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
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 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...
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...
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...
Michi-no-Eki Yoka Tajimagura
Roadside Station in the Tajima Hills
A roadside station on Route 9 in Yoka, Yabu, in the Tajima region of northern Hyogo, best known f...
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 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...
Michi-no-Eki Okukawachi Kuromaro-no-Sato
Hillside roadside station with a summer peach-dice soft serve
A large roadside station in the wooded Okukawachi hills of Kawachinagano in southern Osaka, with ...
Michi-no-Eki Minabe Ume Shinkokan
Plum-promotion roadside hall in Japan's top umeboshi town
A roadside station and plum-culture hall in Minabe, Japan's top plum-growing town and home of the...
Adashino Nenbutsu-ji
Eight Thousand Nameless Stones at the End of the Sagano Road
Around 8,000 stone buddhas and pagodas gathered from Adashino, a burial ground since the Heian pe...
Jakko-in
The Nunnery Where the Heike Story Ends
The small Ohara nunnery where Kenreimon-in retired after the Heike were destroyed at Dannoura. Th...
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...
Jingo-ji
Four Hundred Steps Above the Kiyotaki Gorge
A mountain temple of 824 above the Kiyotaki gorge, reached by about 400 stone steps, where visito...
Kozan-ji
A World Heritage Temple in a Cedar Forest, Home of the Frolicking Animals
A UNESCO World Heritage temple in the cedars at Toganoo, revived by the monk Myoe in 1206, known ...