September is actually a great time to enjoy two very different seasons in Japan: summer & autumn! You can still hit beaches and enjoy the hot weather while feeling the coming of new season. Numbers of fun events are held through Japan as follows.
1. Misawa Air Base Festival in Aomori
+ Place: Lake Ogawara in Aomori
+ Time: 10th Sep, 2023
This is one of the few chances your average ordinary civilian will get to visit a working air force base — Misawa Air Base, on the banks of Lake Ogawara in Aomori, is home to the US Air Force 35th Fighter Wing and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force 3rd Fighter Wing Force.
Attracting about 100,000 visitors a year, the Misawa Air Base Festival includes aerial displays, maneuvers, aircraft displays, flybys, music and food stands. With this sort of pull, the Air Base Festival is northern Japan’s biggest air show, so it is best to take the train up to the region, and book accommodation in advance.
How to get there
The Misawa Air Base is military property, so there are security procedures at the gate. The Base is also vast; luckily, a shuttle bus usually runs between the parking lots. Stock up on sunscreen and comfortable shoes, and go get in touch with your inner aerosexual.
2. Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival
+ Place: Okinawa City Koza Sports Park
+ Time: 08th - 10th Sep, 2023
Find yourself in Okinawa around O-bon time, when the spirits of the dead return to the world of the living? Check out the Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival, the island chain’s last major summer festival. And it’s a corker — three days of dancing and celebration as Okinawans gather to welcome their ancestors.
The eisa dances that form the centerpiece of the Zento Eisa Festival used to be held in separate communities all over the island, but now they’re gathered together for one eye-popping gorgeous festival. With traditional Ryukyu dress, massive taiko drums, song and dance, it’s an event not to be missed.
Schedule
The Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival begins with eisa parades on the first day, a youth festival on the second, and culminates with spectacular fireworks and laser shows on both nights. The main venue, Okinawa City Koza Sports Park, is centrally situated and parade routes involve much of the surrounding town area.
3. Jozenji Street Jazz Festival
+ Place: Kotaikoen Park, Tsutsujigaoka Park, and Nishikoen Park - Sendai
+ Time: 08th - 10th Sep, 2023
Featuring 700 jazz bands in an urban outdoor setting, the Jozenji Street Jazz Festival brings the blue note to the streets of Sendai City each September.
What happens?
Held over a weekend, the festival stretches over a large area of Jozenji Street and its surroundings, with the exact location of each act varying slightly each year. Kotaikoen Park, Tsutsujigaoka Park, and Nishikoen Park are three hubs for the festival, but the best plan is to just follow your ears.
Not all of the acts are professional or big names, but all are very good at what they do, and this festival promises a treat for anyone.
4. Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2023
+ Place: Miyako Messe - Kyoto
+ Time: 16th - 17th Sep, 2023
Held at the Miyako Messe convention center as well as the International Manga Museum, it’s a two-day trade show/market/festival and one of the biggest such events in the Kansai region. There is a free stage which is accessible to all ticket holders, while the KYOMAF stage requires aditional reservations.
There will be traditional arts workshops, a character cafe, a cosplay area, a job fair, and the Kyoto International Manga Awards. Be sure to check which location is hosting each event — or you can purchase a joint ticket and visit both.
The opening hours for Miyako Messe are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (4 p.m. on Sunday).
5. Kishiwada Danjiri Festival
+ Place: Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture
+ Time: 15th - 17th Sep, 2023
Danjiri are large, heavy wheeled carts that resemble small temples. The weighty carts are wheeled around wildly by the festival participants. In the past there have been plenty of accidents and even deaths — no doubt assisted by heavy alcohol consumption.
The Danjiri festival features 34 danjiri and is centered around Kishiwada Castle. At night they are strewn with lanterns which make an impressive sight.
Schedule:
On the first day, a parade takes place in front of Kishiwada Station. On day two, festivities start at 9 a.m. with ceremonies at shrines surrounding Kishiwada Castle. After this, the danjiri are paraded around the neighbourhoods near the castle, providing one of the festival highlights.
6. Uneme Festival
+ Place: Sarusawa Lake - Nara
+ Time: 15th - 17th Sep, 2023
A melancholy and somber festival, the Uneme is also one of the most beautiful in Japan as lantern-lit boats glide across the Sarusawa Lake. Held in memory of Uneme, a court lady spurned by the Emperor and who drowned herself in the lake soon after. A procession of locals in full costume moves from JR Nara Station to the pond where a highly decorated dragon boat floats across the pond, making offerings to Uneme.
7. Brazil Samba Dance Festival
+ Place: Yoyogi Park Zelkova Trees avenue - Tokyo
+ Time: 9th - 10th Sep, 2023
Formerly Festival Brazil, the 2023 version has morphed into the Brazil Samba Dance Festival. It will take place along the Yoyogi Park Zelkova Trees avenue.
This year, the African American Caribbean Festival will take place at the same time and place, and the China Festival will be just next door.
Brazilians make up the third biggest immigrant population in Japan, so this festival has been a huge event for the community as well as with non-Brazillians.
8. China Festival 2023
+ Place: Yoyogi Park Zelkova Trees avenue - Tokyo
+ Time: 9th - 10th Sep, 2023 (10:00am – 8:00pm)
Celebrate the cultural exchange between Japan and China with food, music, and tradition.
Taking place in Yoyogi Park Events Square, the China Festival isn’t one to miss. Around 80 booths and 150,000 are expected to attend, and there will be plenty of performances, including martial arts and erhu — a two-stringed musical instrument.
9. African American Caribbean Festival 2023
+ Place: Yoyogi Park’s Event Square - Tokyo
+ Time: 9th - 10th Sep, 2023 (10:00am – :00pm)
Join in the vibrant atmosphere of this year’s African American Caribbean Festival on the avenue next to Yoyogi Park’s Event Square.
There will be an endless list of things to see and do: delicious food and drink, a bustling market, live music and stage performances, as well as a hairdressing tent and fashion show. There will be small local businesses to support and The Brazil Samba Dance Festival will also make an appearance.
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