Things to Do in Kansai, Japan
Japan's cultural heart: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, plus the pilgrim trails and islands of the Kii Peninsula.
362 destinations across 7 prefectures
Festivals in Kansai
Awaji Island Festival Fireworks
8 November 2026
Hyogo · Fireworks festival
Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri
15 to 18 December 2026
Nara · Float procession
Toka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine
9 to 11 January 2027
Osaka · Festival
Wakakusa Yamayaki
23 January 2027
Nara · Fire festival
Kobe Luminarie
29 January 2027 to 7 February 2027
Hyogo · Lantern festival
© ignis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Omizutori
1 to 14 March 2027
Nara · Fire festival
© J o / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Aoi Matsuri
15 May 2027
Kyoto · Float procession
© 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Gion Matsuri
1 to 31 July 2027
Kyoto · Float procession
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Tenjin Matsuri
24 to 25 July 2027
Osaka · Boat festival
Kyoto Gozan Okuribi
16 August 2027
Kyoto · Fire festival
Photo: Idushin at Japanese Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri
18 to 19 September 2027
Osaka · Float procession
© sailko / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Nada Kenka Matsuri
14 to 15 October 2027
Hyogo · Float procession
Jidai Matsuri
22 October 2027
Kyoto · Float procession
Suggested Itineraries
Places to Visit in Kansai
Danjo Garan
Koyasan's Central Temple Complex and the Great Konpon Daito Pagoda
One of the two sacred centres of Koyasan, a sanctuary of halls and gates around the vermilion Kon...
Nintendo Museum
Nintendo's Old Hanafuda Card Factory, Open Only to Lottery Winners
Nintendo's museum in its former Uji Ogura card factory, open since October 2024. Tickets come onl...
Hiyoshi Taisha
Head Shrine of Some 3,800 Hie and Hiyoshi Shrines, Guardian of Mount Hiei
The head of some 3,800 Hie, Hiyoshi and Sanno shrines nationwide, set in the Sakamoto foothills o...
Shima Spain Village
Parque Espana, a Spanish-Themed Resort in Shima
A Spanish-themed resort in Shima whose Parque Espana park recreates the streets, plazas and flame...
Senjojiki
Wave-Cut Sandstone Terrace on the Shirahama Coast
A vast sloping shelf of soft sandstone on the Shirahama coast, carved into broad steps by the wav...
Michi-no-Eki Yoshinoji Oyodo i-Center
Roadside gateway to Yoshino with a local tea soft serve
A roadside station on Route 169 in Oyodo, a gateway to the Yoshino mountains and their cherry blo...
Hirakata Park
Japan's Oldest Operating Amusement Park, Between Osaka and Kyoto
Affectionately known as 'Hira-Pa', the oldest amusement park still running in Japan, on the Keiha...
Michi-no-Eki Ise-Shima
Ise-Shima roadside station with an Ise-tea soft serve
A roadside station on Route 167 near the heart of Ise-Shima National Park, with a local produce a...
Shionomisaki
The Southernmost Cape of Honshu at Kushimoto
The southern tip of Honshu, a windswept headland of grassland and Pacific horizon at Kushimoto, w...
Ukimido Floating Hall
Lakeside Temple Hall Standing Over the Water at Katata
A small temple hall of Mangetsu-ji that stands out over Lake Biwa on piles at Katata, long celebr...
Nara National Museum
Buddhist Art in Nara Park, and the Two Autumn Weeks of the Shosoin Exhibition
Japan's second-oldest national museum, on the edge of Nara Park between Kofuku-ji and Todai-ji. I...
Sanzen-in
Ohara's Moss Garden and Its Small Hidden Jizo
A Tendai monzeki temple in the Ohara valley, an hour north of the city, where moss gardens hide s...
Kongobu-ji
Head Temple of Koyasan and Shingon Buddhism
The administrative head temple of the Koyasan Shingon school, known for its sweeping tiled roof, ...
Michi-no-Eki Kaki-no-Sato Kudoyama
Persimmon-village roadside station at the foot of Mt. Koya
A roadside station at the foot of Mt. Koya in Kudoyama, a gateway to the Koya pilgrimage routes, ...
Michi-no-Eki Kyotamba Ajimu-no-Sato
Expressway roadside station in Kyoto's black-soybean country
A large roadside station in the hills of Kyotamba on the Kyoto Jukan Expressway, in the Tamba dis...