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.
A professional sumo tournament in Nagoya, the July Basho is a fifteen-day event held annually at the IG Arena. The venue is located near Nagoya Castle.
A spiritual festival in Tokyo, Mitama Matsuri is held at Yasukuni Shrine to honor war dead. It features 30,000 lanterns, art, and traditional performances in mid-July.
A wind chime market in Kawasaki occurs for five days in July at Kawasaki Daishi temple. It features 30,000 chimes in over 900 styles from across Japan.
A sunflower festival in Kiyose, Tokyo, displays over 100,000 flowers on 24,000 square meters of farmland. An observation deck and a market selling local produce are on-site.
A summer boat festival featuring portable shrines carried down 202 steep steps to lead a marine parade of 100 decorated vessels through Matsushima Bay.
A cultural festival in Tokyo, the Kagurazaka Matsuri combines a Hozuki Market selling ground cherry plants with two nights of traditional Awa Odori dance performances.
A lantern floating festival in Chiyoda where over 2,000 lanterns are released onto the Chidorigafuchi Moat. The event is held for two nights in late July.
An outdoor music festival in Niigata, Fuji Rock is a three-day event featuring diverse music genres and international artists in a mountain forest setting.
