Things to Do in Kansai, Japan
Japan's cultural heart: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, plus the pilgrim trails and islands of the Kii Peninsula.
239 destinations across 7 prefectures
Festivals in Kansai
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Nada Kenka Matsuri
14 to 15 October 2026
Hyogo · Float procession
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
Suggested Itineraries
Places to Visit in Kansai
Yunomine Onsen
Ancient Kumano Hot Spring and the World Heritage Tsuboyu Bath
A tiny, steam-wrapped hot-spring hamlet near Kumano Hongu, home to Tsuboyu, a rock-cut riverside ...
Sagawa Art Museum
Water-Surrounded Museum on the Moriyama Lakeshore
A serene museum near the Moriyama lakeshore whose low pavilions appear to float on a broad reflec...
Ishiyama-dera
Temple Where Murasaki Shikibu Is Said to Have Begun The Tale of Genji
A Shingon temple above the Seta River in Otsu, famous for the wollastonite crag it is named for a...
Porto Europa
European-Themed Park at Wakayama Marina City
A theme park on the man-made island of Wakayama Marina City built to look like a Mediterranean po...
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...
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...
Kyozuan Arashiyama
Tofu soft serve so dense it won't fall out upside-down
A tofu-sweets stand in Kyoto's Arashiyama, by the Randen station in front of Tenryu-ji, famous fo...
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...
Biwako Valley
Ropeway to the Biwako Terrace and Sweeping Lake Views Above Otsu
A mountaintop resort above the western shore reached by a fast ropeway, whose Biwako Terrace deck...
Seiganto-ji
First Temple of the Saikoku Pilgrimage and the Pagoda Above Nachi Falls
The Tendai temple beside Kumano Nachi Taisha and the first stop of the Saikoku 33 Kannon pilgrima...
Dojo-ji
Wakayama's Oldest Temple and Home of the Anchin-Kiyohime Legend
The oldest temple in Wakayama, famed for the tragic Anchin-Kiyohime bell legend and for the livel...
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...
Nijigen no Mori
Anime Theme Park in Awaji Island Park
An anime and manga theme park set in the forests of Awaji Island Park, with life-size attractions...
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...
Shionomisaki
The Southernmost Cape of Honshu at Kushimoto
The southern tip of Honshu, a windswept headland of grassland and Pacific horizon at Kushimoto, w...