About this site
Matsuri Biyori lists the exact dates, year by year, of Japan's festivals on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Why we made it
Some festivals are held on the same date every year, while others fall on a different date each year, such as “the first Saturday of August” or “the 25th day of the sixth lunar month.” To find out when this year's festival takes place, you had to look up that year's information from municipalities, preservation societies, tourism associations and others, one by one.
Matsuri Biyori brings together the actual dates for the 37 Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals and 41 Furyu-odori dances on UNESCO's list, so you can check them in one place.
How we determine dates
We confirm each festival's date rule using public information from Cultural Heritage Online, local governments, tourism associations and preservation societies, then compare it with the previous year's dates. Each festival is labeled with one of the following four levels of certainty.
Official
Dates announced by the organizers or the local tourism association.
Calculated
Dates calculated from the annual rule (a fixed date, the first Saturday of a month, etc.). Please also check official sources before you go.
Unconfirmed
Because of the lunar calendar, biennial or irregular schedules, the rule alone can't pin down the dates. Treat them as an estimate.
Not held in 2027
Due to its cycle or other reasons, this festival is not expected to be held in 2027.
Festivals may be canceled or changed due to weather, disasters or local circumstances. Always check the organizers' latest information before you go.
Descriptions, photos and videos
Festival descriptions are written by Matsuri Biyori based on public information. Sources are listed on each page.
Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses and are shown with the photographer and license. We don't use photos we can't confirm are of that festival; festivals without photos are shown with a shared illustration.
Videos are published on YouTube by local governments, preservation societies, tourism associations and others, and are shown in the YouTube player. They don't load until you press play.
About translations
The Japanese text is the original. The English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean versions are translated from the Japanese.
Share photos and information
We welcome festival photos and information about date changes or errors. Preservation societies and local governments are also welcome to contact us.
Contact: org-support@mtatab.com
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Matatabi Inc.