A Guide to Japanese Autumn Festivals in 2024

A Guide to Japanese Autumn Festivals in 2024

Autumn is a vibrant season in Japan, known for its crisp air, stunning foliage, and traditional festivals (matsuri) that celebrate harvests, cultural heritage, and nature. In 2024, these festivals provide a perfect way to experience Japan’s deep-rooted traditions, rituals, and community spirit. Below is an informative guide to some of the most significant autumn festivals happening in Japan.

1. Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri (September)

Location: Kishiwada, Osaka

Highlights: The Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri is one of Japan's most famous and thrilling festivals. The main event involves massive wooden floats called danjiri, decorated with elaborate carvings and pulled through the streets by teams of men. The floats are raced through narrow streets, requiring precision and speed. This high-energy event is a true spectacle of strength, teamwork, and community pride.

Key Experience: Watching the floats being steered around tight corners at high speed is exhilarating. The atmosphere is lively, with participants and spectators sharing in the excitement.

Best Time to Visit: The climax is during the final float races, usually in the evening.

2. Nagoya Festival (October)

Location: Nagoya

Highlights: The Nagoya Festival is a celebration of the city's rich history and famous figures like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. The festival features grand parades with participants dressed in traditional samurai costumes, performing reenactments of historic battles and events.

Key Experience: Enjoy the historical pageantry and watch cultural performances like Noh theater and traditional dance.

Best Time to Visit: The grand parade is the highlight, usually happening on the second day of the festival.

3. Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) (October 22)

Location: Kyoto

Highlights: Kyoto’s Jidai Matsuri is a grand historical procession commemorating the city's long and rich history as the former capital of Japan. Participants wear meticulously crafted costumes representing various periods of Japanese history, from the Heian era to the Meiji Restoration.

Key Experience: Witnessing the parade, where hundreds of participants in full period dress march through the streets. It offers a glimpse into the historical evolution of Japanese clothing, customs, and politics.

Best Time to Visit: The parade starts from the Imperial Palace and proceeds to Heian Shrine, and it's best to arrive early to secure a good viewing spot.

4. Takayama Autumn Festival (October 9-10)

Location: Takayama, Gifu Prefecture

Highlights: The Takayama Autumn Festival is considered one of Japan's most beautiful festivals, featuring 11 exquisitely decorated floats (yatai) that parade through the streets. The floats are adorned with intricate carvings, embroidery, and gilded decorations. In the evening, the floats are illuminated with lanterns, creating a magical atmosphere.

Key Experience: Watching the evening yatai parade when the lanterns light up the night sky is breathtaking. Traditional puppet shows (karakuri) performed on the floats also add to the experience.

Best Time to Visit: Evening for the lantern parade; mornings to see the floats up close.

5. Shuki Taisai (Autumn Grand Festival) at Nikko Toshogu Shrine (October 16-17)

Location: Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture

Highlights: The Shuki Taisai at Nikko Toshogu Shrine is a grand festival that honors Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The highlight is the procession, a reenactment of Ieyasu's funeral procession. Participants wear traditional armor and robes, and the event showcases Nikko’s majestic autumn foliage.

Key Experience: The grand procession of warriors in full armor, making their way to the shrine in a solemn yet awe-inspiring display of history and culture.

Best Time to Visit: The procession, which takes place on the 17th, is the focal point, followed by traditional performances.

6. Kurama no Hi Matsuri (Fire Festival) (October 22)

Location: Kurama, Kyoto

Highlights: The Kurama Fire Festival is one of Japan's most unique and visually striking autumn festivals. Taking place in the mountain village of Kurama, participants carry large burning torches through the streets to the local shrine. The fire symbolizes the guiding light for deities during their descent to the mortal world.

Key Experience: The sight of hundreds of flaming torches lighting up the night sky in the rural mountains of Kyoto is unforgettable.

Best Time to Visit: The evening when the torch-bearing procession begins.

7. Oeshiki Festival (October 12-13)

Location: Ikegami Honmonji Temple, Tokyo

Highlights: The Oeshiki Festival is a Buddhist event honoring the death anniversary of Nichiren, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism. The streets around Ikegami Honmonji Temple come alive with thousands of people holding lanterns in a somber yet mesmerizing parade. Towering five-story lantern floats (mando) are carried by groups of worshippers, creating a surreal atmosphere.

• Key Experience: Witnessing the illuminated night parade and the solemn chants of worshippers as they make their way to the temple.

• Best Time to Visit: The evening parade when the lanterns are at their brightest.

8. Shikinen Sengu Autumn Festival at Ise Jingu (October)

Location: Ise Jingu, Mie Prefecture

Highlights: Ise Jingu is Japan's most sacred Shinto shrine, and its autumn festival is part of the Shikinen Sengu, a once-in-20-year ritual that involves the rebuilding of the shrine. While 2024 is not a rebuilding year, the autumn festival still holds important rituals and ceremonies, including offerings and dances performed in honor of the kami (deities).

• Key Experience: The spiritual atmosphere of Ise Jingu during the autumn festival is serene and profound. It's an excellent time to experience traditional Shinto practices.

• Best Time to Visit: Rituals are held throughout the day, but the quiet mornings provide a more peaceful atmosphere for reflection.