Things to Do in Kansai, Japan
Japan's cultural heart: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, plus the pilgrim trails and islands of the Kii Peninsula.
372 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
Kyoto Tower
The First and Last Landmark Greeting Visitors to Kyoto
Standing 131 meters tall in front of Kyoto Station, this candlestick-shaped tower has been a city...
Iga-Ueno Castle
Rising above the legendary birthplace of ninja culture, Iga-Ueno Castle has Japan's tallest stone...
Enryakuji Temple
Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei (Hieizan)
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and headquarters of Tendai Buddhism, Enryakuji Temple sprawls across...
Kifune
Mountain Village Famous for a Water Shrine and Riverside Dining
A scenic mountain village north of Kyoto famous for Kifune Shrine, dedicated to the water deity, ...
Sumoto Castle Ruins
Hilltop Castle Ruins with Panoramic Views of the Seto Inland Sea
A hilltop castle ruin on Awaji Island with Japan's oldest remaining concrete-built tenshu replica...
Myokensan (Nose Myokensan)
Nose Myokensan Temple
Nose Myokensan is a Nichiren-sect temple at the 660-metre summit of Mount Myoken, on the border b...
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...
Kumihimo KOBE
A private 120-year-old house in Kobe with a sauna in its Japanese garden
A whole 120-year-old Japanese house in Kobe, rented to one group a day, with a private sauna in i...
Konze Tenma no Mori
Hilltop forest park with Lake Biwa views, beside the Konze roadside station
A green hilltop forest park on the slopes of Konze-yama in Ritto, next to the Michi-no-Eki Konze ...
Ikuno Ginzan Silver Mine
Walk a Kilometre Into a Silver Mine Worked Until 1973
A silver mine worked from at least 1542 until 1973, now open as a walk-through tunnel of about a ...
Michi-no-Eki Konze no Sato Ritto
Roadside Station and Local Market in the Konze Hills
A roadside station in the Konze hills of Ritto, with a farm shop of local Shiga produce and speci...
Kyoto Railway Museum
Steam Locomotives in a 1914 Roundhouse, Near Kyoto Station
JR West's railway museum in Umekoji Park, with more than 50 real trains from steam locomotives to...
Kyoto Station
Hiroshi Hara's Station Building, Grand Staircase and Skyway
Hiroshi Hara's 1997 station building: a 171-step staircase lit with LEDs after dark, a corridor 4...
Anraku-ji
Anraku-ji, the Thatched-Gate Temple That Opens Only in Season
A small Pure Land temple behind a thatched gate, a few minutes off the Philosopher's Path, founde...
Yoshiminedera Temple
Yoshiminedera spreads across Kyoto’s western hills, with terraced temple paths, wide city views a...