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
Fujiwara Palace Site
The Field Where Nara Says Japan's First Grid-Planned Capital Stood, Now Planted with Rapeseed, Lotus and Cosmos
The site of the palace at the centre of Fujiwara-kyo, Japan's capital from 694 to 710, which Nara...
Hannya-ji
The Cosmos Temple on the Old Kyoto Road, with a Kamakura Stone Pagoda in the Middle
A temple on the hill north of Todai-ji, known in Nara as the cosmos temple: about 150,000 cosmos ...
Honno-ji
The Temple Where Nobunaga Died, Rebuilt Ten Years Later Across Town
The Nichiren-school temple linked to Oda Nobunaga's death in 1582, rebuilt on Teramachi-dori in 1...
Jiko-in
A Tea Master's Temple Where the Entry Fee Buys a Bowl of Matcha and a View over the Yamato Basin
A small Zen temple in Yamato-Koriyama built in 1663 by the tea master and local lord Katagiri Sek...
Kasugayama Primeval Forest
The Old Shrine Forest Behind Kasuga Taisha, and a Stone Road to the 12th-Century Cave Buddhas
The forest on Mount Kasuga behind Kasuga Taisha, kept as the shrine's sacred ground since hunting...
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...
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, ...
Michi-no-Eki Galleria Kameoka
Kameoka produce beside a community learning center
Galleria Kameoka combines a roadside station with a public learning and events facility on Route ...
Michi-no-Eki Kitaharima Eco-Museum
A roadside introduction to Nishiwaki and Taka
Kitaharima Eco-Museum is a roadside information and shopping stop for Nishiwaki and Taka. Its mus...
Michi-no-Eki Kyoto Shinkoetsu Mura
Local rice and farm produce at Sonobe IC
Beside Sonobe IC, Kyoto Shinkoetsu Mura gathers local rice, vegetables and prepared products from...
Michi-no-Eki Miki
Tools, blades and local food in Miki
Michi-no-Eki Miki turns a break on Route 175 into an introduction to the city’s toolmaking tradit...
Michi-no-Eki Miyama Fureai Hiroba
Miyama milk and farm produce before the thatched village
Miyama Fureai Hiroba combines the Flat Miyama farm shop, a dairy counter and visitor information ...
Michi-no-Eki Ogo
Soba and farm shopping in rural northern Kobe
Ogo is a small roadside station in Kobe’s northern farming district, beside the Miki-Sanda prefec...
Michi-no-Eki Tojo
Regional shopping at the gateway to Tojo Lake
Tojo is a roadside station just outside Hyogo-Tojo IC, with local produce, regional goods and pla...
Michi-no-Eki Woody Keihoku
Woodcraft and local food on the Shuzan road
In Shuzan, north of central Kyoto, Woody Keihoku connects a farm shop and restaurant with the sur...