Must-See Summer Festivals, Food and Crafts
Explore Destinations flying from Osaka

Every year in early August, Hokkaido’s charming port city is transformed by the Hakodate Minato (Port) Festival. The city’s premier summer event kicks off with fireworks, followed by days of lively parades with colorful floats and mikoshi. Work up an appetite by joining locals in the Hakodate Ika Odori (Squid Dance), then hit the festival’s many food stalls. Just be sure to try a seafood bowl, the city’s signature dish, found at restaurants all over town, including the Hakodate Morning Market. For an unforgettable view of the city, the Hakodate Mountain Ropeway offers a spectacular panorama both night and day.

The Eisa dance takes place in Okinawa in August. Dance troops play music and sing as they parade down the street in colorful costumes, paying homage to their ancestral roots. For a unique souvenir, try a Ryukyu glass making experience under the guidance of skilled artisans. It doesn’t get more handmade than that. When your sweet tooth beckons, Sata Andagi can be found in shops across Okinawa. These Okinawan donuts are dense balls packed with sugar, eggs, flour, and flavor!

Held in early August, the Nebuta Festival is the highlight of Aomori’s summer. The festivities attract numerous visitors, with the main attraction being the giant colorful lantern floats called nebutas. These floats are paraded through the city for several days and then ferried around Aomori Bay in boats beneath a sky full of fireworks. Create a unique souvenir by taking a Tsugaru Lacquerware making class. No trip to Japan’s apple capital is complete without apple picking at one of the many orchards to savor the locally grown fruit.

Every year in early August, Sendai comes to life in a vivid rainbow as thousands of colorful streamers hang along the city’s shopping streets. The Tanabata Star Festival, one of Japan’s largest and most famous, kicks off with fireworks the night before. Write your wish and hang it from a bamboo branch, then get more hands-on with a kokeshi doll painting experience. Learn how to paint from a professional artisan and take home a unique memento. When hunger hits, chilled Chinese noodles are a local staple and an ideal meal on a hot summer day.

Held each year from the first Friday in August, the 3-day Fukushima Waraji Festival is one of the prefecture’s biggest events. Watch locals hoist up Japan’s largest waraji (straw sandal) and parade around town, then enjoy traditional dance performances, music, and fireworks. Take home a unique “red cow” souvenir when you paint your own traditional folk toy with an Akabeko painting experience. Food lovers must try a plate of enban gyoza, Fukushima’s original spin on the juicy, crispy pan-fried dumplings filled with pork and vegetables.

In Niigata 3 days in early August are reserved for the Nagaoka Festival. The spectacular storied fireworks fill the night sky on the second and third night, with people coming from all over Japan to line the banks of the Shinano River. The blacksmiths of Sanjo City have made hammer-forged blades for over 350 years. Study the craft with an Echigo Sanjo Cutlery workshop before shopping for the ultimate kitchen knife. And no trip to Niigata is complete without a sip of Japanese sake, crafted from the region's renowned rice and pristine water.

All the city’s a stage during the summer holiday in August when the Kochi Yosakoi Festival transforms the capital. The 4-day extravagant celebration boasts multiple venues throughout the city where numerous teams and dancers perform and compete in colorful and unique costumes. Summon your inner artisan with a Tosa washi paper making experience and take home a truly handmade keepsake. And don’t miss the opportunity to savor seared bonito. Known for its rich flavor and delicate texture, Kochi’s signature dish is best topped with raw garlic or ginger.

The annual Hyuga Hyottoko Summer Festival in early August is full of smiles. Festival goers help paint the town red as dancers in red kimonos and comical masks parade through the streets. For a unique cultural experience, explore the paper craft of erimono carving and take home a memento made by your own hand. And no visit is complete without trying Chicken Nanban, a Miyazaki specialty that soaks deep-fried chicken in sweet and sour sauce then tops it with tartar.