Hey Japan!

One email a month: What's On in Japan. Festivals, pop-ups and character-goods drops, every date confirmed. Free when you join: our 16-page First-Timer's Japan Guide.

Made for the 1873 Vienna World Exposition, Japan's first world's fair as a nation: an o-daiko drum covered in cloisonné by enameller Hayashi Kodenji. The rooster on top stands for peace. In an old story, a village alarm drum went unused so long that chickens moved in. #Meiji

Osaka City Central Public Hall Projection Mapping A December light show on the east front of Osaka City Central Public Hall in Nakanoshima, the centrepiece of OSAKA Hikari no Renaissance. Free to watch. hey-japan.com/event/osaka-city-centr…

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW センチメンタル・バス - Sunny Day Sunday Apple Music: music.apple.com/song/sunny-day-sunday/… Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/0f6yrOu2OBqzbPXO…

Fudo Myoo, the Immovable Wisdom King, carved by Kaikei in the early 13th century. Crystal eyes, a bitten lower lip, a sword and a rope to subdue evil. He was once the main image of a temple hall about 30 km northwest of Kyoto, and now sits at The Met in New York. #Buddhistart

The Tabinikki herb garden by Lake Kawaguchi (Yamanashi Prefecture) is illuminating its autumn foliage every evening from 24 Oct – 30 Nov, with Mount Fuji as the backdrop. On weekends and holidays, its observation deck and cafe stay open late for evening views of the mountain.

“Tekkan Beer” (“iron-pipe beer,” Meiji slang for tap water) by Kitazawa Rakuten, 1902. Country visitors Tagosaku and Mokubē try to drink from a Tokyo hydrant, and it ends as you’d expect. An early Japanese comic strip with recurring characters. #manga #KitazawaRakuten #Meiji

Expo ‘70 Commemorative Park in Osaka holds its autumn rose festival from 24 October to 23 November, with around 2,400 roses including some sent from nine countries for the 1970 World Expo. Kyoto Tachibana High School’s marching band parades on 3 November.

Look closer at the Great Buddha of Kamakura: beside it hang straw sandals 1.8 m long and 45 kg. Children from Matsuzaka, Ibaraki, first made a pair in 1951 so the Buddha could walk Japan spreading happiness. A new pair arrives every three years. hey-japan.com/place/kamakura-great-b…

Futagawa's honjin, the inn kept for daimyo and court officials, still stands in Toyohashi. It is one of only two honjin left on the whole Tokaido, the other in Kusatsu. Hiroshige paints the road outside in a downpour, travellers bent under straw rain capes. #東海道五十三次

Apple season is here. The harvest peaks in October and November, led by Aomori, which grows more than half of Japan's crop. Bakeries and cafés follow with apple pie, tarte Tatin and apple Danish. hey-japan.com/year-in-japan

Every torii at Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto is a gift. Worshipers and businesses have donated them since the Edo period, each inscribed with the donor's name and the day it was raised. The gate up front reads Reiwa 8, July: this summer. hey-japan.com/place/fushimi-inari-ta…

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW Yo Oizumi - Dear Ordinary Days Apple Music: music.apple.com/song/dear-ordinary-day… Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/7J63YTUsgN0dZ63q…

26 Kansai breweries, 70+ sake, one weekend. OSAKA SAKE SQUARE is at Namba Carnival Mall on 2026/10/17 and 2026/10/18. Entry is free, and a starter set gets you an ochoko cup to keep and 10 tasting coins. hey-japan.com/event/osaka-sake-square

Yakushiike Park in Machida, Tokyo, holds its autumn leaves festival from 31 October to 29 November. From 14 November, the park stays open until 8pm with the foliage lit up, and mist is released every hour to create a sea-of-clouds effect.

About 200 exhibitors of fountain pens, glass pens, ink and paper, many selling one-offs. The ninth Tokyo International Pen Show is at Hamamatsucho, 2026/11/21 to 2026/11/23. Visitors 70 and over get in free on the last day. hey-japan.com/event/tokyo-internatio…

"KOGEI WALK 2026" runs from 23 Oct-5 Nov, with 27 shops across Tokyo, from Ginza and Nihonbashi to Omotesando, showcasing traditional crafts from all over Japan. Nine of them will host demonstrations and workshops by visiting artisans.

On 11 Oct, Japan Meteorological Agency observers in Kagoshima and Saga recorded susuki in flower: the silver plumes of Japanese pampas grass that mark autumn. Next for the JMA: ginkgo turning yellow and maples turning red. hey-japan.com/year-in-japan

Kimono EXPO comes to Shinsaibashi, Osaka, 14 Oct to 18 Oct. Weavers and dyers from across Japan show their work, and a free clinic tells you what can be done for that stained kimono sitting in a drawer. hey-japan.com/event/kimono-expo-osaka

Arakawa Hiromu grew up on a Hokkaido dairy farm, and her Fullmetal Alchemist × Daemons of the Shadow Realm exhibition is now in Sapporo: 300+ original artworks at Daimaru, 2026/10/14 to 2026/11/01. hey-japan.com/event/fullmetal-alchem…

Dawn at Futami Bay by Utagawa Kunisada, early 1830s. The sacred “Wedded Rocks” near Ise, bound by a shimenawa rope, under bold Western-style sun rays. Pilgrims rest on the shore, and the sunrise there still draws crowds today. #ukiyoe #Kunisada #JapaneseArt

Shiromineji, temple 81 on the Shikoku pilgrimage in Sakaide, Kagawa, lights up its autumn leaves and buildings on Friday to Sunday evenings from 13 to 29 November. The ticket includes entry to the treasure hall, usually open by reservation only.

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW Hiromitsu Kitayama - BACKLASH Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/song/backlash/6813317376 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5iCjG0t5OLtlwJs4wZk0gh

The Nagoya Antique Market fills the grounds of two temples in Naka, Nagoya, with antique and vintage dealers twice a year. For the first time, the 19th edition runs over three days instead of two, 21–23 November, with over 300 vendors in total. nagoya-antique-market.jp

Every autumn, professional sculptors from Japan and abroad create giant sand sculptures for the Ashiya Sand Craft Exhibition in Ashiya, Fukuoka. This year's theme is a journey through the world's top football nations, from 23 October to 8 November. www.hey-japan.com/event/ashiya...

The "Ra-1 Grand Prix" runs at Okubo Park in Shinjuku, Tokyo, until 15 November, with 64 ramen and tsukemen shops from across Japan taking turns over eight phases. Visitors vote for their favourite, and smaller tasting bowls let you try several.

Beautifully composed portraits of more than 65 Japanese fruits, from apples to quinces and dragon fruit, fill "Fruits & Botanica", a new photo book by Masumi Shiohara, who runs his family's century-old orchard in Shiojiri, Nagano. Published by Kadokawa. Masumi Shiohara on Instagram: @masumi_shiohara

Autumn flowers are now in bloom at Tokyo German Village in Sodegaura, Chiba, after weeks of rain and a September typhoon that caused landslides in the park. Cosmos fields are expected to peak in late October.

Marking 250 years since its main house was rebuilt, the Former Suzuki Family Residence in Asuke (Toyota, Aichi) opens three reception rooms for the first time on 24–25 October, alongside a folding screen attributed to painter Hanabusa Itcho.

Kawaii Monster Land in Shibuya, Tokyo, is decorated for Halloween until 3 November, with themed food, photo spots, and shows. Five special party nights end with a costume contest final on 31 October. www.hey-japan.com/event/kawaii...

Regional mascots from across Japan and beyond gather in Hanyu, Saitama, for the World Character Summit on 21–22 November, with stage shows, photo sessions, and stalls selling regional food. Free entry. www.hey-japan.com/event/world-...

Amusement Expo returns to Tokyo Big Sight in Koto, Tokyo, with its public day on 7 November. Arcade games from claw machines to photo-sticker booths are free to play inside. A concert of rhythm game music needs a separate ticket. www.hey-japan.com/event/amusem...

Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens in Minato, Tokyo, hosts an autumn programme of traditional performing arts from 31 October to 3 November, with Edo-style juggling, top spinning, and Odawara festival music, plus volunteer-led garden tours.

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW INI - You Know What To Do Apple Music: music.apple.com/song/you-kno... Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/02CsOo... Our weekly pick, personal taste. Spotlighting Japanese artists across every genre, so there's something for everyone.

On 31 October and 1 November, the Japan Steampunk Expo fills Studio Ease Meguro, a film studio near Meguro Station in Tokyo designed to look like a street abroad. Around 75 makers sell steampunk-inspired goods, alongside a fashion show and live music.

Until 26 Oct, an immersive exhibition at the Ginza Mirai Museum in Tokyo explores "No. 6", Atsuko Asano's sci-fi novel series, later adapted as manga and anime. Visitors walk through recreated spaces from the story, including Nezumi's room, with a Japanese audio guide narrated by Yuki Kaji.

From 9 October, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku shows a free projection mapping work by students at a public arts high school, turning its facade into classroom windows, corridors, and shoe lockers in a story of teenage love. tokyoprojectionmappingproject.jp

From 15 to 18 October, the Namba Hiroba plaza in front of Nankai Namba Station in Osaka is decked out for Halloween with around 5,000 lanterns and eyeball sculptures, inspired by the Japanese belief that everyday objects can come to life. Entry is free.

On 31 October, about 2,000 people take part in an alien costume parade through Iino in Fukushima, a town that calls itself the UFO village. Anyone can join, and the most convincing aliens win prizes. www.hey-japan.com/event/ufo-fe...

Kyoto Night Market holds a Halloween edition on 3 and 4 October, spread across the plaza in front of Kyoto City Hall and the Zest Oike underground mall below. On 4 October, a yokai parade of Japanese folklore spirits and monsters moves between the two venues.

The Yamanashi Prefectural Museum holds the largest exhibition to date of kaiki, a silk once made in the prefecture and used as the hidden lining of kimono jackets, from 10 October to 30 November. More than 100 jackets and fabric samples will be shown.

Until 23 November, visitors to the Hakone Glass no Mori Museum in Kanagawa can see 300 stalks of silver grass made from some 30,000 crystal glass beads in its garden. They are modelled on the grass fields of nearby Sengokuhara, which turn gold in autumn.

A 3.8-metre turtle mikoshi made by about 70 Tokyo University of the Arts students for this year's Geisai festival is now for sale on the Dipsy marketplace for ¥1.5 million until 6 October. If no buyer is found, it will be scrapped. A mikoshi is a portable shrine carried at festivals.

"Meet Your Art Festival" returns to Tennozu, Tokyo, from 9 to 12 October, with more than 150 artists. Highlights include an exhibition directed by actor Mirai Moriyama, two art fairs, outdoor works, and a box set of drawings Yoko Ono made at 19. avex.jp/en/meetyoura...

Pandorobo (bread thief), and Nise-Pandorobo (his impostor) are on displays at JR Ikebukuro Station until 4 October, ahead of the anime's 2 October premiere. Based on Keiko Shibata's picture books, it follows a mouse disguised as a loaf of bread, searching for the world's tastiest bread.

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW Tomoko Soryo - City Lights By The Moonlight Apple Music: music.apple.com/song/city-li... Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/3T28jN...

The Miho Museum in Koka, Shiga, was designed by I. M. Pei and modelled on a Chinese legend of a hidden paradise. Until 6 December, it hosts "Hyakusaiji Temple and the Buddhist Art of Omi", including a normally hidden 8th-century Kannon statue. www.hey-japan.com/event/hyakus...

"Go to Edo", a free exhibition at Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library in Minato City, runs from 24 October to 8 November. It looks at Edo as a tourist destination through ukiyo-e, district maps, board games, and Important Cultural Property drawings of Edo Castle from the Kora family.

Cosmos and Kochia Festa runs from 3 to 30 October at Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka. Around 150,000 cosmos and 3,600 kochia bushes turning red cover Flower Hill, with muhlenbergia on the northern slope, plus weekend markets, workshops, and a brass band concert.