Nachikatsuura Toro Matsuri (Fire Festival)

A pilgrimage tradition visiting three Kumano shrines in Wakayama: Kumano Hongu, Kumano Hayatama, and Kumano Nachi. Revered as sacred sites since ancient times, these shrines have attracted pilgrims from common people to nobility. The UNESCO-listed pilgrimage routes display seasonal variations and continue to draw modern pilgrims seeking spiritual connection.

A summer festival held in August in Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture. Vigorous portable shrines and lantern-lit festival floats illuminate the castle town's summer evenings over three days. Maintaining the atmosphere of a Sengoku-period castle town, it attracts about 200,000 visitors as a representative seasonal event.

A summer festival held in early August in Hirosaki, Aomori. Large fan-shaped lanterns parade through town accompanied by traditional chants. Continuing since the Edo period, it ranks alongside the Aomori Nebuta as a defining summer festival of northeastern Japan, with lantern light illuminating summer evenings.

A summer festival held at Namanido Shrine in Bungo-Ono, Oita. Young men carry portable shrines through town in a spirited celebration. Known for its grassroots, handmade atmosphere and resistance to over-commercialization, it represents authentic local summer festival culture and plays a vital role in community heritage preservation.

A spring festival held in Minabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan's premier plum production area, from mid-February through early March. The extensive plum orchards display stunning white and red blossoms in contrast. Exhibits of plum liqueur and preserved plums showcase local products. It exemplifies the fusion of agricultural plum culture with tourism and regional resource utilization.

A Tokyo summer tradition with about 20,000 fireworks. Dating back to 1733, it is among Japan's oldest, drawing about 1 million spectators. Yukata-clad visitors add shitamachi charm.

The foremost of Japan's three great Tanabata festivals. Gorgeous handmade decorations take months to prepare. Over 2 million visitors annually make it Tohoku's signature summer event.