The "Galaxy Express Milky Subway" exhibition comes to Sapporo PARCO from 8 to 23 August, on the 7th floor at PARCO FACTORY. Photo spots, production materials, and elements from the film. Entry 1,500 yen. Director Yohei Kameyama holds a signing on opening day.

"Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum" runs 25 Jul–18 Oct at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum for its centenary. Edo-period screens, scrolls, and ukiyo-e, plus Kano school fusuma reunited from Aomori, London, and Seattle after 150 years. www.hey-japan.com/event/edo-in...

"Eva Japonisme" returns with "EVANGELION Fujin Raijin-zu Byobu", a set of five folding screens reimagining Tawaraya Sotatsu's National Treasure "Fujin Raijin-zu Byobu" with EVA units and pilots in place of the wind and thunder gods. On sale from 17 July at Hanzo's Ukiyoe Kobo online shop. ©カラー

"Kukai and the Treasures of Shingon Buddhism" runs to 6 Sep at Tokyo National Museum, marking 1,250 years since Kobo Daishi Kukai's birth. 88 treasures from Shingon's eighteen head temples, including 15 National Treasures and nine rarely seen secret statues. www.hey-japan.com/event/kukai-...

"Yo-kai nism", a solo exhibition by watercolour artist Minatoya Yoshiki depicting bakeneko and yokai in a gentle, humorous style rooted in traditional Japonisme, runs 22–28 July at Isetan Shinjuku, Main Building 6F Art Gallery, Shinjuku, Tokyo.

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW Thelma Aoyama - Soba ni iru ne feat. SoulJa Apple Music: music.apple.com/album/%E3%81... Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/1Rvh5R...

Omi Jingu in Otsu, Shiga, the sacred home of competitive karuta, will be illuminated this summer. From 18 July to 23 August (weekends, holidays & 14 Aug), historic halls come alive with projection mapping, the "Light Hyakunin Isshu", and a glowing 12-colour light clock.

We've given Hey Japan! a fresh look. The site has been redesigned and restructured to make browsing our guides to Japanese events, shrines, temples, and attractions easier than before. Explore the new site. www.hey-japan.com

"The All Japan Stamp Festival 2026" comes to Sumida Sangyo Kaikan, above Kinshicho Marui, Tokyo, from 18 to 20 July. Browse stamp collections from across Japan, dealer booths, an ekiben fair, and hands-on activities. Free admission. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkDA...

Hita Gion Festival, held 25–26 July at JR Hita Station, Oita, is a 400-year-old UNESCO-listed celebration featuring elaborately decorated yamaboko floats up to 15m tall, culminating in a lantern-lit night procession through the city. www.hey-japan.com/event/hita-g...

The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum presents "The History and Folklore of Musashino: Musashino Local Museum Collection 2026", showcasing archaeological finds and folklore materials from the former Musashino Local Museum. On view 18 July to 13 December.

Matsunami Ningyo Kiriko Festival takes place on 25 July in Matsunami, Noto, Ishikawa, combining traditional Ningyo Joruri puppet theatre with a parade of illuminated Kiriko lanterns carried through the streets by local residents. www.hey-japan.com/event/matsun...

Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival, held in Uwajima City, Ehime, runs 22–24 July, featuring bull-demon floats paraded through the streets, the Uwajima Gaiya Carnival, a dance tournament, and two nights of fireworks launched over the sea. www.hey-japan.com/event/uwajim...

Tanabata Sky Lantern Festival, held in Saitama City, runs 17–23 July, with up to 3,500 LED lanterns released nightly around 20:30, each carrying a wish written on tanzaku paper. Stage shows, food trucks, and festival stalls round out the evening. www.hey-japan.com/event/tanaba...

Good news, everyone!

Chichibu Kawase Matsuri, Chichibu Shrine's summer festival, takes place 19–20 July. Eight ornate floats parade through the streets, and a mikoshi is carried into the Arakawa River in a purification rite. Free admission. www.hey-japan.com/event/chichi...

Today is Tanabata. Tanabata, the Star Festival, celebrates the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi – two lovers, represented by the stars Vega and Altair, separated by the Milky Way and allowed to meet just once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month.

The Hachinohe Sansha Taisai is a UNESCO-listed festival with over 300 years of history. Held 31 Jul-4 Aug in Hachinohe, Aomori, it features 27 towering dashi floats, shrine processions, mounted polo, and the lively tiger dance. www.hey-japan.com/event/the-ha...

The Moka Summer Festival: Kojin Festival runs 24–26 July in Moka, Tochigi. Over 20 mikoshi and floats parade through the city, honouring Kojin, god of fire and the hearth, with a night mikoshi river crossing and fireworks over the Gogyo River. www.hey-japan.com/event/moka-s...

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW [Alexandros] - Koeru Apple Music: music.apple.com/album/koeru-... Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/1TH4Km... Our weekly pick — personal taste, no charts involved. Spotlighting Japanese artists across every genre, so there's something for everyone.

The Koiji Fire Festival returns to Koiji Beach in Noto Town, Ishikawa, on 19 Jul – its first time back since the earthquake. Rooted in a legend of tragic love, it sees kiriko lantern floats carried into the sea towards Benten Island. www.hey-japan.com/event/koiji-...

A pop-up shop, "Kinnikuman STATION", returns to JR Ikebukuro Station (Tokyo) from 7 to 20 July, in the space by the South ticket gate.

"Chiba Tetsuya Print Exhibition: 70th Anniversary of His Artistic Career" runs 8–14 July at Daimaru Tokyo. Around 80 prints trace the career of the mangaka, the first manga artist to receive the Order of Culture, alongside a newly drawn commemorative work. Free admission, with works also for sale.

"Independent Study for Kids & Adults: Patterns of Delight 2" opens at the National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa (Ishikawa), running 3 July to 23 September. The exhibition presents around 140 modern and contemporary craft works exploring Japanese patterns, from Living National Treasures to Pokemon.

The 9th Hokkaido Shooting Point Ranking Annual Grand Prix Exhibition comes to Sapporo's Chikaho underground walkway on 24-25 Oct, showcasing photographs of Hokkaido's nature and wildlife. Top prize is 300,000 yen. Entries open until 16 August via the official website www.hokkaido-photo.jp

Shodoshima Yokai Art Museum (Kagawa) is showing the second half of its "POP YOKAI" exhibition, featuring contemporary yokai sculptures from the bilingual art book "Contemporary Character Art of Japan". A new "POP YOKAI Audition" invites visitors to vote for a favourite. On display until 30 Nov.

The "Yokohama Star Night Drone Show" brings 3,500 drones to the Minato Mirai area on 26 July, Japan's largest drone show, followed by a 600-drone show at Yokohama Stadium from 4 to 6 August. The Minato Mirai show is free to view at Rinko Park.

Fukushima Hachimangu in Yame City, Fukuoka, is known for its inventive collaborations and colourful goshuin. From 1 July it offers Shiro-chan's Summer Holiday Goshuin, created with the miniature series Concombre and featuring the shrine's "idol dog". Concombre omikuji are also available there.

Nasushiobara's rice paddy art returns for its sixteenth year, with two fields planted in eight varieties of coloured rice. One site portrays comedy duos "Uji Koji" and "Kaminari" with Mount Fuji; the other depicts Chika Ozeki and Rie Utagokoro.

Aomori hosts "Ukiyoe Immersive Art" for the first time, from 11 Jul to 30 Aug at New's Hall. Masterpieces by Hokusai, Hiroshige, and other ukiyo-e artists are brought to life through animation and projection mapping. Visitors in kimono or Nebuta haneto costume get a discount.

Qualia 10th Anniversary Exhibition, the capsule toy maker's first show in Kyushu, has opened at PARCO FACTORY on the 5th floor of Fukuoka PARCO. Around 200 capsule toys are on display, with limited-edition goods, photo spots. Runs until 12 July.

The 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking results are in. Pompompurin takes first place for a second year running, the fifth time overall, in its 30th anniversary year. Cinnamoroll and Pochacco follow in second and third. Total votes reached a record 70.6 million.

"Haikyu!! On the Court", a hands-on volleyball experience based on the hit anime, has opened at Dojima River Forum in Osaka. Visitors can compete against characters from the series across a range of special challenge zones. Runs until 2 August, then moves to Tokyo from 7 August.

"Hasui, Yumeji, Kyosai: HAIBARA Art & Design" at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art marks Haibara's 220th anniversary with over 500 woodblock-printed washi works by Kawase Hasui, Takehisa Yumeji, Kawanabe Kyosai and others. 8 August to 13 September. Haibara: museum.haibara.co.jp/about/brands...

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW miwa - 360 Degrees Apple Music: music.apple.com/song/360-deg... Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/3bPpVc... Our weekly pick — personal taste, no charts involved. Spotlighting Japanese artists across every genre, so there's something for everyone.

"Ukiyoe Immersive Art HIROSHIMA", an immersive digital art museum bringing ukiyo-e to life through 3DCG animation and projection mapping, runs at NTT Cred Hall in Hiroshima from 18 July to 6 September.

teamLab Borderless reopens its "Light Sculpture - Flow" space at Azabudai Hills, Tokyo, with a special exhibition, "On the Asymmetry of the Universe", showing two new series: "Asymmetric Existence" and "Chromatic Existence". 8 July to 8 October.

The "WITH(OUT) U" ART GALLERY marks the Ultraman series' 60th anniversary at Hankyu Umeda Main Store in Osaka, 3F POP UP CIRCUS. On show and for sale: GAAAT's Metal Canvas Art, collaborations with artist FACE, sofubi and 60th-anniversary goods. 1 to 28 July.

"Chiba Park Tanabata Festival 2026" fills the night sky with flameless LED lanterns, each carrying a written wish. Food stalls, drinks and festival games on site. 4 and 5 July, release around 19:15. Free entry. lantern participation tickets 2,500 yen advance.

Super cute immersive exhibition: "Miniature Bakery World Exhibition 2026" opens 3–20 July at Machida Modi in Tokyo. Hyperrealistic bread and sweets miniatures from popular creators, with limited merchandise, and photo-permitted exhibition spaces.

Hara Yasusaburo Collection: Hiroshige × Hokusai opens 25 July at Tokushima Museum of Modern Art. Features scenic print series including Hiroshige's "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido" and Hokusai's "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" through 23 September. art.bunmori.tokushima.jp

Kumamoto Tanabata Lantern Festival 2026 opens 15–16 August at Kumamoto Prefecture Agricultural Park. Approximately 3,000 sky lanterns light the night sky, with scheduled release at 20:00. kumamoto-lantern-fes.com

As July approaches, Japan enters the Tanabata celebration period. Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival (3–5 July) is among Japan's most lavish Tanabata celebrations. This main summer festival, observed nationwide through August, features bamboo decorations and written wishes on colourful paper strips.

We present our Song of the Week! #HeyJapanSOTW Hanawa - Saitamakennouta Apple Music: music.apple.com/song/saitama... Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/2GftSk... Our weekly pick, personal taste, no charts involved. Spotlighting Japanese artists across every genre, so there's something for everyone.

Tokyo Outdoor Show 2026 opens 26–28 June at Makuhari Messe. Japan's premier outdoor culture exhibition features gear, vehicles, brands, and interactive experiences celebrating outdoor lifestyles and environmental consciousness.

Furigana Japanese Atlas (ふりがな日本地図帳) makes reading tricky place names easy. All Japanese locations come with reading guides.

Kansai debut: GODZILLA STATION pop-up shop at Ekimaru A La Mode JR Kyoto Station West Exit, 26 June–5 July. Official Godzilla merchandise.

For all Osamu Tezuka fans – limited time: Art merchandise maker Kenelephant opens an Osamu Tezuka Characters Shop at Ueno Marui, 5F Calendarium, Taito Ward, Tokyo, from 28 August to 6 September. Soft vinyl figures and character merchandise.

Tanabata at Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine, July 4–7. Visitors can paint traditional umbrellas, write wishes, and walk a luminous pathway of 110 Japanese umbrellas and 25,000 LED lights. Free admission. Saitama City. saitamachuo-hikawa.com

Nagano Tsuyoshi: Original paintings and woodblock prints exhibition celebrating the acclaimed illustrator famous for Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition game artwork. Osaka (July 10–12) and Tokyo (July 24 – August 2, 2026). Free admission. Seven new works on regional debut.