. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Two-day admission: advance ¥2,500 / door ¥3,000. Reception on Hyatt Centric Kanazawa's second floor.
Gallery presentations bring contemporary craft into hotel rooms; a focused option for seeing and buying craft works.
- Venue
- Hyatt Centric Kanazawa, 2F, 4F and 5F, 1-5-2 Hirooka, Kanazawa
November 28, 2026 – November 29, 2026MatsuyamaUpcoming
Ehime Matsuyama Sugoi Mono Expo
28 Nov 10:00–16:00; 29 Nov 10:00–15:30 at Shiroyama Park. Held in rain; cancelled in severe weather. Purchases are separate. Check the current programme; no temporary event parking.
Browse regional food and products in the park, adding an outdoor local-culture choice to a museum itinerary.
- Venue
- Shiroyama Park, Horinouchi, Matsuyama
November 29, 2026MatsuyamaUpcoming
Orchestra Van Wassenaer: French Baroque
29 Nov: doors 13:30, concert 14:00. Adults ¥4,000 advance / ¥4,500 on the day; students ¥2,000 / ¥2,500. Arrange a concert ticket and check availability with the organizer.
Period instruments explore Couperin and Rameau in Bansuiso’s French-style villa. The concert gives late-November visitors a distinct chamber-music option.
- Venue
- Bansuiso, 3-3-7 Ichibancho, Matsuyama
December 2, 2026 – December 6, 2026KagoshimaUpcoming
37th Satsuma Pottery Festa
2–6 Dec at Kakuix Exchange Center. Check the organizer for daily hours and admission before visiting.
A focused introduction to Satsuma pottery, useful for travelers interested in Kagoshima's ceramic traditions.
- Venue
- Kakuix Exchange Center (Kagoshima Prefectural Exchange Center), Kagoshima
December 3, 2026 – January 11, 2027KagoshimaUpcoming
Noritake Suzuki: Daipinch Exhibition
3 Dec–11 Jan, 09:00–18:00; last entry 17:30. Closed Dec 7, 14, 21, 25, 28, 31 and Jan 1, 2, 4. Timed tickets required on weekends/public holidays and Dec 29–30. Ticket sales expected in late October.
An interactive picture-book exhibition turns everyday mishaps into family activities; plan around closures and the required entry slot.
- Venue
- Reimeikan, Special Exhibition Room 1, Kagoshima
December 4, 2026 – December 30, 2026YokohamaUpcoming
Yorunoyo 2026
4–30 Dec 17:00–21:05; synchronized harbour show at 17:00 then every 30 minutes through 21:00, each 5 minutes.
The harbour-wide synchronized show and the installations at Osanbashi and Yamashita Park are different viewing experiences. Use the short show times to choose a viewpoint instead of expecting continuous synchronized effects.
- Venue
- Central Yokohama waterfront, including Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal and Yamashita Park
December 4, 2026 – January 24, 2027HiroshimaUpcoming
Hiroshima Dreamination 2026
4 Dec–24 Jan, 17:30–22:30; opening night starts around 18:00. Areas are planned and may change; check weather and organizer notices before walking the route.
Winter light installations link Peace Boulevard with central shopping streets. Plan a flexible evening stroll; individual shops and venues keep their own opening and admission rules.
- Venue
- Peace Boulevard and central Hiroshima lighting areas, Hiroshima
December 5, 2026 – December 6, 2026KanazawaUpcoming
Kanazawa Christmas Market 2026
5–6 Dec, 10:00–18:00 each day, planned. Kanazawa Station Motenashi Dome underground plaza. Check the final public programme before visiting.
A seasonal market beside the station offers a compact Christmas stop; vendors and activities depend on the final programme.
- Venue
- Kanazawa Station Motenashi Dome underground plaza, Kanazawa
December 11, 2026 – December 25, 2026OsakaWinter IlluminationUpcoming
OSAKA Hikari-Renaissance centres an Osaka winter evening on the City Hall-to-Nakanoshima Park corridor and its riverfront setting. Choose your date with care: the core programme period and the longer season for some City Hall and Nakanoshima illuminations are different.
The first decision is what you want to see. For the core Hikari-Renaissance programme, use 11–25 December as the published date boundary. Some City Hall and Nakanoshima lighting components run from 3 November to 31 December, but that longer season does not mean the full core programme operates throughout it. Check the particular component before making it the reason for a visit.
Then fit the riverfront corridor to your evening. Compare the listed Yodoyabashi, Kitahama, Naniwabashi and Oebashi anchors against that component's location and your journey home. They are route-planning options, not a promise of one universal entrance or fastest return. The final component timetable should decide the walk's timing, while dinner and the return station keep it manageable.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Osaka City Hall to Nakanoshima Park
- Nearest station
- 淀屋橋 Yodoyabashi / 北浜 Kitahama / なにわ橋 Naniwabashi / 大江橋 Oebashi
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
December 12, 2026 – December 13, 2026KochiUpcoming
Tanin — The Others: Kochi Performances
12 Dec 19:00–about 21:00; 13 Dec 14:00–about 16:00. Doors 30 minutes before. Sales start 3 Oct 10:00: adult ¥4,000 advance / ¥4,500 on the day. No preschool children; no door tickets if advance tickets sell out.
A play by Kochi-born Momoko Takeda explores an unexpected household of three women. Japanese dialogue is central; choose one of the two separately scheduled performances.
- Venue
- Ryoma Gakuen Event Hall, Kochi City Culture Plaza Cul-Port, 2-1 Kutanda, Kochi
December 12, 2026 – December 27, 2026TokushimaUpcoming
Universal Museum Week: Ways to Enjoy Art
09:30–17:00; closed Mondays 14 and 21 Dec. Free entry to the 1F Gallery programme. The separate 2F museum area remains closed for lighting work; check individual activity notices.
Touch, drawing and alternative ways of looking invite different visitors to explore art. The temporary gallery programme offers an accessible winter visit without promising access upstairs.
- Venue
- Tokushima Modern Art Museum, 1F Gallery, Bunka-no-Mori, Tokushima
December 19, 2026KagoshimaUpcoming
DRUM TAO: THE HUMAN 2 — Kagoshima
19 Dec; doors 15:45, performance 16:30 at Hozan Hall. Tickets required; check current prices and seats with the organizer.
Japanese drumming and stage performance offer a music-led evening in central Kagoshima.
- Venue
- Hozan Hall, Kagoshima
Ended event archive
October 22, 2026KyotoFestivalsEnded
Jidai Matsuri presents Kyoto history through a traditional costume procession travelling from Kyoto Imperial Palace towards Heian Jingu. The moving route is the experience: choose a viewing area for the procession rather than treating the palace and shrine as two quick festival stops.
The official tourism guide describes about 2,000 participants and roughly two hours to view the full procession. That makes patient observation of the costumes and historical sequence more useful than following the procession from one landmark to another. Decide whether seeing a substantial section is your main purpose or whether the festival is only a brief part of a wider Kyoto day.
For a start-side plan, Kyoto Gyoen and its Marutamachi or Imadegawa approaches keep the viewing and nearby breaks together. A finish-side plan fits Okazaki and Heian Jingu, with the listed eastern access anchors. The 12:00 departure and approximately 14:30 arrival describe movement along the route; they are not identical arrival times for every viewing block.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Jidai Matsuri Procession Route Area
- Nearest station
- 丸太町駅 Marutamachi Station (Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line, 5-minute walk to Kyoto Gyoen start-area anchor) / 東山駅 Higashiyama Station (Kyoto City Subway Tozai Line, Exit 1, 10-minute walk to Heian Jingu finish anchor) / 神宮丸太町駅 Jingu-Marutamachi Station・三条駅 Sanjo Station (Keihan Oto Line, 15-minute walk to Heian Jingu finish anchor)
- Reservation
- Usually not required
October 15, 2026 · 3:30 PM start; End time not published & October 16, 2026 · 3:30 PM start; End time not published & October 17, 2026 · 3:30 PM start; End time not published & October 18, 2026 · 3:30 PM start; End time not published & October 19, 2026 · 3:30 PM start; End time not published & October 20, 2026 · 3:30 PM start; End time not publishedKyotoPerforming artsEnded
Pontocho’s 111th Suimeikai presents a six-day autumn programme at Pontocho Kaburenjo. One performance begins daily at 15:30, with doors at 15:00. The repertoire combines tokiwazu, kiyomoto and nagauta works, while Kyoto City Tourism Association describes the total running time as under two hours without publishing an exact finish.
The programme opens with the tokiwazu piece Matsu no Hagoromo and the kiyomoto work Yasuna, then expands into the nagauta sequence Hana Koi Pontocho Ade Kurabe. Its sections move through Sukeroku, Onna Date, Yoshiwara Suzume, Shichifukujin, Rokusai Nenbutsu, Shizuhata Obi, Fuji Ondo and Sagi Musume before the finale. This gives the performance a defined dramatic and musical arc rather than a generic showcase.
Choose Suimeikai for Pontocho’s own autumn repertoire and historic theatre setting. The single daily start makes it an itinerary anchor: arrive for 15:00 doors, and keep the evening flexible because “under two hours” is not an exact end time.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Pontocho Kaburenjo
- Nearest station
- Sanjo Station (Keihan Main Line), exit 6, about 5 minutes on foot
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
July 25, 2026 – October 18, 2026TokyoCultural exhibitionsEnded
Edo paintings and ukiyo-e return to Japan from the British Museum for this exhibition at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Screens, hanging scrolls, handscrolls and prints show the range of the museum’s Japanese collection, while the stories of collectors and curators explain how these works crossed borders. This is the Tokyo presentation, running from 25 July to 18 October 2026.
More than 100 ukiyo-e prints centre on eight leading artists, including Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai and Hiroshige. The wider exhibition pairs that printmaking tradition with hand-painted works and larger formats: Maruyama Okyo’s tiger-and-cubs screens, eight preparatory drawings by Hokusai from an unpublished illustrated book, and related Kano-school sliding-door paintings brought together from London, Aomori and Seattle.
These different formats make the exhibition rewarding beyond its familiar artist names. Compare a print designed for circulation with a painted screen or sliding door intended to shape an interior, then follow the collectors’ stories to understand how the works reached Britain.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, special exhibition galleries, Ueno
- Nearest station
- Ueno Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 5, 2026 – October 18, 2026KyotoCultural exhibitionsEnded
Four centuries after Emperor Go-Mizunoo’s 1626 visit to Nijo Castle, Sen-oku Hakukokan examines the ceremony and the culture that grew around it. The exhibition follows Empress Tofukumonin, a daughter of the Tokugawa family, through the exchanges that connected Kyoto’s imperial court, warrior households and artists during the Kanei era.
The museum’s Nijo Castle imperial-visit screen anchors the exhibition, turning a grand historical procession into a closely observed scene of people and ceremony. Court costumes and furnishings associated with Tofukumonin bring another scale to the story, while the oshie pictures she helped make as gifts reveal more personal artistic relationships.
The people around her included Emperor Go-Mizunoo, tea master Sen Sotan, calligrapher and painter Shokado Shojo, Kobori Enshu and potter Nonomura Ninsei. Looking across their networks gives the screens and objects a human context: court culture developed through exchanges that crossed rank and profession.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum, Kyoto (Shishigatani)
- Nearest station
- Keage Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
October 18, 2026 · 1:30 PM–3:00 PM JSTMatsumotoTraditional performing artsEnded
A traditional matchlock-gunnery demonstration provides a focused reason to visit Matsumoto Castle Park. This is a scheduled outdoor demonstration with free admission, distinct from a general visit to the castle interior or the separate spring event.
Choose it for the demonstration itself rather than as a substitute for an ordinary castle visit. The published early-afternoon window gives the day a fixed anchor, but it does not describe a repeating programme that can be caught whenever you arrive. Put flexible sightseeing around the demonstration rather than making it the final stop between two timed bookings.
The important trade-off is weather certainty: rain cancels the demonstration. If this is your only reason for travelling to Matsumoto, decide beforehand whether the rest of your city visit would still be worthwhile without it. The park venue also matters; the separate spring event's Ninomaru Palace Ruins location is not this event's meeting point.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Matsumoto Castle Park
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
October 17, 2026 · 7:00 PM–8:00 PM JSTOsakaFireworks FestivalsEnded
Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks 2026 is a right-bank riverbed fireworks night with a hard access boundary, ticketed viewing seats, and an official warning that riverbank entry may not be possible after 18:00. The best visit is planned early rather than improvised at the last minute.
A strong choice if you are happy to plan ahead, buy the right seat or access route, and budget time for a crowded exit. It is not a good fit for travelers who want walk-up certainty, free-area assumptions, or a casual after-dinner stop.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Yodogawa Riverside Fireworks Viewing Area
- Nearest station
- 十三 Juso / 塚本 Tsukamoto / 御幣島 Mitejima / 姫島 Himejima / 南方 Minamikata / 西中島南方 Nishinakajima-Minamigata
- Reservation
- Check ahead
September 26, 2026 & September 27, 2026 & October 10, 2026 & October 11, 2026TokyoFestivalsEnded
One Ikebukuro festival identity spans four exact dates in two phases: the September opening and mikoshi weekend, followed by the October Tokyo Yosakoi programme.
The published 2026 programme described two distinct phases. Saturday 26 September was scheduled for opening and stage events at Ikebukuro West Exit Park, with items from 13:00 to 19:20. Sunday 27 September focused on mikoshi in the published plan, including an evening parade from 18:00 to 19:30. The second phase listed the Yosakoi eve programme on 10 October and the 27th Tokyo Yosakoi on 11 October, with teams scheduled across several Toshima venues.
These were four separate scheduled days, not a continuous run or a single timetable. October visitor information listed free viewing within a broad 10:30–20:00 range; individual venues had different programme sequences. The archive distinguishes stage performances, mikoshi and the multi-venue dance programme, with date-specific road, bus, taxi and pedestrian arrangements relevant to the original plan. Any future attendance depends on a newly published official programme, not these 2026 times.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Ikebukuro West Exit and named Toshima venues
- Nearest station
- Ikebukuro Station; Otsuka and Sugamo for selected 11 October venues
- Reservation
- Usually not required
October 11, 2026 · 1:30 PM–3:00 PM JSTTakamatsuCultural exhibitionsEnded
This free artist talk is scheduled for October 11, 2026, from 13:30 to 15:00 at the first-floor auditorium of Takamatsu City Museum of Art. The museum lists direct attendance for the first 100 people without an application; that does not guarantee capacity when you arrive.
Choose the talk if you want context for kinetic, light, video and media art rather than only time looking around galleries. It is a distinct auditorium programme, so a museum visit and a talk visit have different planning anchors. The free talk does not establish free admission to the exhibition.
Its main practical constraint is first-come capacity. No application is needed, but only the first 100 people can attend; those are separate facts, not a guarantee of a place. A plan that works only if you enter the talk needs more flexibility than a general museum outing. If you also want the exhibition, check its admission and visiting hours independently.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Takamatsu City Museum of Art, first-floor auditorium
- Reservation
- Usually not required
August 10, 2026 – October 10, 2026KumamotoCultural exhibitionsEnded
Katsuno Makoto’s sculpture and drawings at Higo no Satoyama Gallery trace a creative journey shaped by Kumamoto’s earth and people. He worked in the prefecture from 2006 to 2024; the exhibition connects that period with the work that came before and after it.
The materials give the exhibition its local character. Katsuno used Amakusa porcelain stone and Minamata clay, while a resident-participation project in Tsunagi, begun in 2010, brought people together to dig local earth, build kilns and fire work. His account of repeatedly firing porcelain, then carving its transformed surface and adding lacquer colour, offers a way to look closely at how a figure has been made.
The exhibition introduction illustrates the standing figure 生 (2026), figure studies I and II (2021), a 2026 figure croquis and the old-tree drawing 一里塚の老樹 (2026). Compare the drawn line with the volume and surface of the sculpture: this is a chance to follow one artist’s movement between observation, material and human form, alongside his relationship with a place.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Higo no Satoyama Gallery, Higo Bank headquarters — 1F
- Nearest station
- Karashimacho tram stop
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
July 23, 2026 – October 7, 2026TokyoCultural exhibitionsEnded
Views of This Place marks the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s centenary through three places: Ueno, Omuta and Buenos Aires. Museum archives and images of Ueno sit alongside a self-taught artist’s sustained attention to local scenery and a research project following the connections between a painting, migration and flowers. The exhibition asks how creative lives develop both within a major cultural centre and far from it.
The Ueno section follows the museum and its surroundings through paintings, prints, photographs and archival material, from the 1926 opening through the wartime and postwar years and the new building opened in 1975. Omuta brings together about 400 works by Egami Shigeo, who used accessible materials such as pencil, watercolour and crayon to keep looking at the places around him. Woodcuts, experiments in abstraction and dyed paper broaden the picture beyond landscape painting.
The Buenos Aires section begins with Garden of Zinnias, a painting made in 1926. AHA!’s investigation into its artist, Fujioka Kanetaro, led to Fujioka Tetsutaro, whose name is written with the same characters but read differently. Tetsutaro moved to Argentina in 1927 and worked in landscaping and flower cultivation. The family records and flower-related material make this a story of inquiry into individual lives; the two men should not be treated as one person.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, galleries A/B/C, 8-36 Ueno Park
- Nearest station
- Ueno Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 18, 2026 – October 4, 2026YokohamaFestivalsEnded
Yokohama Oktoberfest turns the Red Brick Warehouse Event Square into a beer-and-music gathering. The large tent centres on German-band performances, while beer-garden booths and a lawn area offer different settings. A separate Hofbrau booth advertises full service and all-you-can-drink arrangements. Those choices are distinct from ordinary admission: choose the experience you want before treating the ¥500 entry ticket as a package.
A useful evening focus for a Yokohama waterfront day if German beer and live music are part of your trip. Choose a performance time and seating area first; the main tent and outdoor areas offer different experiences.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Event Square
- Nearest station
- Bashamichi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
August 1, 2026 – October 4, 2026TakamatsuCultural exhibitionsEnded
Otoroshii Mon brings together about 70 objects to explore fear through the history and art of Kagawa. The title comes from a Sanuki expression for frightening things. Temple images, supernatural tales, records of disaster and protective objects show how people have pictured forces they could not explain or control. The exhibition is in the Kagawa Museum’s special exhibition room, with a change of some works between its August and September–October phases.
The six sections move from the question of what feels frightening to scenes of hell, spirits connected with Sanuki, yokai, natural disasters and ways of overcoming fear. This gives the visit a clear progression: compare images intended to frighten with objects used for comfort or protection. The local material includes stories of Emperor Sutoku and the Heike, alongside works borrowed from Negoro-ji, Kotohira-gu and Kagawa University Library.
The published highlights include Kikuchi Yosai’s 1873 portrait of Emperor Sutoku, Ishida Sekko’s 1808 image of the Ushioni and objects used in prayer or protection. Utagawa Yoshitsuya’s 1858 undersea scene, Yashima Dan-no-ura Kaitei no Zu, is specifically listed for the second phase. Some displays change between phases, including scenes from Ikuta Kyuichi’s Night Parade of One Hundred Demons; consult the current display information if one work is the reason for your visit.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- The Kagawa Museum, special exhibition room, 5-5 Tamamocho, Takamatsu
- Nearest station
- Kataharamachi Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 29, 2026 & September 30, 2026 & October 1, 2026 & October 2, 2026 & October 3, 2026 & October 4, 2026TokushimaCultural exhibitionsEnded
A free six-day group exhibition divides the museum’s 1F rental gallery into sections for 12 Tokushima artists and groups working across drawing, photography, illustration, objects and installation.
This is a compact survey of local creative practices rather than one themed museum show. やま本まるや presents a paper-band dollhouse; はなのあかいイヌ, 夜依ル and 西広生 show painting; 中川 葵 combines painting, masking-tape art and photography; みつぼしこどもえん ちいさなアーティスト contributes two- and three-dimensional work; and チッチ、ゆう uses analogue pencil drawing in an animation-layout style.
The other sections include objects and installation by たこやき大好き, an interactive installation by 葉 芳羽／イェ ファンユー, an adult illustrated diary by すみとも ちずこ, balloon art by バルーン作家つむぎ and illustration by toshi0225. On 4 October, Tsumugi also plans a 13:30–14:00 balloon-art distribution. That short programme is part of the exhibition day, not a separate event or the exhibition’s only opening time.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Tokushima Modern Art Museum, 1F Gallery
- Nearest station
- Bunka-no-Mori; direct bus from Tokushima Station recommended
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 11, 2026 10:00 AM – October 3, 2026 8:30 PM JSTSapporoFood MarketsEnded
This archive records Sapporo Autumn Fest 2026, which the official news archive confirms ended after running from September 11 to October 3 across seven Odori Park sections. The published hours, area layout, food-market format and limited reserved-seat arrangement belong to that edition and do not describe current menus, seating or reservations.
Useful for understanding how the seven-block food market worked as either one focused area or a wider central-Sapporo tasting route. It is not a current dining guide and does not establish availability for any vendor, menu or seat.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Odori Park West 4–8 and 10–11 chome venue area
- Nearest station
- Odori Station / 大通站 / Nishi 11-chome Station / 西11丁目站
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 26, 2026 & September 27, 2026TokyoFestivalsEnded
The 33rd Shinagawa Shukuba Festival fills the former Tokaido post-town corridor with two days of processions, street performances, temple traditions and a Saturday night programme.
The published programme for 26–27 September 2026 gave the two days different focal points. Saturday 26 September listed the oiran procession at 16:00 and Shukuba Night from 17:00 to 20:30. Sunday 27 September listed the main and traffic-safety parades around noon, followed by Shinagawadera’s firewalking rite at 13:00. The optional paid 70-minute cruise was a separate activity in the published plan, with Saturday departures listed at 11:30, 13:00 and 14:30.
The 2026 schedule is best understood as a sequence of activities along a long historic street, rather than one stage with uniform opening hours. Its procession, temple and night programmes offered different ways to interpret the post-town setting. Their spread along the Old Tokaido explains why station choice, walking between locations and crowd controls mattered to that published plan; this is historical programme context, not an invitation to attend the expired schedule. Any future visit centred on these activities would require newly published official programme information.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Old Tokaido, Kita-Shinagawa to Aomono-Yokocho
- Nearest station
- Kita-Shinagawa, Shin-Bamba or Aomono-Yokocho Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 26, 2026 & September 27, 2026TokyoFestivalsEnded
Nezu Shrine's public festival programme runs on 26–27 September, with shrine dance and taiko, food stalls and a rare four-year Shinkosai procession on Sunday.
The visitor-facing festival is on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September. Saturday’s published highlights include Gongen taiko at 12:00 and 15:00 and Urayasu-mai at 19:00. Sunday brings Sanza-mai at 14:00 and the four-year Shinkosai mikoshi procession from 09:00 to 16:00. Stalls are present on both public days, but each vendor controls its own hours.
Do not add the 21 September Reisai ceremony to the public event dates: that ritual-only observance has already taken place. For the weekend, choose whether the procession or shrine performances are your priority, approach from the station that best fits your route, and leave room for road impacts and bus delays around the shrine.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Nezu Shrine
- Nearest station
- Nezu, Sendagi or Todaimae Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
July 4, 2026 – September 27, 2026OsakaCultural exhibitionsEnded
Osaka's Nakanoshima Museum of Art presents Japan's first comprehensive Karl Walser retrospective. Around 150 paintings and drawings trace the Swiss artist's work across painting, book illustration and stage design. The museum says all exhibited works are being shown in Japan for the first time; this is a survey of one artist's practice rather than a general display of Swiss painting.
The published exhibition brought together paintings and drawings, Walser's 1908 journey in Japan, book illustration and design, and theatre design. Kyoto and Miyazu subjects connected kabuki, festival scenes and everyday life with his broader European work; stage designs and illustrations associated with his writer brother Robert extended the story beyond easel painting. This archive concerns the Nakanoshima retrospective whose run ended on 27 September, rather than a current gallery offering.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka — fourth-floor galleries
- Nearest station
- Keihan Watanabebashi exit 2; Osaka Metro Higobashi exit 4
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
April 25, 2026 – September 27, 2026KyotoCultural exhibitionsEnded
At Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture, this exhibition follows Maruyama Okyo's observational approach to painting through his pupils and the next generation. Works by Nagasawa Rosetsu and Genki show how the artistic circle developed; around 40 newly discovered works by Yano Yacho appear across the full exhibition, with rotations. September visits fall in the final display phase. The Kyoto tourism listing assigns Okyo's bamboo-and-puppies painting and a Rosetsu screen of landscapes, birds, animals and figures to this phase; earlier advertised dragon panels should not be assumed to remain on view.
A focused Arashiyama stop for Edo-period painting and the relationship between teacher and pupils. The animal subjects provide an approachable starting point, while the changing displays reward choosing a date around the works you most want to see.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture
- Nearest station
- Randen Arashiyama Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
July 11, 2026 – September 27, 2026SapporoCultural exhibitionsEnded
Flowers and Beasts explores how artists turn plants and animals into colour, shape and material. Paintings, sculpture and photography are distributed across Sapporo Art Museum, the outdoor sculpture garden, the Sato Churyo Children's Atelier and the former Arishima Takeo residence. The museum's artist list includes Mika Ninagawa and Atsushi Okada; Mio Hashimoto is represented at the Children's Atelier and Toshihiko Shibuya at the former residence. The separate settings let visitors compare gallery works with encounters around the wooded grounds.
A dedicated art outing that combines animal and plant subjects with Sapporo Art Park's landscape. Decide whether the outdoor component is central to your day rather than planning this as one indoor gallery circuit.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Sapporo Art Museum, outdoor sculpture garden, Sato Churyo Children's Atelier and former Arishima Takeo residence
- Nearest station
- Makomanai Station
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
2026 · September 2, 4–6, 8–9, 11, 13–14, 16–19, 21–26KyotoPerforming artsEnded
Lupin III: Hekisui no Reijo brings Monkey Punch's characters into a kabuki adventure at Kyoto's Minamiza. Set in a feudal world, the story follows Lupin's encounter with Princess Seori, who faces a forced marriage, and a contest over treasure connected with a mysterious old castle. It is a scheduled theatre production, not an exhibition you can enter at any time.
The 2026 production credited Kataoka Ainosuke as both Lupin and Ishikawa Goemon, with Nakamura Yonekichi as Princess Seori. Fujiko, Jigen and the pursuing Zenigata were also reworked within the kabuki story. The published daytime and evening sessions presented the same play, making their difference a scheduling choice rather than a choice of repertoire. This is the archive of the Minamiza run that ended on 26 September, not a currently bookable performance.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Minamiza, Kyoto
- Nearest station
- Keihan Gion-Shijo exit 6; Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi exit 1
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 26, 2026 · 6:30 PM–7:40 PM JSTTokyoFireworksEnded
This archive preserves Kita City Fireworks 2026 as it was scheduled for September 26 around the Arakawa and old Iwabuchi Sluice. The official sources reviewed do not confirm whether the fireworks occurred or were cancelled; the paid/free areas, side-specific entrances and crowd controls are historical planned arrangements only.
Useful for comparing the Akabane and Kawaguchi sides, paid and free viewing areas, and the station-to-area decisions built into the published plan. It is not proof of occurrence and does not establish tickets or access rules for another edition.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Arakawa riverbank around the old Iwabuchi Sluice / Akabane and Kawaguchi viewing areas
- Nearest station
- Akabane / Akabane-iwabuchi / Kawaguchi
- Reservation
- Check ahead
September 25, 2026 · 5:00 PM–9:00 PM JSTOkayamaFestivalsEnded
Okayama Korakuen marks the mid-autumn moon on 25 September with an evening of lawn viewing and traditional music. Areas normally closed to visitors open for sitting beneath the sky, while koto and shakuhachi are played at Enyo-tei. Optional advance-ticket tea sessions offer another way to spend the evening.
The special access changes how you experience the garden: the lawn stretching from Enyo-tei toward Kakumei-kan opens for visitors to sit and watch the moon. The garden describes the moon rising above the Misao-yama ridge without buildings blocking the view; cloud cover can still hide it. Moonrise is listed at 17:06, shortly after the event begins at 17:00.
Okayama Sankyoku Research Association provides koto and shakuhachi music at Enyo-tei, audible within the garden. No individual performance times are published. For a more structured tea experience, Urasenke Tankokai uses Kakumei-kan, while Mushakoji Senke Okayama Kankyu-kai uses the lawn before Kansui Saikyoken. Those tea sessions require a separate advance ticket. Ordinary garden entry lets you enjoy the moon-viewing atmosphere without a tea booking; this gathering has its own lawn and music programme, distinct from Fantasy Garden illumination.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Okayama Korakuen
- Nearest station
- Shiroshita tram stop
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 21, 2026 · 7:00 PM JSTSapporoFireworksEnded
This archive records HBA / Doshin Autumn Fireworks 2026 at the Premist Dome Open Arena. The organizer’s September 24 completion message confirms that the September 21 event took place and ended; the published 16:00 opening, 19:00 start, paid outdoor format and operating rules are historical 2026 arrangements.
Useful for understanding a paid outdoor music-synchronized fireworks format where venue access, no-parking guidance and weather exposure shaped the visit. It does not establish an exact finish, attendance, or arrangements for another edition.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Daiwa House Premist Dome Open Arena
- Nearest station
- Fukuzumi Station
- Reservation
- Check ahead
September 18, 2026 – September 21, 2026KanazawaPerforming artsEnded
Kanazawa Jazz Street brings jazz into central Kanazawa's sightseeing areas over 18–21 September 2026. Its 17th edition combines free street performances, a reception night and individually ticketed concerts. The experience depends on the stage and session you choose: there is no single admission ticket or opening time covering the whole festival.
The published 2026 Akabane Hall programme listed the Student Big Band Carnival on 19 September, Toshiki Soejima and Sarah Àlainn with Sarahband on 20 September, and Christian McBride & Ursa Major on 21 September. The 18 September reception listing combined local and visiting musicians with food trucks, including Osaka University's The New Wave Jazz Orchestra, SHOBI Special Jazz Ensemble, a breaking-and-jazz collaboration and Tenors In Chaos. This archive records the distinction between street sets, the reception and separately ticketed concerts; the edition ended on 21 September.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Central Kanazawa stages, Hokkoku Shimbun Akabane Hall and Oyama Shrine
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page
September 19, 2026 9:30 AM – September 21, 2026 4:00 PM JSTChibaAnime & Game EventsEnded
This archive records the mixed outcome of Tokyo Game Show 2026. The organizer confirms that the edition opened, but the September 21 physical program at Makuhari Messe was cancelled for the entire day because of Typhoon 25; the listed business/public days, venue split and ticket rules are historical 2026 arrangements.
Useful for understanding the distinction between business and public days, the main and family venues, and how advance admission and capacity controls shaped the edition. It does not imply that every listed day or program occurred or that any 2026 ticket remains valid.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Makuhari Messe
- Nearest station
- JR Kaihin-Makuhari Station
- Reservation
- Check ahead
September 20, 2026 · 3:00 PM–8:00 PM JSTHirakataFireworks FestivalsEnded
This archive preserves the fifth Suito Kurawanka Fireworks as it was scheduled for September 20 across the Hirakata and Takatsuki sides of Yodogawa River Park. The official pages reviewed do not confirm whether the 2026 fireworks occurred or were cancelled; timing, bank choice and access rules are historical planned arrangements only.
Useful for understanding the community and memorial purpose, two-bank venue format, and why side choice, public transport and the return route mattered. It is not proof of occurrence and does not establish current viewing or access arrangements.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Yodogawa River Park — Hirakata and Takatsuki/Otsuka areas
- Nearest station
- Keihan Hirakata-shi Station (Hirakata-side anchor)
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 19, 2026 9:00 AM – September 20, 2026 7:00 PM JSTKyotoAnime & Game EventsEnded
This archive records KYOMAF 2026, which the organizer confirms ran on September 19–20 across Miyako Messe, ROHM Theatre Kyoto and Kyoto International Manga Museum. The venue hours, admission tiers, stage lotteries and temporary transport described here belong to that completed edition and are not current access arrangements.
Useful for understanding how a multi-venue anime fair divided main-venue admission, museum access and stage participation. It does not establish current ticket inventory, lottery eligibility, bus service or another edition’s program.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair Venue Area
- Nearest station
- 東山駅 Higashiyama Station (Kyoto City Subway Tozai Line, 8-minute walk) / 三条駅 Sanjo Station・三条京阪駅 Sanjo Keihan Station (Keihan Line / Kyoto City Subway, 16-minute walk) / 岡崎公園 ロームシアター京都・みやこめっせ前 Okazaki Koen ROHM Theatre Kyoto / Miyako Messe-mae bus stop (immediate access)
- Reservation
- Check ahead
September 20, 2026 · 12:00 PM–4:00 PM JSTTokushimaFestivalsEnded
Amateur jazz ensembles from all four Shikoku prefectures gather at Sudachi-kun Mori Theatre for a free afternoon of live music. The 20 September programme brings junior players, jazz orchestras and Latin sounds to the outdoor stage in Tokushima’s Bunka-no-Mori cultural park.
The changing bands give this afternoon its shape. Tokushima Junior Jazz Orchestra opens at 12:00, followed by Kochi’s Fake Jazz Orchestra at 12:35 and Kagawa’s SKG Jazz Orchestra at 13:10. Tokushima Latin Farm takes over at 13:45, Ehime’s CRASH Jazz Orchestra at 14:20 and Tokushima’s The Sunnyside Jazz Orchestra at 14:55. The finale begins at 15:30, before the event ends at 16:00.
Listening across several sets lets you compare younger players, the fuller sound of a jazz orchestra and the Latin programme within one venue. This is a live performing-arts event at the park’s outdoor theatre; the nearby museum buildings are separate places to visit. The published order can change, so use the hall’s current programme when choosing which sets to hear.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Sudachi-kun Mori Theatre, Tokushima Prefectural 21st Century Hall
- Nearest station
- Bunka-no-Mori Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 20, 2026 · 10:00 AM–3:00 PM JSTOkayamaFood marketsEnded
Ashimori Plaza’s courtyard hosts a one-day market of local produce, bread and handmade goods on 20 September. Ashimori melons, rice bread, woodwork and bamboo crafts give the visit a distinct local focus, while a separate sake tasting introduces the area’s brewing tradition.
The current flyer names produce including Ashimori melons and eggs, rice bread from JA Pan Kobo, woodwork from Asunaro Kobo and bamboo crafts from Takezaiku no Kai. The city’s notice also lists vegetables, fruit and handmade pottery. These offerings make it possible to combine something to eat with browsing useful or decorative craft goods; individual items and quantities depend on the sellers.
Itano Shuzo is listed for the local sake tasting. That tasting also takes place on 19 September, but the main market is only on 20 September, 10:00–15:00. You can visit the produce and craft stalls without taking part in the tasting. This is a sales market, so do not plan on a hands-on craft workshop unless the organizer separately announces one.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Ashimori Plaza courtyard
- Nearest station
- Ashimori Station
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 12, 2026 · 6:15 PM–7:15 PM JSTTokyoFireworksEnded
This archive records the cancelled Chofu Fireworks 2026 plan. The organizer says prolonged rain raised the Tamagawa River level and prevented launch-site setup, so the September 12 event was cancelled with no postponement; the intended program, viewing areas and paid-seat refund notice are historical records, not evidence that the fireworks occurred.
Most useful for comparing the planned paid/free viewing layout with the organizer’s cancellation and no-postponement decision. The organizer advertised a refund period from September 12 at 10:00 through October 31, 2026, but this page does not determine eligibility or confirm a successful refund.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Chofu Tamagawa River viewing areas
- Nearest station
- Fuda / Chofu / Keio-Tamagawa
- Reservation
- Usually not required
September 5, 2026 · 7:30 PM–8:30 PM JSTSapporoFireworksEnded
This archive records Hokkaido Arts Fireworks 2026 at Moerenuma Park. The organizer’s same-night update confirms that the September 5 edition took place; the published 16:00 opening, 19:30 start, planned 20:30 finish and all-ticket model are historical 2026 arrangements, not current ticket or transport availability.
Most useful as a reference for how an all-ticket destination fireworks night linked seat choice, park access, gate rules and the return journey. It does not establish attendance, an exact finish, or arrangements for another edition.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Moerenuma Park
- Nearest station
- Sakaemachi Station / official access products
- Reservation
- Check ahead
August 29, 2026 5:00 PM – August 30, 2026 8:00 PM JSTTokyoFestivalsEnded
This archive preserves Tokyo Koenji Awa Odori 2026 as it was scheduled for August 29–30 across eight performance areas around JR Koenji and Shin-Koenji stations. The official sources reviewed do not confirm whether the 2026 performances occurred or were cancelled; the route and timing remain historical planned information.
Useful for understanding the multi-area street format, two-station approach, crowd-control context and festival history. It is not proof of occurrence and does not establish the same route, hours or viewing arrangements for another edition.
Official source checkedAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyTravel notes included
- Venue
- Koenji Awa Odori Area
- Nearest station
- 高円寺駅 Koenji Station (JR Chuo / Sobu lines; access to the north/south shopping-street performance venues) / 新高円寺駅 Shin-Koenji Station (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line; access to Konan-dori and southern performance venues)
- Reservation
- Usually not required
August 29, 2026 · 1:00 PM JSTTokyoFestivalsEnded
This archive preserves Asakusa Samba Carnival 2026 as it was scheduled for August 29 with a 13:00 start along the Umamichi-dori to Kaminarimon-dori route. The official sources reviewed do not confirm whether the parade occurred or was cancelled; route, standing-viewing and supporter-seat details are historical planned arrangements only.
Useful for understanding the parade’s one-route street format, standing-viewing pressure, supporter-seat distinction and safety restrictions. It is not proof of occurrence and does not establish current admission or arrangements for another edition.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Route (Umamichi-dori to Kaminarimon-dori)
- Nearest station
- Asakusa Station / 浅草站
- Reservation
- Usually not required
August 29, 2026 · 8:00 PM–8:30 PM JSTTokyoFireworksEnded
This archive preserves Akishima Whale Festival Dream Fireworks 2026 as the planned first-night highlight of the August 29–30 local festival. The city marks the festival period ended but does not explicitly confirm that the fireworks were launched; the athletics-ground venue and two-station approach remain historical scheduled context.
Useful for understanding the fireworks’ place within a local festival tied to Akishima’s whale-fossil story, rather than as a stand-alone large river display. It is not proof that the launch occurred and does not establish later-edition seating or access.
Official source noteAccess tipsGoogle Maps readyCheck before going
- Venue
- Showa Park Athletics Sports Ground area
- Nearest station
- Higashi-Nakagami / Nishi-Tachikawa
- Reservation
- Not confirmed — check the official page