Things to Do in Kyoto in August 2025

What’s a summer in Kyoto without fireworks and flea market bargaining? With some art exhibitions thrown into the mix, Kyoto’s event calendar this August is chock-full of activities that will keep you happily busy. Without any further ado, let’s get to exploring all the excitement that Kyoto has to offer this coming month.

Gozan no Okuribi

If you have time to attend just one event this month, the Gozan no Okuribi is easily the pick of the month. Also called the Daimonji Fire Festival, this event marks the sending off of the spirits of ancestors that were welcomed during the Obon period (early August). The bonfires in the shapes of kanji characters are set ablaze at five different locations and can be viewed from vantage points at the center of town—Nakagyo Ward—or closer to the locations themselves. The more adventurous can try cruise ships on the Kamo River, or rooftop restaurants for better views and photographs. Unmissable if you want to truly feel the festive and traditional spirit of Kyoto.

Date: August 16, 2025

Timing: 20:00 – 21:30

Location: Various locations

Fee: Free

Nijo Castle NAKED Summer Festival

This summer, the imperial Nijo Castle is hosting a multi-sensory experience—replete with lights, sounds, and scents—curated by Tokyo-based art collective NAKED that will floor you. For those looking for a peek into Kyoto’s summer “Noryo” culture, this event is a must-see. Projection mappings, illuminations, lantern displays, traditional candle-scooping and shooting games, and food stalls organized around the impressive castle grounds bring the festive spirit to one of Kyoto’s most wondrous UNESCO heritage sites. The summer edition hosts a lantern-making workshop if you are looking to take home a handcrafted souvenir, and Kyoto’s special “omikuji” paper flowers will also be available. Reserve early for discounted ticket prices and assured spots!

Date: July 25, 2025 – August 24, 2025

Timing: 18:30 – 22:00

Location: Nijo Castle, Kyoto

Website: https://event.naked.works/nijojo/summer/en/

Fee: 300 – 2,200 yen

Tanabata Sky Lantern Festival

As the legend goes, Hikoboshi the cowherd and Orihime the weaver had eyes only for each other. But, of course, Orihime’s father was not pleased and banished Hikoboshi to the end of the Milky Way. After much sulking on her part, Orihime’s father relented and allowed the duo to meet one day every year (7/7). In traditional Kyoto, the celebrations continue in August, the seventh month of the lunar calendar. One special event worth mentioning is the Tanabata Sky Lantern Festival. Orange, glowing sky lanterns are set afloat, and the night sky is a grand sight to behold. Enjoy the street food, play some traditional games, and make your wishes with some tanzaku at Kifune Shrine or Kodaiji Temple to complete your Tanabata celebrations. And don’t leave your cameras behind!

Date: August 8 – 17, 2025

Location: Kizugawa Sports Park

Fee: 2,500 yen upwards (free for toddlers aged 0-5)

Website (For Tickets): https://www.kkday.com/en-au/product/184285?cid=15153

Kameoka Hozugawa Fireworks

It’s not a Japanese summer if there are no fireworks, is it? Part of the city’s Peace Festival, this grand, colorful fireworks display is worth going to for its sheer grandeur, with over 13,000 fireworks expected to go off this year and illuminate the night sky of Kameoka city along the Hozugawa River. The rainbow-roofed yatai (mobile food carts) that glow in the night serve up some delicious Japanese snacks to keep the hunger bugs away! Tickets for stadium seating need to be purchased in advance, either online or at Lawson or Ministop konbinis (convenience stores). The organizers have also tied up with local hotels so visitors can enjoy the accommodation and Kyoto’s famed hospitality.

Date: August 11, 2025

Timing: 19:30 – 20:15

Location: Oigawa Ryokuchi Higashi Park

Website: https://www.kameoka-hanabi.com/

Fee: Free; 3,300 – 180,000 yen for special luxury seats

Miyazu Toro Nagashi Fireworks

Close on the heels of the Kameoka Fireworks Festival is another fun festival hosted in the picturesque Amanohashidate area of Miyazu City. According to Japanese folklore, the spirits of the ancestors visit during Obon. As part of the traditional Obon celebrations, handcrafted seireisen boats and lanterns are set afloat in the Miyazu Bay to bid farewell to the ancestral spirits as over 3,000 fireworks are simultaneously set off. The glow of the red and white lanterns and the sparkle of the fireworks add a sacred charm to the evening as the cool evening breeze sets in at this port city. To top it all off, a Bon Odori dance performance closes out the evening, so remember to bring your cameras along. If you want to immerse yourself in Japanese tradition on a Saturday evening, this event is right up there on the list this August.

Date: August 16, 2025

Timing: 18:30 – 21:30

Location: Shimazaki Park

Website: https://miyazu-cci.or.jp/hanabi

Sento Kuyo Memorial

Atop a hill in northwest Kyoto and close to the Arashiyama Grove sits the Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple. Home to over 8,000 abandoned Buddha statues, the Sento Kuyo Memorial, held every August, is a chance to offer a prayer to lost souls. Countless candles are lit as worshippers gather and pray for well-being through the rest of the year. The shadows of the flickering candles on the moss-covered statues, the priests chanting sutras, and the sheer faith of the assembled worshippers combine to make for an otherworldly scene. If you are in Arashiyama, try to stop by and put your hands together for your ancestors.

Date: August 30 – 31, 2025

Timing: 17:30 – 21:00

Location: Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple

Website: http://nenbutsuji.jp/

Kamishichiken Beer Garden

If you are in Kyoto hoping to spot a geisha or a maiko, the Kamishichiken Beer Garden festival may be for you. The Kamishichiken district in Kyoto opens its Kaburenjo theater to the public in the summer. Beer and Japanese snack sets are available for those looking to spend the evening with a cold beer and chat with a maiko. Pick up a Kaishichiken fan or a senshafuda (good luck charm) if you are looking to keep a souvenir to remember the evening. What better way to while away a summer evening than with drinks, good food, and good company?

Date: July 1, 2025 – September 6, 2025

Timing: 17:30 – 22:00

Location: Kamishichiken Kabukai

Website: maiko3.com

Fee: 2,500 yen upwards

Gojo Wakamiya Pottery Festival

If pottery is your hobby or obsession, look no further than the Gojo Wakamiya Pottery Festival this August. Started way back in the Taisho era, this event is one of Japan’s largest pottery fairs. Traditional shops with blue-and-white sets and up-and-coming pottery artists selling avant-garde mugs set up side-by-side, which means there’s no dearth of choice, whether your budget is 100 yen or 500,000. If you are looking to stock your china cabinet, or even if you just want to add some famed Kyo-yaki (literally Kyoto ceramicware) to your sprawling collection, this fair may be the place to get started.

Date: August 7 – 10, 2025

Timing: 10:00 – 22:00

Location: Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine

Website: https://toukimatsuri.com/home/

Fee: Free

Shimogamo Noryo Used Book Fair

Book lovers rejoice, as the Kyoto Used Book Fair is in town!! An annual event held at the Tadasunomori Forest adjacent to the Shimogamo Shrine, this fair is akin to a feast for Japanese book collectors. On display are over 500,000 Japanese books, including some vintage Japanese texts, hard-to-find manga books, and children’s picture books. A veritable treasure trove for book lovers. The serene precincts of the shrine and the cries of the cicadas form a memorable backdrop to this used book fair and make for a relaxed browsing and shopping experience. If you cherish books and can read Japanese, join in for the love of reading.

Date: August 11 – 16, 2025

Timing: 10:00 – 17:30 (till 16:00 on the last day)

Location: Shimogamo Jinja Shrine

Website: https://kyoto-koshoken.com/sokubaikai/

Fee: Free

Kobosan Ichi Flea Market

If you are an avid shopper, this flea market is a great place to shop for antiques, kimonos, yukata, tools, sculptures, ceramics, toys, plants, and other Japanese-origin bric-a-brac. There is no dearth of products to see, admire, bargain for, and buy. The Toji temple flea market is one of Kyoto’s largest flea markets and is held to commemorate the attainment of nirvana by Kokusai, lovingly referred to as “Kobo Daishi,” the presiding deity to whom the temple is dedicated. Typically bustling with both locals and expats, the market also lets you catch up with friends over Kyoto specialties like kakigori (shaved ice) and wagashi.

Date: August 21, 2025

Timing: 7:00 – 16:00

Location: To-ji Temple, Kyoto

Website: http://www.touji-ennichi.com/index.htm

Fee: Free

Tenjin-san Flea Market

Didn’t we tell you that Kyoto was the place for shopping for Japanalia? Shortly after Kobosan Ichi Flea Market follows the Tenjin-san Flea Market. Another of Kyoto’s large flea markets, this one is held to pay tribute to Tenjin-san, the patron saint of academic pursuits in Japan. So, don’t be surprised to see school kids rubbing the two bulls at the entrance to the shrine in search of intelligence and better grades. The hustle and bustle of the market adds a whole different vibe to the tranquil grounds of the Tenmangu shrine. Don’t miss the chance to shop for souvenirs for your trip home or try a few Kyoto specialty dishes at the flea market!

Date: August 25, 2025

Timing: 8:00 – 17:00

Location: Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

Website: kitanotenmangu.or.jp/

Fee: Free

European Master Paintings Exhibition

If you are a Western art buff, Kyoto has a special surprise for you this year! The Kyocera Museum of Art is holding a series of exhibitions this summer and fall to showcase the best of Japanese and Western art. Captivating artworks from the best collections of the San Diego Museum of Art and the National Museum of Western Art are on display. With works spanning six centuries, the exhibition is also impressive for showcasing a variety of themes ranging from everyday life landscapes to portraits of Spanish princes. Step in to be transported to old-world Europe right in the heart of Kyoto.

Date: June 25, 2025 – October 13, 2025 (Closed on Mondays)

Timing: 10:00 – 18:00 (last admission 17:30)

Location: Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto

Website: https://kyotocity-kyocera.museum/en/exhibition/20250625-20251013

Fee: 700 – 2,200 yen

Japanese Art at World’s Fairs

To celebrate the Kansai Expo, the Fukuda Art Museum and the Saga Arashiyama Museum of Art are co-hosting a retrospective of Japanese artists who displayed their artworks in previous Expos. With art being considered an indicator of cultural advancement, Japan has historically tried to showcase its art at these Expos (earlier called World Fairs). As early as the 1900 Expo in Paris, Japanese artists like Hokusai, Ohashi Suiseki, and Yokoyama Taikan took on the challenge and exhibited their art. An unmissable retrospective of daring Japanese artists—both contemporary and of yore!

Date: July 19, 2025 – September 28, 2025 (closed August 5 and August 26)

Timing: 10:00 – 17:00 (last entry 16:30)

Location: Fukuda Art Museum and Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture

Website: https://fukuda-art-museum.jp/en/exhibition/202503081571

Fee: 400 – 2,300 yen

Ceramics Exhibition at Kyoto National Museum

If you dig pottery and ceramics, you’re in luck. Showcasing porcelainware from all of East Asia with a special focus on Japanese ceramics, this exhibition by the Kyoto National Museum is a must-see to get a perspective on the techniques, materials used, and evolution of East Asian ceramics. The display is mind-blowing for its colors, patterns, and excellence in craftsmanship on display. And if you get there, do try the “Kyo” blend offered exclusively at the Cafe Maeda located within the museum precincts.

Date: July 15, 2025 – August 24, 2025 (Closed on Mondays)

Timing: 9:30 – 17:00 (9:30 – 20:00 on Fridays)

Location: Kyoto National Museum

Website: https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/exhibitions/collection/2025/07/?date=15#Theme6219-15

Fee: 300 – 700 yen

An Unforgettable August in Kyoto

As the summer draws to a close, Kyoto heaves a huge sigh of relief with a last gasp of festivals, fireworks, fairs and markets, and art exhibitions. August is also a good time to try out some summery yukatas or a cool kawadoko (riverside dining) experience. If you want to immerse yourself in the traditional spirit of Kyoto, there’s Gozan no Okuribi and the World Fair art exhibition. On the other hand, if you are feeling nostalgic about home, the flea markets and fairs are great places to hang out with other expats—after all, nothing beats retail therapy to drive the blues away. And when you are out and about, don’t forget to savor some Kyoto special sake and shaved ice at every chance that you get. Happy exploring!

Featured Photo Credit: Aphriell Art

Want to include some of these events in your Japan itinerary? Make sure to mention them to our team of travel experts, and they’ll take care of including them in a personalized trip plan with so many more wonderful activities for your dream vacation!

 

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