Discover insider tips, travel guides, and inspiring stories for your next adventure in Japan
Arma bianca will hold a special Animate exhibition celebrating the 15th anniversary of the serialization of Hozuki's Coolheadedness, with new wafuku arrange illustrated goods going on sale at Animate Ikebukuro and Lachic Fukuoka Tenjin from November 14, 2026, alongside an online advance reservation campaign beginning August 20, 2026.
The Naritaya family's first joint national kabuki tour, The Road to Tradition, opened on August 21, 2026 at Kanazawa Kagekiza Theater, featuring an all-premiere program across 11 performances at 6 venues nationwide through August 30.
Restaurant AVANTI at International Garden Hotel Narita is serving a weekday-only "Autumn Afternoon Tea" from September 7 to October 30, 2026, featuring nine seasonal sweets built around shine muscat, kyoho grapes, and chestnut alongside three savory dishes.
Ishida-gumi's Baroque-themed concerts at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall sold out this August, and the string ensemble now turns to a 360-degree stage at Osaka Castle Hall on October 11, 2026, with rear side seats still on sale.
Japan Post is releasing original merchandise built around its postage stamp designs — T-shirts, polo shirts, tote bags, and acrylic charms — available as made-to-order items through Japan Post's online shop starting August 21, 2026.
About 550 selected pieces spanning ceramics, textiles, lacquer art, metalwork, woodwork and bamboo work, doll craft, and other crafts -- including the newest work by Living National Treasures -- go on display at the 73rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition, running September 2 to 15, 2026, on the 7th floor of Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store's Main Building.
The Nintendo Switch package version of slow-life sim Japanese Rural Life Adventure launches November 12, with pre-orders opening today alongside a new Ver. 1.3.0 update and a giveaway campaign marking 100,000 downloads.
Starting September 5, 2026, JR Hotel Clement Tokushima's Dining Cafe Clement is serving "Sea of Sweets Afternoon Tea," a first-time collaboration with Shikoku Aquarium featuring photogenic sweets and savories modeled after the aquarium's dolphins, seals, garden eels, and coral, available through November 30.
Three restaurants at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo are serving seasonal menus built around chestnuts, grapes, mushrooms, and other autumn flavors, running from September 1 through September 30, 2026.
A drink and food kitchen car from the "TV Anime Jujutsu Kaisen 5th Anniversary × Haneda Airport Garden Collaboration" returns for "Juju Fes 2026 -5th anniversary-" at K Arena Yokohama on August 29-30, 2026, with a refreshed lineup of collaboration menu items featuring bottle charms, clear cards, and bonus coasters.
From September 1, 2026, JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo debuts a season-long autumn promotion inspired by "Nijuroku-ya-machi," the Edo-era moon-waiting tradition historically tied to Takanawa, featuring a poolside sound bath, moon-themed dining and cocktails, and a Kyoto craft gin pop-up at bar "4-0-3."
![[Kaga Onsen-kyo] Giant Guzu Effigies Race Through the Old Post Town at the Guzuyaki Matsuri Festival, with the First-Ever Fireworks Display This Year](https://assets.hldycdn.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=webp,quality=75,width=400/e6b0673b-43e2-4d62-b1a8-cb97df3c2ad3.jpeg)
The Guzuyaki Matsuri Festival takes place in Iburibashi, Kaga City, from August 28 to 30, where giant effigies called guzu are paraded through the historic post town's alleys and burned at Furihashi Shrine. This year's festival also features the debut of the Guzuyaki Matsuri Fireworks Display on August 30.