August is the hottest time of the year, not just in Osaka, but across all of Japan. However, despite the stifling heat, there’s still plenty of fun to be had during those hot summer nights.
So, today, join us as we run down the top ten things to see and do in and around Osaka during the month of August.
Table of Contents
Beer Gardens, Various Locations in Umeda, Namba and Shinsaibashi. Late June until Early September
As I mentioned previously, the weather in Osaka throughout August is often uncomfortably hot, and occasionally humid. So, what better way to cool down than with a cold beer, and some good food?
Various department stores and hotel buildings have rooftop gardens, open during the summer months. For a fee of between 4000-6000yen, depending on the venue, you can enjoy unlimited food and drink for 2 or 3 hours. Beer gardens usually open around 5 or 6pm and run until about 9pm. Advance booking is highly recommended, particularly if you’re going as a large group. These venues often fill up fast. Also, be prepared to pour your own beers, using the convenient automatic dispensing machines. As always, please drink responsibly.
Yodogawa Fireworks Festival, Yodogawa Riverside, The First Saturday of August
Firework displays are a staple of most of Japan’s summer festivals. Indeed, it’s not unusual to see them at Japanese festivals throughout the entirety of the year. However, for Osaka and its millions of residents, there is no bigger annual firework show than the Yodogawa Fireworks Festival. Indeed, the Yodogawa Festival ranks amongst the top ten displays in all of Japan. The festival started as a relatively small scale event in 1989. However, over the years it the August Yodogawa Fireworks Festival has continued to grow exponentially in popularity. The latest statistics show that over 500,000 people now attend the event annually. General admission is free. However, as one would expect, the best viewing spots are available for purchase for a premium. Prices for standing seats start at 2500 yen. If you want to really push the boat out for this riverside show (pun fully intended), then you can buy a seat that includes a boxed meal and cold drinks for 7500 yen.
As you will no doubt appreciate, the chilled beverages are especially welcome in the August heat.
Nara Tokae Lantern Festival, Across Nara City, August 5th to 14th
We jump over to Nara City for our next entry today. In switching out the fireworks, this August festival makes use of another staple of Japanese summer festive culture, lanterns. The Nara Tokae Lantern Festival runs concurrently as part of a range of similar events around Nara City. Popular tourist sites such as Todaiji Shrine and Kasuga Shrine host aspects of the festival. Nara Park plays an important role too. Attending the festival is free. However, if you want to be an active participant in the events, then for the nominal fee of 500 yen you can light your own lantern and place it as part of the display. The name “Tokae” refers to a Japanese word meaning “illuminated flowers”. This is in reference to the flower-like patterns the candles within the lanterns form as the wick burns down over time.
This is definitely a more serene experience than the hustle and bustle of the Yodogawa Fireworks. Nevertheless, the Nara Tokae Festival maintains an integral role in the Kansai region’s August event calendar.
Nara Daimonji Okuribi, Nara City, August 15th
We live in chaotic times. As such, any event that serves to promote peace and honor those taken too soon by war is something this writer can definitely get behind. This brings me to our next August event, the Nara Daimonji Okuribi. A combination of Shinto and Buddhist rites are performed to honor those killed in war and to pray for a peaceful future. The event then culminates with the creation of one of Nara’s most iconic images. 108 different fires arranged upon Mt. Takamodo, overlooking Nara City are simultaneously lit. Together, these 108 separate fires form one huge image, the kanji character “大“. Whilst this kanji most commonly means big, or great in stature, it can also mean the concept of the universe. In other words, it is a simple and direct plea to the Gods for a universal and enduring global peace.
For visitors, it also makes for an utterly spectacular sight, and one that is visible from almost anywhere in Nara City.
Summer Sonic Osaka, Expo ’70 Memorial Park, August 17th and 18th
Nothing says “summer” quite like a music festival. In Japan, they don’t come much bigger than Summer Sonic. This festival is so large, and encompasses such a variety of musical acts, it needs two huge venues to contain it!
Summer Sonic is split between Osaka’s Expo ’70 Memorial Park, in Suita City and Makuhari Messe, in Chiba Prefecture, just outside Tokyo.
Like most large scale summer music festivals, the exact line up of bands and artists is different each year. Indeed, sometimes the final line-up isn’t confirmed until just a matter of days before the event. In previous years, the likes of Radiohead, Green Day and Oasis have all made appearances. You can read more about the history and make-up of Summer Sonic here.
Senshu Fireworks Festival and Drone Show, Sennan Long Park, August 24th
We’ve already talked about Osaka’s biggest fireworks show in the Yodogawa Festival. However, if you’re looking for perhaps the most cutting-edge, exclusive experience, then The Senshu Fireworks Festival and Drone Show may be what you’re looking for. This event, held at Sennan Long Park, about 20 minutes away from Kansai International Airport, is an all-ticket affair. And those tickets can get mightily expensive. The basic ticket for entry to the venue is 3,900 yen. However, executive seating, with sofas and other hospitality elements comes in at over 200,000 yen.
It may seem pricey, but this remains one of Osaka Prefecture’s most popular summer events. The recent addition of the drone show, which actually made national news when it debuted last year, has really helped the Senshu Fireworks Festival set itself apart from its larger, less expensive older brother over in Yodogawa Ward.
Lake Biwa Fireworks Festival, Shiga, August 8th
OK, we might be pushing our luck by including another fireworks show. However, if you make the trip out to Shiga for this one, you’ll soon see why we did. Lake Biwa is one of the most beautiful, tranquil lakeside settings in all of Japan. It’s hard to believe its less than an hour away from bustling tourist traps like Osaka and Kyoto. Yet, for one night in early August each year, this palatial paradise goes “a bit mental” as we like to say in Scotland.
Tens of thousands of visitors descend on the area to enjoy the fireworks, dispatched to huge fanfare from several boats on Lake Biwa itself. If you been to any of the other previously mentioned waterfront fireworks shows listed here then you’ll soon get the picture. However, it is probably the vast, open space that Biwa affords to its visitors that makes this particular festival a unique attraction. Also, on such hot August nights, there’s a lot to be said for that calm, cooling breeze that comes in from Lake Biwa as fireworks explode all around.
Gangara Fire Festival, Ikeda City, August 24th
From the modernity of drone shows and comfy seats, we now turn to something a bit more traditional. The Gangara Fire Festival, the pride of Ikeda City, dates back as far as 1644. As far as traditional August festivals in the Osaka area go, this is one of the more “full-on experiences.” Like the aforementioned Nara Daimonji Festival, the centerpiece of this festival is the lighting of a giant “大“ kanji character on a nearby mountainside. In this case, its Mt. Satsuki, which overlooks Ikeda City.
However, that’s not all this boisterous yet good-hearted festival has to offer. There’s a torchlight parade through the city center that makes the Olympic Flame procession look like a Sunday school picnic by comparison. Two massive torches, measuring around 4 meters high and weighing in at around 100 kgs each run through the city ahead of the mountainside being set alight.
Be warned though, these huge flames mean that standing along the streets to watch them can make for quite a “heated” experience, literally!
Tenjin Tenma Awa Odori, Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade, Late August
Originally from Tokushima Prefecture, the Awa Odori is a nationally renowned summer dance festival. In recent years, several “satellite events” have emerged in the surrounding prefectures as this festival continues to grow in popularity. Of these additional venues, perhaps the most famous is the Tenjin Tenma Awa Odori. For two days in late August each year, a number of musical and dance perfromances take place along the length and breadth of Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade. This is the longest single, continuous shopping area in all of Osaka City. So, there’s no shortage of things to see and do during the festival. For foreign visitors, The Tenjin Tenma Awa Odori also offers up a great opportunity to collect some unique souvenirs. Several local vendors offer special items available only during the festival weekend.
Entry to the festival is free, and access is pretty easy too.
From Osaka Station, take the JR Osaka Loop Line for 7 minutes to Tenma Station. The festival is only a 4 minute walk away.
Kyoto Gozan No Okuribi, All around Kyoto, August 16th
We’ve covered a few different fire festivals here today, so it seems only fair and appropriate that we close out today’s list with the granddaddy of them all. Our previous festivals in Nara and Ikeda featured one solitary kanji burning on a nearby mountain. However, Kyoto Gozan no Okuribi features not one, but 6 different mountain fire displays.
In addition to two versions of the previously discussed “大” kanji, there are also two depictions of the kanji 妙法. Loosely translated, this means Wonderous Dharma, a Buddhist ideal of finding self-empowerment and inner-peace. Then we also have a depiction of a boat in another fire display, reflecting the importance of waterways in Kyoto’s historical prosperity. Finally, we have the Toriigata, which as you’ve probably guessed, is in the shape of a giant torii gate, similar to those we see at shrines across Japan.
Given the wide scope of this event, you can probably catch a glimpse of at least one of the displays wherever you are in Kyoto. However, the city center, around Gion is where most of the accompanying festivities take place. Be forewarned though, as Kansai’s premier summer event, this gets very, very busy. So, prepare accordingly. I’d also advise bringing your own drinks with you. Not only is it very hot, but you should also expect long queues at most drink vendors.
That being said, the Kyoto Gozan no Okuribi is definitely one of those things that everyone who has the chance to should see at least once in their life. There truly is nothing else like it, in Japan or beyond.
Final Thoughts
August is one of the best times to visit Osaka and its surrounding areas. With the summer holidays comes a general party atmosphere for much of the month. Of course, this also means hotels will be a bit pricier than usual, and getting reservations at your eatery of choice may be a bit trickier than usual. However, what we’ve given you today is merely a small flavor of the events on offer. There truly is something for everyone in Osaka, in August. Just make sure you don’t forget your sunscreen!
