Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri (July 24โ25) is one of Japan's three great festivals. The second day sees a river procession of 100 decorated boats, mikoshi carried by thousands of white-robed participants, ancient court music (gagaku) on the water, and a spectacular 4,000-shell fireworks display over the Okawa River โ all observed by over 1.3 million spectators along the banks.
One of Japan's three great festivals โ on July 24โ25, a procession of 3,000 people in Heian costume converges on the Okawa River for a spectacular boat parade and fireworks display.
Osaka Castle Park, Kemasakuranomiya Park, and Namba Parks all stage spectacular sakura seasons in late March to early April โ the city's moat-side blossom parties are legendary.
Dotonbori transforms into one of Asia's wildest Halloween celebrations on the October 31 weekend โ hundreds of thousands of costumed revellers fill the canal-side streets in an extraordinary spectacle.
Japan's largest Ebisu Festival (god of commerce) at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine on January 9โ11 โ one million visitors buy bamboo lucky charms from kimono-clad shrine maidens to bring business prosperity.
The castle grounds are transformed with hundreds of colourful light installations each winter โ the stone walls and tower reflected in the illuminated moat make for magical night photography.
The Sumiyoshi Festival (July 30โ31) at Osaka's oldest shrine features ceremonial sumo, Noh dance on an outdoor stage, and a dramatic procession of portable shrines (mikoshi) carried across the arched Taiko Bridge. The shrine's four main halls โ Japan's oldest surviving shrine architecture โ are illuminated by hundreds of lanterns in an ancient ceremony predating the city.
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