Travel

Guide to Japanese Spring Festivals from February to May

  /
Guide to Japanese Spring Festivals from February to May

Spring in Japan is the most expressive season, when festivals begin across the country alongside the blooming of flowers. From February to May, a diverse array of spring festivals are held, ranging from events celebrating early-blooming cherry blossoms to grand festivals at historic shrines and temples, and community-wide celebrations with citizen participation.

This article carefully selects spring festivals from across Japan that can be enjoyed during each period of spring, introducing their characteristics and highlights in an easy-to-understand manner. Please use this as a reference when planning your spring trip to Japan.

Contents

1.　Japanese Spring Festivals to Enjoy in February-March

February through March offers an opportunity to experience Japan’s seasonal transition from winter to spring through early-blooming cherry blossoms and traditional events. Tourist spots are easily accessible, allowing you to experience Japanese culture even with limited travel time. Here we introduce Japanese spring festivals held from February to March.

1-1.　Kawazu Sakura Matsuri (Shizuoka Prefecture)

引用：河津町

even among first-time visitors to Japan as it offers the earliest cherry blossom viewing in the country. Kawazu Town in Shizuoka Prefecture is where the original Kawazu Sakura tree was discovered, and visitors can observe the pale pink flowers up close throughout the town. Kawazu Sakura is believed to be a natural hybrid between Oshima Zakura and Hikan Zakura varieties, characterized by its long-lasting blooms.

During the festival period, visitors can enjoy cherry blossom viewing along tree-lined paths, and after evening, illuminated night cherry blossoms also appear. The ability to savor natural scenery and community vibrancy simultaneously is a distinctive feature of this festival.

1-2.　Jindaiji Daruma Ichi (Tokyo)

Jindaiji Daruma Ichi is a representative festival where you can experience traditional Japanese spring events in Tokyo. At this market, which has continued since the Edo period, many daruma doll vendors line the temple grounds, welcoming worshippers with colorful daruma.

At Jindaiji Temple, there is a unique custom where monks paint eyes on daruma using Sanskrit characters, an experience symbolizing the beginning and milestones of wishes. The surrounding area also has many historic Jindaiji soba shops, offering an opportunity to encounter food culture supported by spring water and watermill technology. You can savor a quintessentially Japanese spring landscape where faith, daily life, and food come together.

1-3.　Katsuura Big Hina Matsuri (Chiba Prefecture)

Katsuura Big Hina Matsuri is a photogenic spring event where you can experience Japan’s Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) culture throughout the entire town. In Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, numerous hina dolls donated from across the country are displayed at shrines, temples, and shopping streets, enveloping the townscape in a vibrant atmosphere.

Particularly impressive are the numerous hina dolls arranged on the stone steps of Tomisaki Shrine, leaving a strong impression on visitors. This festival began with hina dolls received from Katsuura Town, Tokushima Prefecture, and local residents carefully arrange and manage the displays every day. You can intimately experience a landscape where Japanese family culture and people’s sentiments are passed down.

2.　Japanese Spring Festivals to Visit in April

April sees cherry blossoms reaching their peak viewing season across the country, with many festivals held in harmony with historic townscapes and nature. These festivals combine easily with tourist attractions, allowing you to enjoy Japan’s spring scenery and culture simultaneously. Here we introduce recommended Japanese spring festivals to visit in April.

2-1.　Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri (Aomori Prefecture)

Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri is a spring festival where you can enjoy one of Japan’s finest cherry blossom views all at once. Hirosaki Park, the festival venue, features diverse cherry trees centered on Somei Yoshino, with natural scenery spreading where the castle tower and cherry blossoms harmonize.

Through thorough management, even old trees bloom abundantly, creating an overwhelming sight when in full bloom that seems to cover the sky.

As the blossoms fall, “hanaikada” (flower rafts) appear where petals blanket the outer moat, and at night you can enjoy the fantastic spectacle of illuminated night cherry blossoms. With many highlights, this is a festival where you can experience the profound depth of cherry blossom culture.

2-2.　Spring Takayama Matsuri (Gifu Prefecture)

Spring Takayama Matsuri is a traditional festival representing Japan where you can experience the history and craftsmanship culture of Hida-Takayama all at once. Officially called Sanno Matsuri, it is held as the annual festival of Hida Sanno-gu Hie Shrine.

The main highlight is the twelve floats adorned with elaborate carvings and decorations. Among these, the karakuri puppet performances are characterized by sophisticated mechanisms and movements, captivating many tourists. Additionally, you can enjoy large-scale festival processions with participants dressed in traditional costumes, and the magical sight of floats lit with lanterns parading at night. This is a festival where you can closely experience the craftsmanship and faith passed down through long history.

2-3.　Beppu Hatto Onsen Matsuri (Oita Prefecture)

引用：別府八湯温泉まつり実行委員会事務局

Beppu Hatto Onsen Matsuri is a spring festival where you can enjoy experiences unique to Beppu while expressing gratitude for the blessings of hot springs. In Beppu City, the festival venue, diverse events are held throughout the city centered on Hot Spring Appreciation Day. The Ogiyama Fire Festival, where the mountain is burned, colors the night sky with magnificent flames announcing the arrival of spring.

In shopping districts and station areas, mikoshi and citizen-participation events continue, and the Yu-bukkake Matsuri (hot spring splashing festival) is full of excitement. Combined with nearby accommodation facilities, you can simultaneously savor the daily life of a hot spring town and the vitality of the festival, which is a major attraction.

3.　Japanese Spring Festivals to Experience in May

May coincides with Japan’s Golden Week holidays, when festivals that envelop entire cities in vitality are held across the country. Through traditional events and citizen-participation activities, you can intimately experience Japanese daily life and culture. Here we introduce Japanese spring festivals you can experience in May.

3-1.　Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri (Fukuoka Prefecture)

Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri is a major spring festival where you can experience Japanese festival culture through lively citizen participation. This festival originates from “Hakata Matsubayashi,” which is said to have begun in 1179 and has been passed down among the people of Hakata through long history.

Currently, set in Fukuoka City, many citizens participate in costumes and fancy dress, parading through the streets. The processions advancing while striking shamoji (rice paddles) and performances on stages set up throughout the city are characteristic features, transforming the entire city into a festive space. This is a vibrant festival where history and an open atmosphere merge.

3-2.　Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto Prefecture)

Aoi Matsuri is one of Kyoto’s premier traditional festivals where you can experience the elegant world of the Heian period as it was. Said to have begun about 1,500 years ago, it has been passed down as the annual festival of Kamo-mioya Shrine (Shimogamo Shrine) and Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine (Kamigamo Shrine).

The main highlight is the “Roto-no-gi” (procession ritual), where people dressed in Heian period costumes proceed along the city streets. The procession includes ox-carts decorated with hollyhock leaves and elegant parasols, creating a scene like a royal picture scroll. The graceful attire centered on the Saio-dai symbolizes Japanese traditional beauty.

3-3.　Kanda Matsuri (Tokyo)

Kanda Matsuri is one of Japan’s leading urban festivals where you can simultaneously feel the prestige and vitality passed down in the heart of Edo. Called “Tenka Matsuri” (Festival Under Heaven) because Tokugawa shoguns observed it during the Edo period, it is still held biennially as the grand festival of Kanda Shrine (Kanda Myojin).

During the festival, a procession in period costumes centered on a sacred palanquin tours the Kanda and Nihonbashi areas, conveying the vestiges of Edo culture to the present day. Furthermore, during the mikoshi shrine entry where many neighborhood mikoshi head toward the shrine, the entire city is enveloped in fervor. The intersection of history and modern urban landscape is the real pleasure of this festival.

3-4.　Sanja Matsuri (Tokyo)

Sanja Matsuri is a representative early summer festival of Japan where you can feel the heat and faith of downtown Asakusa with your whole body. Held as the annual festival of Asakusa Shrine, the Asakusa district is enveloped in festival colors for three days.

The main highlights are the many neighborhood mikoshi gathered from parishioner districts and the three main shrine mikoshi that parade on the final day. The powerful chants of the bearers and the dynamic mikoshi procession are spectacular, vividly conveying the Edo atmosphere. Traditional Shinto rituals and dances are also performed, making this a festival where you can feel deep history and prayer amid the vitality.

Summary

From February to May, diverse spring festivals reflecting seasonal changes are held throughout Japan. The characteristics differ by period: February-March when you can experience early-blooming cherry blossoms and traditional events, April when cherry blossoms harmonize with history, and May when urban vitality and faith culture stand out.

Spring festivals are not only opportunities to enjoy scenery but also precious chances to encounter regional history and people’s sentiments. By selecting festivals according to your visiting period, you can savor Japan’s spring more deeply.

*This article was created based on information as of January 2026.

Festivals Travel
RELATED POST