Japan in June – 14 Things to See and Do in 2025!

June is not typically the best time to travel to Japan as the start of the rainy season lingers for around six weeks. That’s not to say it rains every day, but weather conditions are unpredictable, and the heat and humidity levels soar, making it hard to spend much time outside. That being said, there are some highlights of the rainy season. There are plenty of summer festivals, and it’s a good time to visit hot springs, see hydrangeas, and watch fireflies. Hokkaido is also a good place to travel to during this time, as temperatures are cooler and there is no humidity. 

Planning a trip to Japan this year? Check out my 5 Day Tokyo Itinerary article for ideas on what to see and do in Japan’s capital!

Japan in June – 14 Things to See and Do in 2025!

1. Fussa Firefly Festival, Tokyo

In Japan, the arrival of fireflies marks the beginning of summer and many towns and cities celebrate the time of year with festivals and events. The Fussa Firefly Festival occurs in the west of Tokyo near the Tamagawa River. The event is held at the beginning of June, and around 500 locally raised Genji fireflies are released into the sky. Other festivities include live music performances and food stalls scattered along the main festival street. After a five-year hiatus, the festival is making a return to the area and will take place along Seseragi Street close to Kumagawa JR railway station.

• WHERE & WHEN: Seseragi Street, between Hotaru Park and Fussa City Fussa Junior High School. 3 PM to 9 PM, Sunday, June 1st, 2025.

• MORE INFORMATION: Fussakanko.jp

2. Japan Fireworks Expo, Osaka

This year, the World Expo will be held on Yumeshima Island in Osaka from April to October 13. With the theme ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives,’ the event will promote global dialogue around building a sustainable future. 

As part of the six-month celebration, the Japan Fireworks Expo will take place on select evenings, including June 28. It will showcase Japan’s world-class pyrotechnics with specially designed displays. The fireworks will showcase traditions from different regions across Japan and reflect their history within Japanese culture. Admission to see the displays will require a standard ticket to the Expo, which is around ¥6,700 for adults and ¥1,700 for children up to 11 years old.

• WHERE & WHEN: Yumeshima south side seawall, Osaka. June 28, 2025

• MORE INFORMATION: Expo2025.or.jp

3. Nigami Firefly Festival, Niigata

Beginning in mid-June and lasting for around a month, the Nigami Firefly Festival sees thousands of fireflies glowing along a 7km stretch of Prefectural Road #229, which runs alongside the Hokura River. Two common types of fireflies, Genji and Heike, can be spotted over the river after the sun sets.

The Firefly Festival is held in the nearby town of Nigami from around June 6, and the route out of town can become very busy in the evenings during this time, especially over the weekend. Due to the remote location, your best option for accessing the viewing area is by car, where a special viewing platform is set up for drivers. This also helps to reduce light pollution from car headlights for other viewers.

• WHERE & WHEN: Oshima Ward, Nigami, Joetsu City, Niigata prefecture. The Firefly viewing station parking lot can be found here. The best time for viewing is between 7:30 and 8:30 PM

4. Sawara Iris Festival, Chiba

Throughout June, more than a million Japanese Irises can be seen at the Sawara Iris Festival in Suigo Sawara Ayame Park, the largest Iris garden in Asia, which is around a two-hour bus ride from Tokyo. For around four weeks, the six-hectare park is covered with a blue, purple, yellow, white, and pink blanket. It is an incredible sight.

Visitors can take a shuttle bus directly to the park from JR Sawara Station, or it can be accessed by car off the Higashi-Kanto Expressway. This festival is a must-see if you are in Japan in June, and it can easily be made as a day trip from Tokyo. Along with the flower-viewing activities, you can take traditional boat rides around the old town and even watch visitors get married among the Irises during a limited 3-day period in June. Entry is 700 yen for adults and 350 yen for children.

• WHERE & WHEN: Suigo Sawara Ayame Park, 1837-2 Ogishima, Katori, Chiba. 8:00 AM-6:30 PM, the whole month of June.

• MORE INFORMATION: Suigo-sawara.ne.jp

5. Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival, Tokyo

Every year, Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo holds five major flower festivals that celebrate the different flowers of the four seasons in Japan. June is hydrangea season, and a good place to admire these flowers is at the Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival in Hakusan-jinja Shrine. Thousands of colorful blue, purple, and pink flowers bloom across the grounds of the shrine and the neighboring Hakusan Park.

During the festivities, small stone mounds in the area known as Fujizuka are opened to the public, who can ascend to the peak for unparalleled views of the flower displays. At the weekend, events are also held as part of the celebrations, these include live music, dancing, and local food and drinks stalls. Visitors can easily reach the shrine by public transport and on foot, as it is a short two-minute walk from Exit A3 of Hakusan Station.

• WHERE & WHEN: Hakusan Shrine, 5 Chome-31-26 Hakusan, Bunkyo City. Saturday, June 7th to Sunday, 15th.

• MORE INFORMATION: B-kanko.jp (Japanese)

6. Hydrangeas at Meigetsuin Temple, Kamakura

In June, thousands of Meigetsuin blue hydrangeas fill the grounds of the 900-year-old Buddhist temple for which it is named. The temple was constructed in the 12th century as a memorial from a son to his father, who was killed during the Heiji Civil War. Over the years, it became part of a larger nearby temple complex that was eventually closed down, temple by temple, until Meigetsuin temple became the only building remaining.

Visitors can explore the lush grounds and enjoy the display of irises and a high volume of blue hydrangeas. If you enter the main temple hall, you will find a large round window that frames the inner garden perfectly. The best time of year for an incredible view comes in late June and again in late autumn. The inner garden is well-maintained and worth a trip this time of year if only to enjoy the natural beauty.

• WHERE & WHEN: Meigetsuin Temple, 189 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-0062. Throughout June, from 8:30 AM to 5 PM.

• MORE INFORMATION: Trip-kamakura.com

7. Mount Takao Beer Garden

You simply cannot visit Japan without trying tabehodai or nomihodai, the all-you-can-eat or all-you-can-drink buffet options that can be found in many izakayas and bars around the country. And what better place to get the most out of the experience than the highest beer garden in Tokyo at the beginning of summer?

A 5-minute walk from Takaosanguchi Station to Kiyotaki Station, you will find a cable car that takes you to the summit of the mountain 500 meters up. There, you will find Mt. Takao Beer Mount, where you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet and drinks for two hours while taking in the amazing views of the capital below. Entry costs 4,500 yen for adults and is open every day from 11 AM to 5 PM.

• WHERE & WHEN: Mt. Takao Beer Mount 2205 Takaomachi, Hachioji, Tokyo. Saturday, March 29, 2025, to Sunday, June 22, 2025.

• MORE INFORMATION: Urban-inc.co.jp/tokyotakao

8. Otaue Rice Planting Festival, Osaka

There are many different types of rice planting events and festivals at varying times of year all over Japan. They are often Shinto rituals that include an offering to the enshrined Kami to secure a bountiful harvest for the season ahead. The Otaue Rice Planting Festival is one of the largest in the country and is most famous for its grand performances.

The festival features Shinto priests overseeing the planting of rice seedlings in a dedication ceremony. Afterward, blessed water is poured all around the edges of the rice fields in a ritual that purifies the priests and the land. Following the planting and purification ceremony, visitors will see live performances of dancing and sword fighting in the festival atmosphere.

• WHERE & WHEN: Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, 2 Chome-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka. June 14th, 1 PM to 5 PM.

• MORE INFORMATION: Sumijomitaisha.net

9. Hokkaido Shrine Festival (Sapporo Festival)

Hokkaido Shrine Festival (also known as the Sapporo Festival) is one of the ten largest festivals in Japan and the largest in Hokkaido. This three-day event is a Shinto ceremony that is held every year in mid-June at Hokkaido Shrine and features traditional music, many festival food stalls, and dance performances.

The highlight of the event is a procession of people dressed in colorful Heian period clothes carrying beautifully decorated mikoshi shrines and portable floats along the main street from the shrine towards central Sapporo. It is a display of the town’s prosperity to the Gods. The event draws more than 100,000 visitors every year and is a major event on the summer calendar.

• WHERE & WHEN: Hokkaido Shrine, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-city, Hokkaido. June 14 to 16, 2025.

• MORE INFORMATION: Sapporo.travel/en

10. Shirone Giant Kite Battle

Straddling the banks of the Nakanokuchi River, teams of locals battle against one another with massive kites, around 15×25 feet in size, colliding them against one another in the fierce wind in an attempt to tangle the ropes of their kites. Once tangled, a tog-o-war ensues until one team emerges as the victor, bringing the opposing kite crashing into the water.

This unique festival dates back more than 300 years to the Edo period when one side set up a banner to celebrate the completion of a construction project. The banner broke free and damaged crops as it landed on the other side, and in their anger, the locals reciprocated, and a tradition emerged. Free and paid seating is available, which costs around 600 yen.

• WHERE & WHEN: Nakanokuchigawa River Bank, Shirone and Nishi-Shirone, Minami, Niigata City. 1 PM to 6 PM, June 5 to 9, 2025.

• MORE INFORMATION: Shironekankou.jp

11. Aizen Festival, Osaka

In Osaka, summer begins in late June with the commencement of the Aizen Festival at Aizendo Temple, one of the three largest festivals in the city. The festival originated more than 1,000 years ago when local Buddhist priests organized the festival to appease the gods and bring good health. Today, many of the old customs remain, including the main Hoekago Parade to open the festivities. Twelve young women dressed in Yukatas are paraded along Tanimachisuji Street towards Aizendo Temple to cheers from local onlookers. The procession stops in front of the main hall, where the women are presented with flowers and more cheering. It is hoped that this will bring prosperity and good luck in romance.

During the festivities, many visitors also come to the temple to pray for good health and well-being for the year ahead, a ritual ordinarily reserved for Shinto shrines but a common sight at this Buddhist temple during the Aizen Festival.

• WHERE & WHEN: Aizendo Temple, 5-36 Yuhigaokacho, Tennoji Ward, Osaka. June 30th to July 2nd, 10 AM to 9 PM.

• MORE INFORMATION: Osaka.com

12. Yosakoi Soran Festival

From June 4th to 8th, 2025, Sapporo will host the 34th annual Yosakoi Soran Festival in Odori Park. Inspired by the Yosakoi festival in Kochi, tens of thousands of dancers compete in teams dressed in colorful costumes, wielding naruko (wooden hand clappers) in their hands, performing a choreographed dance to their unique piece of music. There are around 15 sites where performances are held around the city, however, the main event is held at Odori Park, which is an 8-minute walk from Exit 5 of the Odori subway station.

Spectators are encouraged to take part in the festivities with Yosakoi dance workshops held at several sites, and local vendors selling naruko to cheer the dancers on.

• WHERE & WHEN: Odori Park, Chuo Ward, Sapporo. 6 PM to 9:30 PM, June 4 to 8, 2025.

• MORE INFORMATION: Yosakoi-soran.jp (English)

13. Aoba Matsuri, Kyoto

The Aoba Matsuri Festival at the Chishaku-in Temple in Kyoto takes place every year on June 15th to celebrate the birthday of Kobo Daishi, also known as Kukai, a well-known Japanese Buddhist monk who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. 

Along with a celebratory Buddhist memorial service, various festivities occur during the event, including a parade from Chishakuin Main Head Temple, and a large fire ritual outside the Kondo Main Hall. Visitors are also free to walk the grounds of the temple complex and enjoy the zen garden, the temple artwork, and the relaxing atmosphere. There is also a flea market which takes place on the edge of the temple grounds, and a place where pilgrims who are undertaking the 88 Temple Pilgrimage can receive a stamp for their visit.

• WHERE & WHEN: Chishakuin Temple, 964 Higashikawarachō Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. 10 AM, June 15th, 2025.

• MORE INFORMATION: Chisan.or.jp (English)

14. Ajisai Matsuri & Kinme Festival

Throughout June, Shimoda Park, the breathtaking coastal area located in Shizuoka prefecture is home to more than three million brightly-colored hydrangea blossoms in full bloom. 

The main hydrangea promenade follows a 30 to 60-minute walk along the dry moat of the former Ushima Castle and can be reached via a 15-minute walk from the park entrance, a 20-minute walk from Izukyu Shimoda station. The promenade also passes through the park’s main square which features festival stands offering local dishes and drinks. 

The region is also known for its Kinme fishing, which reaches its peak season in June. In celebration, the city hosts its annual Kinme Festival where many local restaurants serve a variety of Kinme dishes all month.

• WHERE & WHEN: Shimoda Park, 22 Sanchome, Shimoda, Shizuoka. The whole of June.

• MORE INFORMATION: Shimoda-city.com

Conclusion

There are no national holidays in Japan during June, which is one of the reasons why it is a much easier time to travel. Public transport is as quiet as it is likely to get all year, and attractions and hotels are easier to book as there are generally fewer tourists. 

The weather can be less reliable than in the spring and summer months, as June is Japan’s rainy season, which stretches into early July. While it does not rain every day, the probability of rain on any given day in June can be quite high, although it varies depending on where you are; for example, the probability of rainfall in Tokyo during June is around 50%.

If the spike in daytime temperatures and frequent rainy days aren’t enough to put you off, June is a perfect time to visit Japan. The humidity and average temperatures aren’t as high as they are in July and August, and festivals celebrating the blooming of Irises, hydrangeas, and Lotuses are everywhere.