Matsuri Crossing KYOTO × BRASIL, an international exchange event where Japanese and Brazilian cultures meet, will be held around Higashi Honganji (東本願寺) and in front of Kyoto Station from Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8, 2026. The event leads up to the 120th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil in 2028.
Through music, dance, food, and art, the event aims to create opportunities for a diverse mix of people, including local residents, travelers from Japan and abroad, and foreign nationals living in Japan, to gather and interact naturally. Through a three-year initiative running until 2028, the project aims to grow the area into a place like a "garden," where new encounters and connections are born.
Higashi Honganji, the host site, has deep historical ties to Brazil. Choyu Otani (大谷暢裕), the Monshu (門首) of Higashi Honganji, is a Brazilian national who moved to Brazil at the age of 1 and spent about 60 years there.
With Higashi Honganji, which carries on Kyoto's history and traditions, as the setting, culture that traveled from Japan to Brazil and developed in its own way there meets again in Kyoto. The event is an initiative to experience this back-and-forth of cultures and to work toward the future of Kyoto's urban development and the formation of a new community where people with diverse values live together.
Event Overview
- Title: Matsuri Crossing KYOTO × BRASIL
- Dates and hours: Friday, November 6, Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
- Venues: Higashi Honganji-mae Civic Green Space "Ohigashi-san Plaza" (東本願寺前市民緑地「お東さん広場」), the grounds of Higashi Honganji, the area in front of Kyoto Station, and others
- Programs: Paid stage performances, free stage performances, a parade, booths (food and more), and workshops
- Organizers: Kyoto Latin America Cultural Association (京都ラテンアメリカ文化協会), Shinshu Otani-ha Higashi Honganji (真宗大谷派東本願寺), and General Incorporated Association Public Works Research and Development (一般社団法人公共事業研究開発)
- Supported by: Embassy of Brazil in Japan / Government of Brazil, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, Kyoto Minami Rotary Club (京都南ロータリークラブ), and West Japan Railway Company
Paid Night Stage on the Grounds of Higashi Honganji
A two-day-only special stage where Brazilian and Japanese music and culture cross will be held on the grounds of Higashi Honganji. The lineup includes a concert by three Brazilian musicians visiting Japan, including Nailson Vieira, who performs around the world. Nanase Aikawa, an artist long loved in Brazil for songs used in "Matsuri Dance," a Japanese-Brazilian culture, will give a special live performance, and a Matsuri Dance stage will have the whole venue dancing.
WOLF HOWL HARMONY, a four-member vocal and rap group, will also appear. The evening connects Japan and Brazil, and Kyoto and the world, through music and dance.
Special stage site: https://matsuricrossing.org/main-stage#page-2
Nanase Aikawa
Nanase Aikawa's signature songs, including "Yumemiru Shojo ja Irarenai" (夢見る少女じゃいられない), have long been loved in Brazil as popular Matsuri Dance tracks. In 2025 she was appointed a Japan-Brazil Friendship and Exchange Goodwill Ambassador and performed at a Matsuri Dance festival held in São Paulo State. She joins this project as a bridge between the cultures of the two countries.
This year marks her 30th debut anniversary, and the stage comes right after the final show of her anniversary tour at Nippon Budokan. November 8 is the anniversary of the release of her debut single, making it a special day.
WOLF HOWL HARMONY
From July 2 to 5 this year, WOLF HOWL HARMONY made its first appearance at Anime Friends 2026, one of South America's largest Japanese pop culture events, held in São Paulo, Brazil, which drew about 230,000 people over four days. Member GHEE has roots in Brazil, and Brazil is one of the places with which the group has a special connection. Since September 2026, the group has also been on its first national tour, WOLF HOWL HARMONY LIVE TOUR 2026 “tera trip”, which visits 12 cities across Japan. In the middle of that tour, they will take the stage for a new cultural exchange in Kyoto.
Nailson Vieira TRIO (ナイルソン・ヴィエイラ トリオ)
Nailson Vieira was born in Nazaré da Mata, Pernambuco. He inherited the culture of Maracatu Rural, a performing art nurtured by sugarcane field workers, and has been deeply involved in it since childhood. He studied musicology at the Federal University of Pernambuco and serves as the head of a local maracatu group, while translating Brazil's symbolic folk culture into contemporary music and sharing it with the world. He will perform as a band that includes Homero Basílio (ホメロ・バジリオ) on percussion and Chiquinho Moreira (シキーニョ・モレイラ) on synthesizer.
Paid Stage Details
- Dates and times:
- Saturday, November 7: Doors open at 5:30 PM, the show starts at 6:30 PM, and ends at 9:00 PM
- Sunday, November 8: Doors open at 5:00 PM, the show starts at 6:00 PM, and ends at 8:30 PM
- The entry and start times for November 7 have been changed.
- Venue: Grounds of Higashi Honganji
- Program:
- WOLF HOWL HARMONY live performance
- Live stage by artists visiting from Brazil
- Nanase Aikawa special live stage
- Dancing Matsuri Dance with Nanase Aikawa
- Admission: General area ¥4,400 (tax included). Day-of tickets are available.
About Matsuri Dance: Matsuri Dance developed from the bon odori that Japanese immigrants to Brazil kept dancing, which blended with Brazilian culture. At the "Culture in Vibration Higashi Honganji Grounds Special Stage" on the nights of November 7 and 8, that excitement will be recreated. Matsuri Dance time will also be held from time to time on the free stage, where visitors can experience the return of Japanese culture that crossed the ocean and was handed down in Brazil.
Free Stage and Cultural Experiences
On the free stage at "Ohigashi-san Plaza" in front of Higashi Honganji, artists active mainly in Kyoto and the Kansai region will perform a variety of Brazilian music and dance.
Visitors can experience cultures from across Brazil, such as samba, forró, and capoeira, as well as traditional Japanese ondo and other musical expressions. The stage where Japanese and Brazilian cultures meet is free to enjoy. A participatory "Matsuri Dance Time" and the participatory music booth "EN RODA," where performers and audience members enjoy music together in a circle, will also be held.
Free stage site: https://matsuricrossing.org/free-stage
Performing Artists
- JAPAXÉLADA (ジャパシェラーダ): Axé and samba-reggae. A Brazilian band from Nara that mainly plays music from the Bahia region of Brazil, known for its energetic rhythms.
- CAPOEIRA BERIMBAU ORQUESTRA (カポエィラ ビリンバウ オーケストラ): Afro-Brazilian music and capoeira. An ensemble centered on the berimbau, a Brazilian folk instrument. Traditional songs and physical expression are also highlights.
- Forró Flor de Juazeiro (フォホー フロール ヂ ジュアゼイロ): Forró, a dance music popular in northeastern Brazil, characterized by light rhythms and approachable melodies.
- Rock N’ 3 (ロックン・スリー)
- Honoka Inoue Cello Ensemble (井上帆乃香チェロアンサンブル)
- JAPABRAS (ジャパブラス)
- Banda Sapato Novo + Q-tchan (バンダ・サパト・ノーヴォ+キューチャン): A unit formed through the collaboration of Banda Sapato Novo, which formed in 2006 and is based in Aichi Prefecture, performing original songs and northeastern Brazilian music in its own arrangements, and Q-tchan, a musician who plays and sings original works based on northeastern Brazilian music on a variety of instruments.
- Midori Onaga (翁長 巳酉): Brazilian percussion. A percussionist well versed in Brazilian samba and traditional performing arts, known for a wide range of rhythmic expression.
- ILHA DAS TARTARUGAS (イーリャダスタルタルーガス): Afro-samba and percussion music. A Kyoto percussion group that mainly plays Afro-samba from the Bahia region of Brazil. The powerful sound of the drums is a highlight.
- Zayah & Ricardo Martins (イヤ＆ヒカルド・マルチンス)
- AVECOVO (アベコーボ): A "panorama orchestra" (パノラマ楽団) with a Brazilian-style sound.
- GRES Imperio do samba × ヂスペルタドール (インペリオ・ド・サンバ × ヂスペルタドール): A samba team founded by a Brazilian, Damion (ダミオン).
- Gōshū Ondo Shinchūya Bunkō Ichimon (江州音頭 真鍮家文好一門): Performs ondo from Shiga Prefecture. The appearance lets visitors feel the cultural connection between Japan's bon odori and Brazil's Matsuri Dance.
- Ribe Q (リベ)
Participatory Music Booth "EN RODA"
EN RODA (エン・ホーダ) is a participatory music booth where anyone can join the circle to listen, play, sing, and dance to a variety of Brazilian music around a round table. People who happen to be there form a circle through their connections. There is no barrier between performers and visitors, and passers-by are welcome to join. Visitors can travel through Brazilian music from a single round table.
Workshops
Participatory workshops that let visitors experience Brazilian culture up close through music, dance, and more are planned. Visitors can take part themselves, not only watch, as an opportunity to deepen their understanding of a different culture.
Parade from Kyoto Station to Higashi Honganji
On Saturday, November 7, a parade will head from the Kyoto Station area to "Ohigashi-san Plaza" in front of Higashi Honganji. Participants include a Brazilian percussion band, a brass band of local students, and samba groups. Music and performances will fill the roughly 400-meter area connecting Kyoto Station and Higashi Honganji.
The event is also an effort to explore the potential of a new public space where diverse people gather and interact, by using "Ohigashi-san Plaza," which was developed in 2023, together with the surrounding roads.
- Date and time: Saturday, November 7, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Course: In front of Kyoto Station to Higashi Honganji and Ohigashi-san Plaza
- Main participants: Brazilian percussion band, Otani Junior and Senior High School brass band (大谷中学校・高等学校吹奏楽部), capoeira groups, samba groups, and others
Food and Market
At "Ohigashi-san Plaza," food booths will serve Brazilian dishes and Kyoto food culture, and a market will introduce traditional crafts and original goods.
Products that blend the cultures of both countries will also be on offer, such as the "Sakerinha," a Brazilian cocktail made with Fushimi sake, and "Wasai" (和サイー), a Japanese sweet made with açaí, which is native to Brazil. Through food and shopping, visitors can enjoy the many appeals of Japan and Brazil.
Participating booths include KYOTO NUDE BREWERY, 伏水酒蔵小路, 祇園ガウーショ, EMPINGAO, Bar & Pizzeria Capricciosa, Cafe da Villa, 炊匠庵, ピザーラ京都中央店, JBOWL×GRAN CAFE烏丸五条店, Mau's BBQ, SAGAZZI GRILL, 京だんご藤菜美, キリンビール, まんざら亭, 西利, 福寿園, 井筒八ツ橋, and MAISHA, along with official event goods sales.
Food and market site: https://matsuricrossing.org/foodmarket#page-b
Film Screenings
Two screenings are planned on the theme of the history of Japanese and Brazilian immigration, multicultural coexistence, and life in local communities: a Brazilian animated film and video works by a contemporary artist. Along with the screenings, a video introducing the relationship between Higashi Honganji and Brazil and a talk by the artist will invite visitors to think about the connections between the cultures and people of the two countries.
Animated Film "Nihonjin" (ニホンジン), Eu e Meu Avô NIHONJIN
"Kyoto and Brazil Experienced at Ohigashi-san: Moving Images and Songs"
The film is an animated work based on the novel by Oscar Nakasato (オスカール・ナカザト), which won the Jabuti Prize, a Brazilian literary award. In the film, Noboru, a Japanese-Brazilian boy, traces the history of immigration from Japan to Brazil and his family's memories through conversations with his grandfather, depicting an identity passed down across generations.
After the screening, an interview video with Choyu Otani, the Monshu of Higashi Honganji, who spent about 60 years in Brazil, will be shown. With support from WOLF HOWL HARMONY, to which GHEE, who has roots in Brazil, belongs, the film's ending theme will be sung together with the audience.
- Date and time: Saturday, November 7, 12:20 PM to about 3:00 PM
- Venue: Higashi Honganji Audiovisual Hall (東本願寺視聴覚ホール)
- Admission: ¥2,000 (tax included, advance payment required); ¥1,500 for members of Yomiuri Shimbun's Waizu Club (わいず倶楽部)
- Capacity: 50 people (a lottery will be held if applications exceed capacity)
- Application deadline: October 25 (Sunday), 11:59 PM
- Applications: Yomiuri Shimbun (読売新聞) "Waizu Club" (わいず倶楽部)
Video Works by Jonathas de Andrade
Jonathas de Andrade (ジョナタス・デ・アンドラーデ), a contemporary artist based in northeastern Brazil, will visit Japan to present two works about the lives and creativity of local communities: "Guided Game" (『導かれたゲーム』) and "Men of the Sea" (『海の男たち』).
"Guided Game" portrays a community in inland Brazil that has developed its own sign language. "Men of the Sea" captures the people who work on the sea and rivers, and the sense of beauty seen in their brightly colored sails. Homero Basílio, who also performs at the paid night stage, contributed to the music of both works.
After the screenings, an after-talk between Jonathas de Andrade and Noriyuki Nanba (難波教行) of the Shinshu Otani-ha Institute of Doctrinal Research (真宗大谷派教学研究所) is planned.
- Date and time: Saturday, November 7, starts at 3:30 PM, scheduled to end at 5:00 PM
- Venue: Higashi Honganji Audiovisual Hall
- Admission: Free
- Works screened: "Guided Game" (about 20 minutes, shortened version) and "Men of the Sea" (15 minutes), with Japanese subtitles
- After-talk: Jonathas de Andrade and Noriyuki Nanba
Official information: https://matsuricrossing.org/jonathas
Visual Design and Official Merchandise
The visual design for MATSURI CROSSING Kyoto x Brasil was created by Aju Paraguassu (アジュ・パラグアス), a Brazilian artist based in Salvador, Bahia. Her murals and graphic designs on the themes of Afro-Brazilian culture, coexistence with nature, and the strength of women have drawn attention in Japan and abroad. Original T-shirts, tenugui hand towels, and other items that combine Brazil's vivid colors, the energy of sound and dance, and the charm of Kyoto will be sold at the venue.
Official goods site: https://matsuricrossing.org/official-merch
Opening Ceremony
At 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 7, a ceremony commemorating the opening of Matsuri Crossing KYOTO × BRASIL will be held on the stage at the gate of Higashi Honganji. Nanase Aikawa, members of WOLF HOWL HARMONY, Higashi Honganji Monshu Choyu Otani, the Embassy of Brazil in Japan, the Governor of Kyoto Prefecture, the Mayor of Kyoto City, and the Governor of Shiga Prefecture are scheduled to speak.
Venue and Ticket Information
- General sale: https://eplus.jp/sf/detail/4599770001-P0030001
- Official site: https://matsuricrossing.org/
