Rachel Teo

Osaka is a lively city year-round, and it gets even more exciting in the summer when there are festivals abound. Many of our favourite seasonal celebrations are fireworks festivals; when vibrant explosions start lighting up the cloudless skies after sundown and the yukata-wearing crowds turn their heads towards the spectacle, that’s when you can get into a truly magical Japanese summer mood. This year’s celebrations kick off with the Ise Shrine Dedication Fireworks Festival out in Mie on July 19 and include everything from classics (Tenjin Festival Fireworks, Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks) to a beachside favourite (Senshu Dream Fireworks) and a massive happening out in rural Kyoto (Kameoka Hozugawa). So dust off your yukata, arrive early to secure the best viewing spot, and enjoy the colourful fireworks while snacking on some tasty festival grub. RECOMMENDED: 7 reasons to visit Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai at night

The annual Sakai Festival is the largest event in Osaka prefecture’s Sakai city, held every third weekend of October. This vibrant two-day celebration transforms key locations across the city – including the main thoroughfare Okoji-suji and Mina Sakai plaza in front of Sakai City Hall – into a lively showcase of tradition and community spirit. Most of the main festivities take place on Sunday October 19, with only a small number of pre-festival activities happening on Saturday October 18. Festival highlights include dramatic matchlock gun demonstrations (October 19, 11am–4pm), the energetic Futondaiko drum procession (October 19, 11am–4pm) featuring performers in traditional Japanese attire, and a traditional tea ceremony (October 18, 9am–3.40pm, tickets required). Over at Mina Sakai, there will be food and drink stalls, along with live performances and Futon drumming from 4pm to 9pm on Saturday October 1. The following day, from 11am to 5pm, the festivities get even bigger. You can enjoy live music and dance performances, explore an array of exhibitions, and feast on street food from a variety of stalls. Admission is free, though it’s best to bring cash for purchases at the stalls.

If you’re a fan of Japanese sake, don’t miss the Osaka Sake Expo 2025, set to take place over the weekend of October 18–19 at the Nanoniwa Lawn in Naniwa Palace Ruins Park (North Block). Hosted annually by the Osaka Brewers Association since 2022, the event showcases a diverse selection of sake, wine and beer produced locally by 12 sake breweries, 24 beer breweries and two wineries. Please note that this year’s Sake Expo will not feature any food or drink stalls. However, with plenty of restaurants at the nearby Nanoniwa Complex, enjoying a picnic on the lawn with drinks from the festival is a perfect way to spend the weekend.  Tickets are required for all drinks. A set of 15 tickets costs ¥4,500, with the first 500 sets available at a discounted rate of ¥4,000. Additionally, an advance admission set of 12 tickets, priced at ¥3,600, grants early entry 30 minutes before the event opens. You can get your ticket online in advance.

In the spirit of Oktoberfest, Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens is holding a German Beer and Wine Festival at its Observation Plaza until Christmas Day. Located 400 meters above sea level on Mt. Rokko in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, the beautiful plaza is modeled after the historic Wartburg Castle in Germany. It offers a charming terrace with stunning views of Kobe. Here, you can enjoy a range of authentic German beers, wines and alcoholic cider while surrounded by a regal German-inspired setting. The German Festival food menu runs until November 7 and includes an assortment of herb sausages, beef steak, lamb skewers and potato-cheese croquettes, to name a few. On November 8, the menu will partially change to celebrate the Christmas season. Tickets for the Nunobiki Ropeway from the foothills near Shin-Kobe Station up to the mountaintop cost ¥1,400 one way for adults, or ¥2,000 round trip. For elementary and junior high students, tickets are ¥700 one way and ¥1,000 round trip. Children younger than six can ride for free. After 5pm, only round-trip tickets are available, priced at ¥1,500 for adults and ¥950 for children.

Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden is the oldest alpine garden in Japan, first opened in 1933. Set on Mt Rokko, 856 metres above the city of Kobe, the garden cultivates and exhibits over 1,500 species of alpine and cold-region plants. To celebrate the natural beauty of the area, the park has installed LED light installations that display over 10 million colours and depict the seasonal transitions that Mt Rokko goes through from spring to autumn. Directed by light artist Masayuki Fushimi, the installations highlight the harmony that exists in nature. The current Autumn Leaves Lightscape runs until November 24 and depicts the seasonal foliage of native Japanese trees. Light shows take place from 5pm to 9pm every evening.

Hunny! The world’s favourite shirt-wearing golden teddy bear – created by English author AA Milne and illustrator EH Shepard way back in 1925 – lands at Shinsaibashi Opa for an exclusive collaboration by Kawara Café & Dining, located on the ninth floor of the shopping complex, and themed café impresarios Oh My Café. Until October 26, you can enjoy a variety of Pooh-themed food and drinks and purchase exclusive merch like tableware and coasters during your visit. There are five fixed time slots daily and each session runs for about 75 minutes. While the restaurant accepts walk-ins at certain hours, advance reservations are highly recommended. Reservations even come with a free gift and can be made online for ¥770.

As one of the oldest foods in human history, the humble bread is a staple in many cuisines around the world. While rice is widely eaten in Japan, you may be surprised to learn that Kyoto is sometimes referred to as a ‘city of bread’, with locals consuming more bread on average than anywhere else in the country. First held in 2015, the Kyoto Bread Festival now draws over 40,000 visitors annually, a testament to just how popular bread is in the city. The event features 20 bakeries, cafés and hotels from Kyoto and beyond, offering a plethora of baked goods from classic loaves, baguettes and shokupan (fluffy milk bread) to croissants and even burgers. Keep an eye out for unique Japanese sweet treats, such as fruit sandwiches and matcha-flavoured pastries. As the festival takes place at the historical Kamigamo Shrine, it's also a great opportunity to explore this Unesco World Heritage Site. Oh, remember to bring cash, as electronic payments are not accepted.

Symbolising order, harmony and balance, cosmos flowers are a classic emblem of autumn in Japan. From October 4 to November 3, the Expo '70 Commemorative Park will host its annual Cosmos and Kochia Flower Festival. Taking place on the west side of the Natural and Cultural Gardens, the event showcases around 150,000 cosmos flowers in shades of pink, white, red and yellow, covering the entire Flower Hill. Complementing the colourful display are approximately 3,600 kochia plants — fluffy, ball-shaped shrubs that turn brilliant red as the season changes. The gardens are open daily from 9.30am to 5pm. Admission to the Natural and Cultural Gardens is ¥260 for adults and ¥80 for children aged 7 to 15, while children under 7 enter free of charge. Tickets are available at the entrance.

Say cheers with craft beer in the cool autumn breeze at the Denkyu Craft Beer Garden, held on the 11th-floor outdoor terrace of the Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda until October 31. This beer garden offers five brews from local Osakan breweries, alongside a delicious food menu featuring delights to complement your beer of choice. Slow-roasted pork burgers, tacos and a selection of chicken wings and fries can be ordered to enjoy with a 90-minute all-you-can-drink deal. In addition to the craft brews, drink choices include regular big-name beers as well as cocktails, wines and soft drinks. The beer garden is open daily from noon to midnight (from 2pm to midnight on Thursdays). Reservations are recommended and can be made online.

With the humidity and haze of summer fading, autumn often sees cloudless and clear skies – perfect for a fireworks show. The second half of the two-part Nagahama/North Lake Biwa Fireworks Festival is coming up on October 17, so make your way to the lawn by the Lake Yogo Visitor Centre by 7.30pm on the day. The 30-minute show will see fireworks launched over Lake Yogo just north of Lake Biwa, a body of water known for its mirror-like reflections on the still water’s surface. The pyrotechnics are synchronised with stirring music and the surrounding mountains echo the sounds of the fireworks, creating a truly immersive viewing experience. The event offers paid seating with prices beginning at ¥4,000 per seat, granting you views of the fireworks by the lakefront. More information on seating is available on the website. The venue is a 15-minute walk from JR Yogo Station, and note that limited parking is available on site.

Founded in Osaka prefecture in 1996, POP Circus (whose acronym stands for ‘Pursuit of Pleasure’) is a renowned touring entertainment troupe specialising in world-class human acrobatics. Known for its high-energy, family-friendly performances, POP Circus’s latest show in Aramotokita features top-tier artists from over 10 countries performing jaw-dropping, and sometimes death-defying, stunts, including flying trapeze, aerial acrobatics, high-level juggling and African-style hand voltige. This marks POP Circus’s first performance in Osaka prefecture in 12 years. The show runs until January 12 2026, in an air-conditioned tent set up in front of the Higashi-Osaka City Hall. The massive oval-shaped tent stands around 20 metres high and 46 metres wide, with a theatre-style layout that offers clear views from every seat and a unified audience–stage setting for maximum immersion. Performances typically start at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm, though the number of shows varies by day, and some days (usually around mid-week) have no performances. Each performance lasts approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including a 15-minute interval. Doors open 30 minutes before the show begins. Tickets can be purchased online until 7.30am on the day of the performance, or at the door depending on availability. For the latest schedule and booking details, see the event website.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair began in Bologna, Italy in 1964 and remains the world’s only international fair dedicated to children’s books. It hosts a prestigious picture book illustration competition that accepts submissions from all over the world and highlights particularly excellent tomes capable of entertaining and educating young ones while sparking their imagination and developing their emotional intelligence. The cream of the crop from this year’s fair can be perused at the Otani Memorial Art Museum in Nishinomiya until October 13. Children’s books from 95 countries will be on display, in addition to artwork selected from the competition.

Artist markets are the place to be if you’re looking for unique, handmade items not often found at high street retailers. Running annually since 2009, the Art and Handmade Bazaar is one of the largest indoor markets dedicated to handicrafts in the Kansai region. This year’s bazaar will be held at Osaka ATC Hall on the weekend of September 20 and 21 and is set to feature some 850 creators from all over the country. Get ready to discover artisanal accessories, bags, leather and wooden products, glassware, ceramics, a variety of prints and illustrations, and much more. Admission is ¥1,000 at the door, but advance tickets are available online for ¥800 until one day before the event.

Street art can breathe new life into public spaces, transforming blank walls into vibrant canvases. But it’s more than just decoration. When created with intention, it can reflect a community’s cultural values and identity, and help strengthen the connection between people and place. While murals remain relatively uncommon in Japan, interest is growing – especially in Osaka’s Konohana ward, where a new street art festival is making its debut this month. Photo: Jun Chihara The Enoen Festival will take over Konohana’s Shikanjima Sumiyoshi Shrine on Saturday, September 27, for a day of art, live music, street food and wholesome family fun. Alongside celebrating the town’s 25 existing murals – created by local and international artists from more than 20 countries over the past two years – the festival will also unveil five new murals painted during an artist residency running from September 21–28 in Konohana’s Baika district.  Photo: Wall Share At the heart of Konohana’s emerging street art scene is Wall Share, an organisation established in 2020 with a mission to transform Osaka’s urban landscape with bold, colourful murals. Since launching the Mural Town Konohana initiative in September 2023, Wall Share has invited local and international street artists to participate in an art residency programme, where they create captivating murals across the Yodogawa and Konohana wards during their stay in Japan. Photo: Wall Share In the week leading up to the Enoen Festival, five new

Summertime is festival time in Osaka. Kicking off the celebratory season is Tanabata, a traditional Japanese festival with origins in Chinese folklore. According to legend, deity couple Orihime and Hikoboshi are separated by the Milky Way, and they are only able to meet once a year: on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Tanabata, or the Star Festival, celebrates the day of their reunion. As Japan has largely dropped the lunar dating system in favour of the Gregorian calendar, Tanabata is commonly celebrated on July 7, which falls on a Monday this year. The Star Festival is associated with grand, colourful streamers decorating streets, shopping malls and temples. Another popular custom is to write your wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo trees. Tanabata is one of the most joyous and colourful traditional celebrations in Osaka – and it offers great photo opportunities. So if you’re in the city between July 5 and 7, put any of these three Star Festival events on your to-do list.   Photo via Hirakata ParkTanabata Lantern Festival at Hirakata Park Tanabata Lantern Festival at Hirakata Park July 5–6 Hirakata Park’s Tanabata festival features a special indoor lantern area, where lanterns filled with wishes are launched. Summer festival stalls offer carnival games like superball scooping, yo-yo fishing and shooting. There are also workshops that allow you to paint masks and make flower crowns or have your face painted. Consider picking up a ¥200 fortune-telli