Festivals in Japan in December
Japan has 10 local festival variants to explore in December, with date signals, places, traditions, foods, symbols, and a 3D map entry.
Open Japan December festivals on the 3D map- Sapporo Snow Festival · Hokkaido · Ice and Snow Festival
- Sendai Pageant of Starlight · Miyagi · Civic Light and Fireworks Festivals
- Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival · Tochigi · Ice and Snow Festival
- Chichibu Night Festival · Saitama · Civic Light and Fireworks Festivals
- Kamakura Festival · Kanagawa · Ice and Snow Festival
- Tokamachi Snow Festival · Niigata · Ice and Snow Festival
- Kobe Luminarie · Hyogo · Lantern Festival
- Ako Gishi Festival · Hyogo · Shrine and Temple Festivals
- Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri · Nara · Shrine and Temple Festivals
- Takachiho Yokagura · Miyazaki · Masked Performance Festivals
Festival search guide
This page answers searches for festivals in Japan in December, including traditions, foods, and local variants.
- Festival cores in Japan in December
- Local variants in Japan in December
- Japan festival map entry
What you can explore
Use this guide to compare Japan festivals in December by tradition, food, local custom, and festival core.
- Festival cores
- Local variants
- Country festival map
Top festivals in Japan in December: Dates and places
Use this 2026 guide to quickly scan the main festivals, places, date confidence, and map entry for Japan in December.
| Festival | Place | Date confidence | Source | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Festival | Sapporo · Hokkaido | Usually from December to February | Needs verification | Open |
| Pageant of Starlight | Sendai · Miyagi | Varies by local civic festival calendar | Needs verification | Open |
| Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival | Nikko · Tochigi | Usually from December to February | Needs verification | Open |
| Night Festival | Chichibu · Saitama | Varies by local civic festival calendar | Needs verification | Open |
| Festival | Kamakura · Kanagawa | Usually from December to February | Needs verification | Open |
| Snow Festival | Tokamachi · Niigata | Usually from December to February | Needs verification | Open |
| Luminarie | Kobe · Hyogo | Fifteenth day of the first lunar month | Needs verification | Open |
| Gishi Festival | Ako · Hyogo | Varies by local shrine, temple, and community calendar | Needs verification | Open |
| Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri | Nara | Varies by local shrine, temple, and community calendar | Needs verification | Open |
| Yokagura | Takachiho · Miyazaki | Varies by local masked-performance calendar | Needs verification | Open |
Traditions, food and symbols
- snow lantern displays
- ice-and-snow park visits
- winter market
- hot soup
- grilled foods
- local snacks
- lighting prayers
- night garden visits
- lantern procession
- festival street food
- sweets
- tea
How to explore these festivals on MapDepth
Open the 3D map, start from Japan, then filter by December, festival theme, and regional variant to compare these traditions.
Related months
Related countries or regional routes
Similar festival themes
Regional highlights
- Sapporo · Hokkaido: Sapporo Snow Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Usually from December to February
- Sendai · Miyagi: Sendai Pageant of Starlight; Civic Light and Fireworks Festivals; Varies by local civic festival calendar
- Nikko · Tochigi: Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Usually from December to February
- Chichibu · Saitama: Chichibu Night Festival; Civic Light and Fireworks Festivals; Varies by local civic festival calendar
- Kamakura · Kanagawa: Kamakura Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Usually from December to February
- Tokamachi · Niigata: Tokamachi Snow Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Usually from December to February
- Kobe · Hyogo: Kobe Luminarie; Lantern Festival; Fifteenth day of the first lunar month
- Ako · Hyogo: Ako Gishi Festival; Shrine and Temple Festivals; Varies by local shrine, temple, and community calendar
FAQ
What festivals happen in Japan in December 2026?
Japan in December features Ice and Snow Festival, Civic Light and Fireworks Festivals, Shrine and Temple Festivals, Lantern Festival, with date confidence, places, customs, foods, and map routes on MapDepth.
What events and celebrations happen in Japan in December?
This guide covers December festivals, events and celebrations in Japan, including snow lantern displays, ice-and-snow park visits, winter market, hot soup.
Which regions have December festivals in Japan?
Regional highlights include Sapporo · Hokkaido, Sendai · Miyagi, Nikko · Tochigi, Chichibu · Saitama, each connected to festival cores and local variants.
Seasonal context
In December, Japan has 5 festival cores and 10 regional variants in season, led by Ice and Snow Festival, Civic Light and Fireworks Festivals, Shrine and Temple Festivals, Lantern Festival and grounded in customs and foods such as snow lantern displays, ice-and-snow park visits, winter market, hot soup.
Representative festival cores
Customs and foods
- snow lantern displays
- ice-and-snow park visits
- winter market
- hot soup
- grilled foods
- local snacks
- lighting prayers
- night garden visits
- lantern procession
- festival street food
- sweets
- tea