The Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950, with only six statues made by local high school students. Against all expectations, that first event attracted 50,000 attendees. In 1974, the festival implemented its now-famous International Snow Sculpture Contest, which features intricate ice sculptures carved by teams both local and international, lit up at night with Japan’s signature winter illuminations. The Sapporo Snow Festival has grown into an important cultural pillar representative of Japanese winter, held in early February each year.

Dedicated to Yasaka Shrine in the town of Ushitsu on Ishikawa Prefecture's Noto Peninsula, the Abare (literally, "rampage") Matsuri is held on the first Friday to Saturday of July each year. The main event on the first day is the burning of a large log pillar at the pier. Giant festival lanterns are paraded through town before being placed around the fire, where men dance to the beat of taiko drums as the blaze rises. The next day, portable shrines are hurled into the ocean, before being reclaimed and tossed into a bonfire. Why? Because the deity of Yasaka Shrine, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, is a god of storms and destruction.

Arguably the greatest of northeastern Japan’s Three Great Festivals, the Nebuta Festival, held in Aomori City, is unlike any other, and draws some 3 million attendees annually. The festival involves a parade of large, intricately constructed lantern floats known as nebuta, which are decorated with (often creepy!) human figures and accompanied by dancers and music in early August. The final night of celebration features a boat parade, as well as a large fireworks show.