2026 might be anime’s most stacked year yet — packed premieres, long-awaited finales, and major adaptations across every season. Here’s a quick guide to help you keep track of it all.

The midpoint of the Tōkaidō wasn't a grand castle town — just a kettle hung from a tree branch and rice fields to the horizon. Hiroshige's Fukuroi-juku shows what station 27 of 53 actually looked like: humble, quiet, and completely unglamorous. #東海道五十三次

After the 1855 Ansei Edo earthquake flattened much of Tokyo, artists flooded the city with "namazu-e" - satirical prints blaming a mythical giant catfish for the tremors. This one stages it as sumo: a wrestler grappling the catfish in the ring while demons hoard coins and a ref looks on.

The “Fukuyose Hina” Doll Exhibition at Chubu Centrair International Airport is held inside Terminal 1 and runs until March 3. The exhibition features approximately 350 hina dolls from neighbouring communities, including the Iwayaji Temple area, Inabu, Yoshihama, and Kariya.

As part of the EVANGELION Series 30th Anniversary × Yokohama campaign, special illuminations inspired by Evangelion Unit-01 are being displayed at Cosmo Clock 21 and other waterfront sites in Yokohama. The light performances run every 30 minutes from 18:00 to 21:31 until February 24.

Otaru's canal warehouses exist because of herring fertilizer and citizen defiance. Built to store fish ground into crop feed, they made the city one of Japan's richest. When the government tried to demolish them for a highway in the 1960s, residents fought for a decade — and won.

A powerful winter pressure system is burying Japan right now. Northern regions recorded over 180 cm of snow in 24 hours. Tokyo saw 5 cm Sunday — enough to close expressways and halt trains. Even typically mild Kyushu is under rare snow warnings. February 2026 is hitting different.

The “Ukiyo-e Cat Encyclopedia: Lazy, Round, and Totally Cat” exhibition opens at The Eki Museum Kyoto from April 4 to May 10, featuring over 100 ukiyo-e prints exploring cats in Japanese art and culture. More: www.hey-japan.com/event/ukiyo-...

TOKYO CREATIVE SALON 2026, one of Japan’s largest creative festivals showcasing fashion, design, art, technology, and craft, will be held from Mar 13-Mar 22.

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Shiranui Monogatari (The Tale of Shiranui) was a popular Edo-period story blending samurai honor, revenge, and the supernatural. This ukiyo-e by Toyokuni III depicts a scene based on a Kawarazaki Theater performance from Kaei 6 (1853), showing Wakana-hime atop a giant spider amid churning waves.

The "Shimane Crafts: Iwami Nagahama-yaki & Nagahama Dolls" exhibition at the Shimane Prefectural Art Museum, running until March 9, focuses on Nagahama-yaki pottery and Nagahama dolls, once distinctive products of the Iwami region.

Zoorasian Brass Anime Carnival, performed by the Zoorasian Philharmonic Orchestra, will be held on May 6 at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo.The concert features symphonic arrangements of anime songs from Digimon Adventure, Dragon Ball, Detective Conan, Zootopia, and more.

The Urasa Bishamondō Naked Man Festival is held annually on March 7. This traditional event, with a history of around 1,200 years, takes place at Fukuji Temple, which is dedicated to Bishamonten, the Buddhist deity associated with warriors, protection, and good fortune.

“Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil and the Secrets of Adventure Exhibition” is on view at the Fujiko·F·Fujio Museum through June 21, featuring original artwork from the Doraemon film Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1984).

Hina tsurushi kazari are hanging decorations made of small, colourful fabric ornaments displayed during Hina Matsuri. The exhibition is free to view at the Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel, Main Lobby (15th floor), from February 3 to March 3.

The Bungu Joshi Expo, Japan’s largest stationery fair, will be held from March 5 to March 8 at ATC Hall in Osaka — a great opportunity for all Japanese stationery lovers.

Kitazawa Yasushi is a souvenir pennant collector from Hokkaido. Coinciding with the start of the Sapporo Snow Festival on February 4, his account announced that he will be posting Sapporo Snow Festival pennants. Follow Kitazawa-san to see more beautiful pennants!

“Unknown Kawaii Sofubi Exhibition” runs until February 15 at SOMSOC GALLERY in Harajuku, Tokyo. The exhibition brings together sofubi (soft vinyl) artists from Japan and overseas.

Ehomaki is a thick sushi roll eaten on Setsubun. The custom is to eat it silently, without cutting it, while facing the year’s lucky direction to bring good luck and good health. This year’s lucky direction is south-southeast.

Setsubun is a Japanese festival held on February 3rd that marks the day before the start of spring in the traditional calendar. People throw roasted soybeans while shouting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (Demons out! Good luck in!) to drive away bad luck and invite good fortune.

The special exhibition “The Happiness of Netsuke” is currently on view at the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum through March. The exhibition focuses on netsuke that express humour and playful ideas. Netsuke are small carvings originally used as toggles to secure personal items worn with kimono.

Godzilla × Hokusai “collaboration”: Godzilla Ukiyo-e Giclée Prints featuring Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Sudden Shower beneath the Summit, and Nihonbashi in Edo. A Hanzō Co., Ltd. production in collaboration with the film Godzilla Minus One.

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A new attraction for cat lovers: a giant glowing cat lights up the Daiwa House Premist Dome Observation Deck in Sapporo, Feb 4–11.

For cat lovers: “The Terrible Things My Cat Did to Me” — an exhibition by illustrator 'poshichi'. Humorous and affectionate scenes from everyday life with cats. Feb 14–Mar 8, 2026, Galerie GEEK/ART (Shibuya, Tokyo) Admission: Free

KYOTO NIPPON FESTIVAL at Kitano Tenmangū Shrine runs from February 1 to May 24, dedicated to Japanese aesthetics, history, and seasonal change through immersive art installations and performances. www.hey-japan.com/event/kyoto-...

"Takashi Yanase Exhibition: Life Is a Joy-Bringing Game", a traveling exhibition, comes to Nagoya from Feb 6 to Apr 5. The exhibition marks the 30th anniversary of the Yanase Takashi Memorial Anpanman Museum and brings together approximately 200 original artworks. www.hey-japan.com/event/takash...

Kanto’s Largest-Class Illumination, Sagamiko Illumillion, runs until May 10, with a special spring immersive show starting on February 6 featuring popular music artists and Tamagotchi collaboration installations. More www.hey-japan.com/event/sagami...

“Kyoto-Style Climbing Kiln: Sake Vessels and Tea Vessels” will be held from January 30 to February 11 at the Kyoto Ceramic Center, offering the public an opportunity to experience both historical craftsmanship and contemporary ceramic expression in an accessible setting. Admission is free.

ANIPLEX POP UP SHOP is being held until March 15, at Animate Ikebukuro Main Store, 7F NORTH (Tokyo), featuring exhibitions and merchandise from popular titles such as Fate/strange Fake and Gnosia.

Android Opera "MIRROR – Deconstruction and Rebirth" by Keiichiro Shibuya will be held in Osaka on May 16. The vocal performer is Android Maria, accompanied by a live orchestra and Buddhist monks from Mount Kōya’s Kongōbu-ji Temple performing shōmyō. www.hey-japan.com/event/keiich...

Dragon Ball's 40th anniversary event revealed major announcements: Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol anime (adapting the Moro Arc) in 2027; a Battle of Gods remake titled Dragon Ball Super: Beerus in Fall 2026; and Age 1000, a new game based on Akira Toriyama's final story concepts.

The Detective Conan 30th Anniversary Exhibition runs Feb 20–Mar 29 at Tokyo Dome City, featuring 30 years of anime production, iconic scenes, and collectibles. It will tour major Japanese cities throughout 2026–2027.

A kotatsu is a mostly low wooden table with a heater fixed underneath and a thick blanket draped over the frame. People sit on the floor, slide their legs under the table, and trap warm air inside. The blanket does most of the work, keeping the heat in so the whole body warms up, not just the feet.

Hokora (祠) are small shrines found by roadsides, in villages, on mountains, at field edges, or within larger shrine and temple grounds, dedicated to local kami, guardian deities, or nature spirits for protection and veneration. Their charm lies in bringing the sacred into everyday life.

At the SMALL WORLDS Miniature Museum (Tokyo), visitors can create their own lifelike 3D miniature figures using a state-of-the-art scanner. On PET DAY, held monthly, it is also possible to create a miniature figure of your own pet.

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Reminder: The Capybara Open-Air Bath at Izu Shaboten Zoo (Itō, Shizuoka) is held until April 5. The zoo is famous for discovering in the winter of 1982 that capybaras enjoy soaking in warm water—a charming and now well-known fact. More: www.hey-japan.com/event/the-or...

Animals glued to their phones. Smartphone addiction as gachapon toys — cute, but kinda sad. A sharp reminder of how normal phone addiction has become. “Smartphone Life”, designed by Masami Iida.

The Hachinohe Enburi Festival is held annually from February 17–20 in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. With over 800 years of history, this National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property features ceremonial dances and music praying for a bountiful rice harvest and marks the arrival of spring.

Ghost in the Shell meets tradition: the Tachikoma robot is reimagined as Nabeshima-yaki, a 350-year-old Japanese porcelain craft from Saga Prefecture, created by the porcelain brand YOYOYO. Nabeshima-yaki often features traditional motifs like flowers, waves, or geometric patterns.

The eSports event "Osaka GeN Scramble" will be held from Jan 30 to Feb 1 in Osaka at Grand Front Osaka and Grand Green Osaka. Public Days on Jan 31 and Feb 1 will feature tournaments and exhibition matches in titles such as VALORANT, Puyo Puyo Champions, Street Fighter 6, Fortnite, and more.

The 75th Nagahama Bonbai Exhibition runs until March 10 at Keiunkan in Nagahama. Around 90 large plum bonbai are displayed in rotation, celebrating the arrival of early spring through carefully cultivated, historic trees. More: www.hey-japan.com/event/nagaha...

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse showcases the large illuminated floats used in the Aomori Nebuta Festival, a major summer festival in northern Japan known for its dynamic designs and bold colours. The floats are never random in theme; they depict scenes from mythology, historical events, and heroic figures.

Japanese Comedy Song “Falsetto” - funny and cute 😄 A manzai-style comedy performance by メンバー, a comedy band doing a two-person manzai routine with singing. www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

The 31st Kyoyuzen Comprehensive Exhibition will be held at the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design from January 23 to 25. The exhibition highlights hand-painted Yuzen, one of Kyoto’s most representative traditional dyeing techniques. The entire museum will be open to the public free of charge.

Namahage Sedo Festival is a winter event in Oga City (Akita), held Feb 13–15 at Shinzan Shrine. The festival features Namahage figures arriving from the mountains with torches, traditional dances, music, and rituals blending local custom and Shinto practice.

Held annually in February, this dramatic festival originated after the Great Fire of Meireki (1657) as a ritual for fire prevention and the dispelling of bad luck. Men of unlucky ages run through the streets while icy water is thrown on them, praying for safety, health, and renewal.

Incredibly beautiful lighting event returns to Nagato Yumoto Onsen (Yamaguchi). The celebration features lights and sound along the Otozure River, inspired by the poetry of local children’s poet Misuzu Kaneko. The event runs until March 8, 2026.