Festivals in Japan in December
Japan has 7 local festival variants to explore in December, with date signals, places, traditions, foods, symbols, and a 3D map entry.
Open Japan December festivals on the 3D map- Sapporo Snow Festival · Hokkaido · Ice and Snow Festival
- Yokote Kamakura Festival · Akita · Ice and Snow Festival
- Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival · Tochigi · Ice and Snow Festival
- Kamakura Festival · Kanagawa · Ice and Snow Festival
- Tokamachi Snow Festival · Niigata · Ice and Snow Festival
- Tateyama Kurobe Snow Wall Festival · Toyama · Ice and Snow Festival
- Otaue Rice Planting Festival · Nara · Ice and Snow Festival
Festival search guide
This page answers searches for festivals in Japan in December, including traditions, foods, and local variants.
- Festival cores in Japan in December
- Local variants in Japan in December
- Japan festival map entry
What you can explore
Use this guide to compare Japan festivals in December by tradition, food, local custom, and festival core.
- Festival cores
- Local variants
- Country festival map
Top festivals in Japan in December: Dates and places
Use this 2026 guide to quickly scan the main festivals, places, date confidence, and map entry for Japan in December.
| Festival | Place | Date confidence | Source | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Festival | Sapporo · Hokkaido | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
| Kamakura Festival | Yokote · Akita | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
| Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival | Nikko · Tochigi | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
| Festival | Kamakura · Kanagawa | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
| Snow Festival | Tokamachi · Niigata | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
| Kurobe Snow Wall Festival | Tateyama · Toyama | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
| Otaue Rice Planting Festival | Nara | Traditional calendar date varies by region | Needs verification | Open |
Traditions, food and symbols
- snow lantern displays
- ice-and-snow park visits
- winter market
- hot soup
- grilled foods
- local snacks
How to explore these festivals on MapDepth
Open the 3D map, start from Japan, then filter by December, festival theme, and regional variant to compare these traditions.
Related months
Related countries or regional routes
Similar festival themes
Regional highlights
- Sapporo · Hokkaido: Sapporo Snow Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
- Yokote · Akita: Yokote Kamakura Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
- Nikko · Tochigi: Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
- Kamakura · Kanagawa: Kamakura Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
- Tokamachi · Niigata: Tokamachi Snow Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
- Tateyama · Toyama: Tateyama Kurobe Snow Wall Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
- Nara: Otaue Rice Planting Festival; Ice and Snow Festival; Traditional calendar date varies by region
FAQ
What festivals happen in Japan in December 2026?
Japan in December features Ice and Snow Festival, with date confidence, places, customs, foods, and map routes on MapDepth.
What events and celebrations happen in Japan in December?
This guide covers December festivals, events and celebrations in Japan, including snow lantern displays, ice-and-snow park visits, winter market, hot soup.
Which regions have December festivals in Japan?
Regional highlights include Sapporo · Hokkaido, Yokote · Akita, Nikko · Tochigi, Kamakura · Kanagawa, each connected to festival cores and local variants.
Seasonal context
In December, Japan has 1 festival core and 7 regional variants in season, led by Ice and Snow Festival and grounded in customs and foods such as snow lantern displays, ice-and-snow park visits, winter market, hot soup.
Representative festival cores
Customs and foods
- snow lantern displays
- ice-and-snow park visits
- winter market
- hot soup
- grilled foods
- local snacks