Every matsuri, explained.

Japan holds tens of thousands of festivals a year, and many happen on only one or two days. This atlas tells you when they are, which day to go, what you are looking at, and the gods they are held for.

Festivals

Start with these

July 1–31 · Kyoto · ★

Gion Matsuri

A month-long summer festival in Kyoto, over 1,100 years old, where giant wooden floats roll through the city to keep plague away.

See the full festival calendar →

Kami

Meet the gods behind the festivals

Storm & Sea

Susanoo

The storm god who was thrown out of heaven, slew an eight-headed serpent, and is now the guardian at the center of Kyoto's Gion Matsuri.