An iris festival in Tokyo, the Katsushika Iris Festival is held at Mizumoto Park and Horikiri Shobuen, which collectively contain over 20,000 iris flowers.
An annual festival in Kanazawa, the Hyakumangoku Matsuri commemorates a lord’s castle entry. It features a historical parade, lantern floating, and traditional tea ceremonies in early June.
A shrine festival in Asakusabashi, Torigoe Matsuri features a procession with a four-ton portable shrine. The main event is its lantern-lit ceremonial return to the shrine at night.
A flower festival in Bunkyo, this mid-June event at Hakusan Shrine features 3,000 blooming hydrangeas. A miniature Mt. Fuji replica, the Fuji-zuka mound, is also opened to visitors.
The Sanno Festival in Tokyo is a biennial event centered at Hie Shrine. Its main feature is a long procession with costumes, floats, and portable shrines.
A dance festival in Sapporo, the Yosakoi Soran is held annually in June. It features teams performing choreographed routines with wooden clappers to folk and modern music.
A religious festival in Kyoto, the Gion Matsuri occurs in July. It features two main parades with large traditional floats, along with evening street events called yoiyama.
A summer festival in Fukuoka where teams from seven districts race through city streets carrying one-ton floats. The event’s final timed race is held before dawn on July 15.
