Every year on the third weekend of October, central Aichi turns into one big stage. In Nagoya, the city's signature autumn event, Nagoya Matsuri, fills Sakae and Hisaya-odori Park with warlords on horseback, centuries-old mechanical floats and street food. About 50 minutes east by train, the car city of Toyota holds its own traditional shrine festival, Koromo Matsuri, where neighbourhood dashi floats are hauled through the streets around Koromo Shrine. In 2026 both fall on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, which makes for an easy two-day trip from Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto.
This guide covers what to see at each festival, how to fit in Nagoya's classic sights, and practical tips for getting around.
Nagoya Matsuri: the parade of the Three Unifiers
Nagoya Matsuri began in 1955 and has grown into one of the largest civic festivals in the Chubu region. Its centrepiece is the Heroes' Procession (Kyodo Eiketsu Gyoretsu), a costumed parade led by the three warlords who unified Japan in the 16th century — Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. All three came from the Owari and Mikawa provinces that make up today's Aichi, so locals treat them as hometown heroes. Hundreds of participants in armour, court robes and kimono follow them, including the women of each warlord's household, and the procession moves through the Sakae and city-centre streets.
Beyond the parade, look out for:
- Dashi-zoroi (float gathering) — several of Nagoya's historic festival floats, some carrying karakuri mechanical puppets, are brought together in one place. The puppet performances on top of the floats are short, so check the timetable and arrive early to get a view.
- Hisaya-odori Park stages — dance teams, taiko and local music fill the park, while food stalls sell Nagoya specialities.
- Community floats and marching bands — schools and neighbourhood groups join the parades, giving the event a friendly, local atmosphere.
The main festival zone sits around Hisaya-odori Park and the Sakae district, close to Nagoya Castle. Exact parade routes and times are announced by the organisers each year, so check the official schedule a week or two before you go.
Access: Sakae Station (Higashiyama and Meijo lines) or Hisaya-odori Station (Meijo and Sakura-dori lines). Roads along the parade route close to traffic, so use the subway.
Koromo Matsuri in Toyota
Before it became famous for cars, Toyota was a castle town called Koromo. Koromo Matsuri is the autumn grand festival of Koromo Shrine, and its highlight is the procession of dashi floats from the old neighbourhoods of the town. Teams in matching happi coats pull the tall wooden floats through narrow streets, musicians play flutes and drums on board, and the floats gather around the shrine. As evening falls, lanterns light up the floats and the mood becomes especially atmospheric — if you can only pick one time slot, go late afternoon and stay until dark.
Access: Meitetsu Toyotashi Station, about a 15-minute walk to Koromo Shrine. From central Nagoya, take the Tsurumai subway line, which runs through onto the Meitetsu Toyota Line — around 50 minutes in total without changing trains.
Suggested two-day itinerary
Day 1 (Saturday 17 October)
- Morning: Nagoya Castle. The main keep's interior has been closed for a planned wooden reconstruction, but the grounds, the stone walls, the golden shachihoko views and the beautifully restored Hommaru Palace are well worth the visit.
- Afternoon: walk 15 minutes to Hisaya-odori Park for Nagoya Matsuri stages, floats and food stalls.
- Evening: take the Tsurumai Line out to Toyota for the lantern-lit floats of Koromo Matsuri, then return to Nagoya for dinner.
Day 2 (Sunday 18 October)
- Morning: Atsuta Jingu, one of Japan's most important Shinto shrines, said to enshrine the sacred sword Kusanagi. Its forested grounds are calm even on a festival weekend. Try a bowl of kishimen (flat noodles) at the shrine.
- Midday: back in Sakae for the Heroes' Procession — find your spot along the route at least 30 minutes ahead.
- Late afternoon: Osu Kannon temple and the covered arcades of Osu Shopping Street for vintage shops, anime goods and snacks.
What to eat
Nagoya has one of Japan's most distinctive food cultures, often called Nagoya-meshi. Festival weekend is a good excuse to try several:
- Miso katsu — pork cutlet in rich red miso sauce.
- Hitsumabushi — grilled eel over rice, eaten three different ways.
- Tebasaki — peppery fried chicken wings, perfect with a beer.
- Kishimen — wide, flat udon noodles, a speciality around Atsuta.
- Ogura toast — red-bean toast, a classic morning-set breakfast at Nagoya cafés.
Practical tips
- Weather: mid-October in Nagoya is usually mild, around 18–24°C during the day, but evenings cool down quickly. Bring a light jacket for night viewing in Toyota.
- Crowds: the Heroes' Procession draws large crowds. Classic sightseeing (the castle, Atsuta) is best done early in the morning.
- Transport passes: the Nagoya subway one-day pass, or the weekend Donichi Eco Kippu, can save money if you're making several trips around the city. The ride to Toyota on the Meitetsu section is charged separately.
- Where to stay: Nagoya Station or Sakae are the most convenient bases — both have plenty of hotels and direct subway access to the festival zone.
- Rain: parts of the programme may be scaled back or cancelled in bad weather. Check the organisers' announcements on the morning.
- Etiquette: don't step in front of moving floats or touch them without permission, and keep tripods out of crowded viewing areas.
Below this guide you'll find the places mentioned above with their upcoming events on MatsuriMap, so you can check what else is happening during your visit.
Image: Nagoya Festival participants in kimono by Petr Vodička, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
