Latest Events in Kumamoto(July Updated)

The Hikuni Matsuri is a summer festival for visitors to central Kumamoto. After an opening event on the first day, the shopping streets in central Kumamoto are lined with events and food stalls for visitors of all ages to enjoy over two days. On the second day, you can take part in the main free activity - the Otemoan Dance. Otemoan is a famous Kumamoto folk song that was composed about 80 years ago and is still loved and covered today (even the song heard around Kumamoto Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen is Otemoan). For the main dance on the last day of the festival, they turn part of the tram line into a "pedestrian's paradise" and let the city's residents gather on the streets to dance the Otemoan Dance (there's even a samba version) under the watchful eyes of the majestic Kumamoto Castle.

The annual festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine has a history of more than 1,000 years, and has been known as the largest annual festival in Higo (Kumamoto) since ancient times. The festival originated from the "Hojo-kai", but it is still affectionately called "Zuibyou" by people. It is called Hojo-kai because before the Meiji era, when the decree on the separation of Shinto and Buddhism was promulgated and Buddhist activities were temporarily abolished, the annual festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine was also called Hojo-kai, and now only this name is retained. The annual routine festival includes the "First Day Festival", "Second Day Festival", "Offering Ceremony", "Shinkoshiki" and "Offering Ceremony", which lasts for five days and five nights, and traditional Shinto rituals and festivals with a long history are held. In addition, various activities such as tea ceremony, waka, haiku, flower offering, Shinmachi lion floats, town floats, children's portable shrines, sacred horses, and decorated horses are held in the shrine.

From July to November 2025, YOASOBI will start its first domestic tour with 40 performances in 14 counties across the country. This is the first Hall tour in the country for YOASOBI.

Every year on October 9th and 10th, thousands of visitors flock to Takayama for the huge Autumn Takayama Festival. The festival is a celebration of thanksgiving and marks the start of preparations for winter. The festival features colorful and ornately decorated floats. Some floats are topped with mechanical puppets, which puppeteers manipulate to perform traditional dances at set times; performances usually take place around morning and noon. After dark on the 9th, the evening celebrations begin with a parade of 100 lantern-lit floats through the town.

A large-scale exhibition of Anpanman's creator, Yanase Takashi (1919-2013). Yanase, who was a manga artist, poet, picture book author, illustrator, designer, editor, and other diverse artists, was also an entertainer of the highest order. His greatest joy in life was "making people happy." Yanase, who endured harsh wartime experiences, parting ways with his family, and meeting various people, continued to ask himself "Why was I born and what do I live for?" He arrived at the image of a hero who, even if it was uncool, could give a piece of bread, or "anpan," to someone who was truly in need. This exhibition commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Yanase Takashi Memorial Museum Anpanman Museum in 2026, and will unravel his works on the themes of "Takashi Yanase Anatomy," "Manga," "Poetry," "Picture Books/Yanase Fairy Tales," and "Anpanman," focusing on approximately 200 original drawings.