Must-See November Events and Festivals in Japan 2025
November is one of the most beautiful months to visit Japan. The autumn leaves are at their peak, the weather is perfect for exploring, and the country comes alive with amazing cultural festivals and events. If you are planning your Japan trip for November 2025, here are the top events and festivals you should not miss.
1. Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament
Where: Fukuoka Kokusai Center
When: Nov. 9th - 23rd
Admission: Tickets start at ¥2000
The Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament is the final of six major sumo tournaments held each year in Japan. This 15-day event takes place at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center and brings the sumo season to an exciting close.
Watching sumo wrestling live is an incredible experience. You can feel the ground shake when the massive wrestlers collide, and the atmosphere in the arena is electric with excitement. The tournament features wrestlers from all ranks, from beginners to the highest-ranked Yokozuna champions.
Matches run throughout the day, but most visitors arrive around 2:30 to 3:00 PM to catch the top division bouts. The final matches each day are the most exciting, featuring the best wrestlers competing for the championship. The venue fills with cheers and gasps as these powerful athletes demonstrate skills that take years to master.
Step into Tokyo's revered sumo culture with an intimate morning practice session. Witness the dedication, power, and tradition of sumo wrestling up-close.
If you want to learn more about sumo culture, there are special morning experiences where you can watch training sessions with Tokyo's sumo wrestlers at their stables. These dawn training sessions give you an inside look at how sumo wrestlers prepare, what they eat, and how they live. It is a unique way to understand this ancient sport more deeply.
Tickets go on sale starting September 20, and popular days sell out quickly. The tournament is a perfect way to experience an important part of Japanese culture and sporting tradition.
2. Karatsu Kunchi Festival
When: November 2-4, 2025
Where: Karatsu Shrine
The Karatsu Kunchi Festival in Saga Prefecture is one of the most visually stunning festivals in all of Japan. This event has been celebrated for over 400 years and features massive floats called hikiyama that are true works of art.
These incredible floats stand up to seven meters tall and weigh between two and five tons. Each one is decorated with beautiful lacquer work and gold and silver leaf, shaped like lions, dragons, sea creatures, and samurai helmets. Fourteen of these floats parade through the streets of Karatsu over the three-day festival.
The first night, called Yoiyama, features the floats lit up with lanterns, creating a magical atmosphere. On November 3, the main day, the floats are pulled across the sandy beach at Nishino Beach. Watching these massive structures sink into the sand as teams of people chant and pull them is an unforgettable sight that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The festival is easily reached from Fukuoka, making it a great day trip. You can learn about the region's culture and history while enjoying this spectacular event.
3. Meiji Shrine Grand Festival
When: November 1-3 2025
Where: Meiji Shrine, Tokyo
The Meiji Shrine Grand Festival honors Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, who played crucial roles in modernizing Japan during the late 19th century. Located in the peaceful forest of Yoyogi Park in central Tokyo, this festival combines solemn religious ceremonies with vibrant cultural performances that showcase traditional Japanese arts.
The main ceremony takes place on November 3rd, which is also Culture Day, a national holiday celebrating freedom, peace, and cultural activities. Shinto priests in pristine white robes perform ancient rituals while musicians play gagaku court music that has been preserved for over a thousand years. The haunting sounds of the shoo mouth organ and the rhythmic beating of drums create an atmosphere that feels timeless.
Throughout the three days, the shrine grounds host performances of traditional dance, martial arts demonstrations including horseback archery, and tea ceremonies. Visitors can watch noh theater performances, bugaku court dances, and kyudo archery exhibitions. The shrine itself, surrounded by 100,000 trees, provides a serene escape from Tokyo's urban energy, making this festival both culturally rich and spiritually refreshing.
Travel Tip: Meiji Shrine is located near Harajuku, one of Tokyo's most interesting neighborhoods. Many Tokyo city tours combine a visit to Meiji Shrine with nearby attractions like Yoyogi Park, Harajuku's fashion streets, and the trendy Omotesando shopping area. On Culture Day, many museums offer free admission, so check out Tokyo's art scene while you're visiting.
4. Tori-no-ichi Fair
When: November 12 and 24, 2025
Where: Asakusa (Otori-jinja Shrine and Chokoku-ji Temple), Shinjuku (Hanazono-jinja Shrine)
Admission: Free
The Tori-no-ichi Fair happens on the days of the Rooster according to the traditional Japanese calendar, which means it occurs two or three times each November. In 2025, these dates fall on November 12 and November 24. The most famous celebrations take place at Otori Shrine in Tokyo's Asakusa district and at Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku, though similar festivals happen at temples and shrines throughout the Kanto region.
This festival marks the final harvest celebration before winter and the beginning of preparations for the new year. The atmosphere buzzes with energy as vendors sell kumade rakes decorated with symbols of good fortune.
These ornate rakes, ranging from palm-sized to several feet tall, are believed to rake in luck and prosperity for the coming year. Business owners often purchase increasingly larger kumade each year as their enterprises grow.
The buying process itself is a ritual. Customers negotiate prices with vendors, eventually agreeing on an amount slightly less than the asking price. The vendor then returns the difference as the first lucky money for the rake.
Once purchased, everyone claps rhythmically and shouts "Sanbonjime!" to seal the good fortune. The decorated rakes feature images of lucky gods, gold coins, cranes, turtles, and other auspicious symbols, each adding layers of meaning to these treasured purchases.
The Asakusa location is most popular with tourists because it's near Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's oldest temple. Many Tokyo walking tours visit Asakusa during the day - if your tour ends in late afternoon, you can easily return that evening for Tori-no-ichi if it falls on a rooster day. The festival atmosphere is completely different from daytime Asakusa.
5. Gion Odori Dance Performance
When: November 1-10, 2025
Where: Gion Kaikan (Gion Stone Steps, Kyoto)
Start time: 1:30 pm and 4 pm (2 performances)
Admission: ¥6000, ¥7000 (with tea ceremony)
The Gion Odori brings the elegant world of geiko and maiko to life through a series of refined dance performances at the Gion Kaikan theater in Kyoto's historic Gion district. Unlike the more famous Miyako Odori in spring, the autumn Gion Odori offers a more intimate opportunity to experience this sophisticated art form that has been perfected over centuries.
The performances showcase traditional Japanese dance styles accompanied by live shamisen music, drums, and flutes. Geiko, the accomplished geisha of Kyoto, displays years of training in every precise movement and gesture. Young maiko, apprentice geisha in their teens and early twenties, captivate audiences with their colorful kimonos and elaborate hairstyles adorned with seasonal flowers and ornaments.
Each dance tells a story, whether recreating scenes from classical literature, depicting the changing seasons, or portraying historical events. The choreography emphasizes subtlety and refinement, where the angle of a fan or the turn of a head conveys deep emotion.
If you're exploring Kyoto's cultural heritage, consider booking a Kyoto cultural tour that takes you through the Gion district, traditional tea houses, and historic temples. Many tours can arrange tickets to Gion Odori and provide English explanations of what you're watching
6. Ohitaki Fire Festival
Where: Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kifune Shrine
When: Nov. 7th and 8th
Admission: Free
The Ohitaki Fire Festival is a powerful spiritual event held at several shrines across Japan. The most famous celebrations happen at Kifune Shrine in Kyoto on November 7 and at Fushimi Inari Shrine on November 8.
These fire festivals use the spiritual power of blazing fires to cleanse away bad spirits and purify the people who attend. At Fushimi Inari, the ceremony begins at 1:00 PM with offerings and sacred kagura dances in the main hall. Then three large bonfires are lit simultaneously in a clearing.
Priests throw bundles of prayer sticks into the roaring flames with dramatic gestures, sending the wishes of visitors up to the heavens. The heat from the fires and the ceremonial dances create an intense and memorable atmosphere. Visitors can join in the purification prayers and feel the ancient spiritual traditions of Japan.
The evening light of the fires against the shrine buildings makes for beautiful and powerful imagery. This is a perfect event for those who want to experience the more spiritual side of Japanese festivals.
Since Ohitaki happens at various shrines across Japan, you can often find one near wherever you're staying in November. If you're doing a temple and shrine tour in Kyoto or Tokyo, ask your guide about nearby Ohitaki ceremonies - they can provide cultural context that makes the experience even more meaningful
7. Fuji Kawaguchiko Autumn Leaves Festival
Where: Lake Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture
When: All November
Admission: Free
The Fuji Kawaguchiko Autumn Leaves Festival is one of the most beautiful seasonal events in Japan. Held along the shores of Lake Kawaguchiko with Mount Fuji as the backdrop, this month-long celebration showcases the stunning red and gold colors of autumn.
The main venue features the famous Momiji Corridor, where 400 to 500 maple trees create a tunnel of vibrant colors. During the day, you can enjoy the reflection of the colorful leaves in the lake with Mount Fuji rising majestically in the background. After sunset, the maple corridor is illuminated until 9:30 PM, creating a magical nighttime atmosphere completely different from the daytime view.
The festival includes food stalls serving local specialties like houtou noodles and Fujinomiya yakisoba. There are also craft markets where you can buy handmade goods from local artists. Free shuttle buses run on weekends to help visitors reach the best viewing spots.
Lake Kawaguchiko is about 2 hours from Tokyo by express bus or train. Many Mount Fuji area tours include Lake Kawaguchiko, and in November, tours specifically focus on autumn leaf viewing. These tours often visit multiple viewpoints around Mount Fuji, including the Chureito Pagoda (another famous autumn leaves spot) and sometimes hot spring resorts where you can relax while gazing at Mount Fuji.
Planning Your November Visit to Japan
To truly enjoy these November events in Japan, plan your schedule around the festivals that interest you most. Many of these celebrations offer once in a lifetime experiences that connect you with centuries of Japanese tradition.
Consider joining guided cultural experiences to deepen your understanding. Whether it is watching sumo training in the morning, exploring traditional neighborhoods with a knowledgeable guide, or learning about shrine customs before a festival, these additions make your trip more meaningful.
November combines the best of Japan's natural beauty with its rich cultural heritage. From sacred fire rituals to joyful family celebrations, from ancient sports to artistic performances, the November festivals in Japan offer something special for every visitor.
