Things to Do in Kansai, Japan
Japan's cultural heart: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, plus the pilgrim trails and islands of the Kii Peninsula.
361 destinations across 7 prefectures
Festivals in Kansai
Jidai Matsuri
22 October 2026
Kyoto · Float procession
Awaji Island Festival Fireworks
8 November 2026
Hyogo · Fireworks festival
Wakakusa Yamayaki
23 January 2027
Nara · Fire 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
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
Suggested Itineraries
Places to Visit in Kansai
Michi-no-Eki Nose Kuri-no-Sato
Chestnuts and local rice in northern Osaka
A farm market and food stop on Route 173 in Nose, at the northern edge of Osaka. Seasonal chestnu...
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...
Arimafuji Park
Woodland, pondside paths and imaginative play areas spread beneath the distinctive hill of Arimaf...
Azuchi Castle Ruins
Oda Nobunaga’s short-lived castle survives as a wooded ascent of stone steps, walls and foundatio...
Koyasan Choishi-michi
The 22 km Pilgrim Path to Koyasan, Counted Down by 180 Stone Markers
The old main pilgrim road up Koyasan, about 22 km from Jison-in in Kudoyama to the Konpon Daito, ...
Nakayamadera Temple
A vivid blue five-story pagoda rises above Nakayamadera, a temple closely associated with prayers...
Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum
Takarazuka’s Tezuka museum explores the imagination behind Astro Boy and other influential manga ...
Shin-Yakushi-ji
Twelve Clay Generals from the 8th Century, in a Quiet Lane Below Mount Takamado
A small temple in the Takabatake district, south of Kasuga Taisha, with one Nara-period hall and ...
Tojoko Toy Kingdom
A toy-brand theme park by Lake Tojo for small children
Ten indoor toy pavilions (Tomica and Plarail, Licca-chan, Sylvanian Families) plus about 15 small...
Tower of the Sun
Inside Taro Okamoto's Tower: 145 Steps Up a 41-Meter Tree of Life
Taro Okamoto's 70-meter tower from Expo '70, whose hollow interior reopened in March 2018 after n...
Yata-dera
A Jizo Temple in the Hills West of Yamato-Koriyama, Under 10,000 Hydrangeas in June
Properly Kongosen-ji, a temple halfway up Yatasan in the Yata hills west of Yamato-Koriyama, know...
Amarube Viaduct Sora no Eki
A Station in the Sky on What Is Left of the Old Amarube Iron Bridge
Three steel piers of the 1912 Amarube iron bridge still stand beside its 2010 concrete replacemen...
Hosen-in
Matcha in Front of a 700-Year-Old Pine, Under a Blood-Stained Ceiling
A small Tendai temple at the far end of Ohara's approach lane, beyond Sanzen-in, where the 1,000-...
Jison-in
Kukai's Mother's Temple at the Foot of Koyasan, Where the Choishi-michi Begins
A small Shingon temple by the Kinokawa river where, by tradition, Kukai's mother lived out her li...
Kodai-ji
Nene's Temple for Hideyoshi, With Gold Lacquer and Lit Autumn Nights
The Zen temple Toyotomi Hideyoshi's widow Nene founded in 1606 to pray for him, with her tomb und...