To coincide with the Detective Conan movie coming this April, Fallen Angel of the Highway, Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is hosting a Conan-themed event. This year, visitors can enter Conan’s world by taking part in an exclusive, high-stakes escape room game.

The game, titled “Detective Conan: The Escape - Prologue to the Highway” is joined by a special restaurant experience, where guests must solve a mystery while dining. The Detective Conan event is part of USJ Cool Japan 2026 line-up, which highlights popular Japanese franchises. This year includes special themed events from the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen and Monster Hunter.

HARRY POTTER and all related characters and elements (C) & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights (C) J.K. Rowling. / MINIONS TM & (C) 2025 Universal Studios. / (C) Nintendo / TM & © Universal Studios & Amblin Entertainment / 書・紫舟 / 原作／青山剛昌｢名探偵コナン｣(小学館｢週刊少年サンデー｣連載中) / (C) 2026 青山剛昌／名探偵コナン製作委員会 / (C) SCRAP All Rights Reserved. / Universal elements and all related indicia TM & (C) 2025 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

Keen adventurers visiting Nijigen no Mori’s Godzilla adventure park will be spoiled for choice thanks to a range of exclusive, new attractions.

The Godzilla theater shows its namesake alongside an original storyline, viewable only at Nijigen no Mori. Elsewhere, thrill-seekers can zoom down the zipline courses, including one that takes high-fliers right into the beast’s mouth.

Target-hitters and target non-hitters(!) alike shoot towards a Godzilla-themed target at its newly-revamped shooting range, while general-knowledge buffs will enjoy the Godzilla Museum and studio tour, alongside a mystery-solving game. For those whom one day just isn’t enough, treat yourself and the family to a stay at the Godzilla-themed hotel.

To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the Toei Kyoto Studio Park is not only changing its name to Uzumasa Kyoto Village, but it’s completely renewing the entire site. The studio set theme park is shifting its focus to appeal to visitors in their 20s and 30s.

Its renewal sees it position itself as the ultimate destination to immerse yourself in the Edo period, with family, friends and/or lovers. The whole area is designed like an Edo-period town, with guests encouraged to experience traditional Japanese attractions, foods and shows while donning kimono. From tea ceremony to noh theater: you want it, you got it! Post-renewal, the complex will extend its opening times until 9 PM.

If you visit just one Kyoto temple for Hina Matsuri, make it the lesser-known Hokyo-ji. Its hina dolls are so highly regarded that it’s also known as the Doll Temple by locals. Hina matsuri is Girls Day, a time in Japan where families and businesses celebrate the health and prosperity of girls all over. It’s celebrated by displaying ornate dolls, and eating foods such as hina arare.

Hokyo-ji shows its collection of elaborate dolls to the public in an open exhibition twice a year. During the springtime viewing, punters are treated to Hina dolls for girls festival, and a traditional dance to open the event.

Visitors to Shimogamo Shrine on March 3 will be treated to its annual Nagashi-bina festival. The festival, also known as the Doll Floating Festival, takes hina dolls and transfers bad luck onto them. These dolls are then placed into straw baskets by people dressed in Heian period costumes, and set afloat, to drift down Mitarashi River.

This ritual is observed to pray for the health and fortune of children and for good health, and has taken place for hundreds of years. Mitarashi River is particularly special for the shrine, as it’s said that the goddess of purification, Seoritsuhime-no-Mikoto, controls the water.

Matcha and plum blossoms take center stage at this event in Zuishin-In’s famous Plum Garden. Zuishin-In is one of Kyoto’s most famed temples, and its annual plum blossom viewing event — who cares about cherry blossoms anyway — is a fantastic way to experience some of Japan’s iconic flowering trees in March.

The temple invites food and drink vendors, with murmurings of matcha and traditional Japanese wagashi sweets to be had. The garden isn’t normally open to the public, so this makes for an ideal Kyoto-style experience.

The Yamato Koriyama Castle Festival has been held every year in some iteration since 1961. It began when the then-chairman of the town’s tourism association discovered gravestones and stone Buddhas surrounding the castle’s keep, and started an annual memorial service.

It grew from there, and the festival, held at one of the most scenic cherry-blossom viewing sights in Japan, has become an important yearly tradition for the town and surrounding areas. Aspects of the festival include: a goldfish contest, where locals bring their goldfish to show them off; a White Fox Parade, which sees children of the town run around with White Fox masks; and a prayer ceremony for missing spirits.

The most famous motor race of the year is back at Suzuka Circuit, and during cherry blossom season, no less. Suzuka Circuit is known among F1 fans as one of the most iconic in the world, thanks to its figure-of-eight shape and S-curves, making even normal races here exciting. Add a Formula 1 decider and you have an extra-special event.

2026 sees the Suzuka leg happen early in the year, meaning that audiences can get a feel for the year to come. This year also marks the first that the newly-approved Cadillac competes, spontaneously becoming the debut of an 11-team F1 race.

Roll up, roll up, for the Osaka Grand Sumo Tournament happens annually in March. The Grand Sumo tournaments decide the overall sumo ranking for the year to come, so it’s all to wrestle for. There is no atmosphere quite like the sumo ring, where its fighters play out their games of the day. It’s highly ritualistic, and each small part of the ceremony has its own specific meaning.

Tickets for the Grand Sumo go on sale approximately 1.5 months in advance. Tickets may have sold out, but you can still watch it on TV, or grab tickets to watch an intimate sumo training session at their official training ground, known as a “stable.”

This is your last chance to eneter the world of Viennese painter, Gustav Klimt. Step into his paintings, move through the phases of his works as though you’re inside his mind. Best known for his painting, The Kiss, this hugely influential artist is someone that we’ve all learned about in school — but predominantly as a historical figure from times gone past.

This exhibition brings Klimt to life, through immersive, moving projections, haptic flooring that changes the way we sense our surroundings, and sound. A worldwide hit show, run by Grande Experiences, seeing “Klimt Alive” in Japan enables you to feel how the Japanese appreciate art — you’ll be in one of the calmest exhibition halls ever.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the new park on Port of Kobe, Australian artists, Atelier Sisu, will create a fantastic floating artwork, in the bay which surrounds the pier by 270 degrees. The artwork, under the event name Bubblumi, combines bubbles and illumination.

The artists will create bubble-like structures that float on the bay, turning the water into a surreal, giant bubble bath during the afternoon, and a magical bubble world when the structures are illuminated at night. The works will be split into two pieces: “Evanescent Droplets” on the water, and the giant, 9.8M “Colossal.” Atelier Sisu has won awards for similar pieces across the world.

Osaka Castle’s famed plum blossom grove shines during February, with its plum blossoms a fair rival to popular cherry blossoms, in a sea of pinks and white.

The grove is home to 1,245 plum blossom trees in 105 varieties, across an expansive 1.7 hectares. The wide range of the blooms means that the plum blossom season is long, and rich with different colors and shades. Nearly 1000 trees typically bloom around Valentines Day on February 14, followed by later-blooming varieties toward the end of the month. You won’t go wrong getting your Japan flower fix with these plum blossoms!

Enjoy art installations and performances in the majestic setting of Kyoto’s legendary Kitano Tanmangu Shrine. Kyoto Nippon Festival reaches its tenth year of action, and to celebrate, the festival is pulling out all the stops.

It’s invited EiM (Eternity in Moment) creative team, whose previous show at Tokyo Node drew rave reviews and comparisons to teamLab. The team joins Mika Ninagawa, whose brightly colored flower studies will light up the temple spaces, including its three gardens, which will dazzle with 1000 crystals.

Nijo Castle’s famed cherry blossom festival, which celebrates its 300 cherry blossom trees lighting up its grounds in wistful pink tones, returns for 2026. This time, it enlisted the help of creative group, Symunity. The group presents an immersive Sakura Nights program that involves projection mapping and a theater experience.

In addition to the 50 types of cherry trees, nighttime visitors can enjoy a theater show directed by Japan Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Junichi Yasuda. The show is set within the grounds of Nijo Castle, and harnesses the powers of projection mapping, live action by actors, surround sound and special lighting.