Kanto Matsuri

Japan's largest Tanabata festival held August 6-8 in Sendai, Miyagi. Gorgeous Tanabata decorations hung along shopping streets reach over 5 meters in height, their splendor ranking it among the Tohoku Three Great Festivals. With over 400 years of history since the era of Date Masamune, it is Sendai's iconic summer tradition.

A festival held August 1-7 in Hirosaki, Aomori. Featuring large fan-shaped lanterns called 'neputa,' it has a unique style distinct from Aomori's three-dimensional nebuta figures. Brave warrior paintings from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin adorn the lanterns, fantastically illuminating Hirosaki's nights. It is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

A summer festival held in August in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, with traditions dating to the Edo period. Giant illuminated floats called 'nebuta' parade through town, featuring lavish designs of historical figures, warriors, and kabuki characters. Known for its vibrant aesthetic and energetic Haneto dancing, it is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A premier summer festival of the Tohoku region held every August in Aomori City. Enormous illuminated warrior-themed floats called nebuta parade through the streets while dancers known as haneto leap to the chant of 'Rassera.' It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.

Japan's largest Bon dance festival with over 400 years of history in Tokushima Prefecture. Known for the chant 'It's a fool who dances and a fool who watches—if both are fools, you might as well dance,' it is held annually during the Obon period in August. Groups called 'ren' dance through the streets to distinctive rhythms.

A Japanese summer event based on the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi, observed on July 7th (or August in some regions). The custom of hanging paper strips inscribed with wishes on bamboo branches is widely practiced. The Sendai Tanabata Festival is one of Japan's largest, attracting over two million visitors annually.