Japanese Holidays & Festivals: April

Want to know what’s happening in Japan right now? Now you can! On the first of the month, we’ll share a monthly calendar of Japan’s upcoming holidays and notable festivals.

Check our instagram story on these dates to learn more about each holiday!

April 1-30: Miyako Odori

One of the spring shows in Japan where maiko (an apprentice geisha) and geiko (or geisha are Japanese traditional professional entertainers) perform Japanese traditional plays four times a day for a month in Kyoto.

April 1-5: Beppu Hot Spring Onsen Festival

During this time, many of Beppu’s famous hot springs are available for free during the festival.

April 1, 7, 8: Saga Dai Nenbutsu Kyogen

There will be Japanese Buddhist silent comedy plays at Seiryoji Temple in Kyoto.

April 5-6: Hime Sama Douchu

In Hosoe, Shizuoka PrefectureWomen and girls dressed in Kimono with traditional makeup will march in a parade to recreate the Edo period.

April 5: Shingen-ko Festival

In order to honor the famous warlord Takeda Shingen of the Sengoku Era, there will be a parade with more than 1,500 Kofu people dressed in Takeda armor.

April 8: Kamo Kyokusui No En

A recreation of Kyokusui no Utage, a poem-reciting game of nobilities in the Heian Period, in Kyoto. Five participants will be selected from a poem contest.

April 14-15: Takayama Spring Festival

A festival praying for a good harvest. Floats and marionettes inspired by Japanese arts in the 16th and 17th century will be lined up around Hie Shrine in Takayama.

April 29: Showa Day (national holiday)

It is a national holiday commemorating Emperor Showa (1901~1989) on his birthday.

Cherry Blossom Dates

Anticipated dates for the first sakura flowers in these cities as predicted by the Japan Meteorological Corporation’s Sakura Zensen.

April 1: Anticipated First Cherry Blossom Bloom in Niigata and Sendai

April 27: Anticipated First Cherry Blossom Bloom in Sapporo