To coincide with the upcoming Detective Conan movie, Fallen Angel of the Highway, Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is hosting a special limited event. This year, visitors will be able to 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.

For three days only, visitors to the Naruto & Boruto at Nijigen no Mori will be able to celebrate the new year by mixing traditional Japanese customs with their favorite anime characters. At the start of the day, Naruto will be on hand to wish everyone a “Happy New Year,” and take pictures.

After the greeting, mochimaki (mochi throwing) will take place, with punters able to catch the mochi being thrown and take it home, rounded off with a game tournament, where children can battle Naruto in a game of rock, paper, scissors. From 6 PM, the park will be lit up with lanterns, so game players can complete challenges in a winter wonderland.

Ring in the new year with the Kochira no Family park mascots, who will greet guests in traditional Japanese new year kimonos. They’ll be on hand to take pictures and instil excitement for the upcoming year.

Children can start 2026 in a practical way — by learning to “drive,” in Kochira’s Driving School, an attraction that even supplies youngsters with a “licence” when they’ve completed the circuit. There will be special new year lucky bags, exclusive 2025/2026 merch, and the continuation of the Winter food menu.

Yasaka Shrine is a great spot for anyone looking to celebrate new year’s the Japanese way (hatsumode). Every year, starting when the clock strikes midnight on January 1, visitors can pray for a good year ahead, purchase fortunes and return old ones from the previous year.

Visitors to Yasaka Shrine should be prepared to queue, as this grand shrine is one of the most popular in the area. While waiting to pray, one can soak up the festive atmosphere and even pop out to sample food from one of the stalls set up near the shrine grounds.

Just when you thought that the Osakan New Year festivities were over, it’s time for Ebessan, a traditional three-day festival to pray for prosperity for the coming year. The custom takes place at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, where the deity of Ebisu, the god of fortune is enshrined, alongside four others.

On the second day, the festival features a procession with hundreds of participants, as well as 46 women, known as “fukumusume.” The fukumusume wear distinctive costumes and hand out lucky bamboo shoots for people to wave.

Beat the typical Kyoto crowds with a trip to Miyama, a small town 30 km away from Kyoto City. Thanks to its incredibly preserved gassho thatched roofs, it is consistently voted one of the most beautiful villages in Japan by Japanese locals.

In contrast to other famed thatched-roof areas, such as Shirakawa-go and Takayama, the Miyama houses are still lived in by residents. Its yearly lantern festival attracts visitors from far and wide, who come to revel in the fairytale scenes. This year, the festival has changed its name from “Snow Lantern Festival” to “Winter Lantern Festival” (Fuyutoro).

Osaka Women’s Marathon is one of the biggest marathon events of the year, with strict entry requirements for competitors. Winners of the marathon will be able to represent Japan for the Olympics and future running events. Many people line the route to cheer on the country’s best female runners.

The course takes in the scenic sights of Osaka, starting and finishing at the Yanmar Stadium Nagai, passing Osaka Castle along the way. The course’s inner-city location means that spectators can sample the best of Osakan food while watching the runner do their thing.

Enter 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.

“The 118th Nitten-Kyoto Exhibition” displays around 500 artworks across the five Nitten categories. Here, the touring exhibition’s core artworks are joined by artists from Kyoto and Shiga, united under umbrellas of nihonga (Japanese-style painting), Western painting, sculpture, crafts, and calligraphy.
Nitten is one of the largest, longest-running art exhibitions in Japan. Formed in 1907, it has become one of the most esteemed establishments in the Japanese fine arts scene. Its 118th exhibition will feature artists including textile artist Keijin Ihaya and calligraphy artist Magami Gidou.

Heian Jingu is going all-out for its 130th anniversary celebrations, collaborating with award-winning creative company, Naked Inc. Visitors to the shrine will be able to enjoy all manner of lights under the theme of “prayer,” making for an extra-special evening lightup event.

The shrine’s gates will be lit up in red and purple, and visitors will be invited to take their own lanterns — in one of four colors — along for the stroll. Heain Jingu’s famed gardens will host some of the most impressive light displays, with projection mapping on its lake and smoke across the water.

Until February 1, the grounds of Osaka Castle are transformed into a winter wonderland, with special collaboration with Illuminage, a lighting company. Visitors will be able to enjoy brightly-illuminated walkways, special “Osaka-style” photospots, and even a pet zone, where your pet becomes the star of the show.

The lighting is based around the story of Shogun Toyotomi, whose dream was to unite Japan, and bring about everlasting peace. He was unsuccessful in achieving his dream, and the illuminations are designed to pay tribute to this.

Immutable city-wide illumination event, Kobe Luminarie, reaches its 31st edition in 2026. The event commemorates the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake) of 1995, when 80% of buildings in its worst-hit area were fully or partially destroyed, and 5,000 people died.

The long-running event has also evolved into a celebration of Kobe and its city, with many local businesses and shops offering discounts, and teaming up to hold stamp rallies. This year sees light installations and mapping across three main areas in the park, under the theme of “Kobe’s Heartbeat, Its Tale of Light.”