December – Japan Events Guide

Discover festivals and events across Japan

| December

Illuminated float and winter fireworks at Chichibu Night Festival

Chichibu Night Festival 2027: Complete Guide to Japan’s Spectacular Yatai Festival

Zelkova trees strung with lights at the Sendai Pageant of Starlight

Sendai Pageant of Starlight 2026: Miyagi’s Zelkova Tree Illumination

Kokusai-dori, the main street of Naha

NAHA Marathon 2026: 30,000 Runners in Okinawan Winter

The coastline at Atami on Shizuoka's Izu peninsula

Atami Winter Fireworks 2026: Twenty Minutes Over the Bay

Aoshima island off the Miyazaki coast, ringed by wave-cut rock formations

Aoshima Taiheiyo Marathon 2026: A Flat Course by the Pacific

Ako Gishisai samurai procession in Hyogo

Ako Gishisai 2026: Hyogo’s Festival of the 47 Loyal Samurai

Crowds browsing stalls at the Setagaya Boro-ichi market

Setagaya Boro-ichi 2026: Tokyo’s 400-Year Winter Market

Akihasanhongu Akiha Jinja Shrine Kamisha - Honden, Tenryu Ward Hamamatsu 2012

Akiha Fire Festival 2026: Sacred Fire Dances Above Hamamatsu