January 2027 Events in Fukuoka and Kyushu: 26 Festivals, Exhibitions and Discounts by Date and Area

26 events in January

January 2027 features 26 Fukuoka and Kyushu events: 10 festivals and rituals, 11 exhibitions and light shows, and 5 discounts and tickets.
Events include the Tamatori Festival at Hakozaki Shrine on January 3, Usokae and Onisube at Dazaifu Tenmangu on January 7, and Toka Ebisu on January 8–11.
"Mamoru Hosoda: Origins" opens at the Fukuoka City Museum of Art on January 22.

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January 2027 in Fukuoka and Kyushu is full of New Year events: the Tamatori Festival at Hakozaki Shrine on the 3rd, Usokae and Onisube at Dazaifu Tenmangu and Oniyo at Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine on the 7th, and Toka Ebisu on the 8th–11th. Exhibitions at 4 museums in Fukuoka Prefecture end on the 11th, and “Mamoru Hosoda: Origins” opens at the Fukuoka City Museum of Art on the 22nd. We list 26 items by date: 10 festivals and rituals, 11 exhibitions and light shows, and 5 discounts and tickets. Concerts and stage shows are on our pages (in Japanese) January concerts and live shows and January stage shows.

In short

New Year rituals: Jan 3 (Hakozaki Shrine), Jan 7 (Dazaifu Tenmangu and Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine), Jan 8–11 (Toka Ebisu).
Exhibitions: 4 Fukuoka museums end on Jan 11. The Hosoda exhibition runs Jan 22 to March 28.
Light shows: teamLab Fukuoka Castle ends Jan 11. Huis Ten Bosch runs to Feb 25, Mojiko to May 23, Sakuramachi Kumamoto rooftop garden to May 30.
Discounts: the Kitakyushu free ride pass and the JR Kyushu Huis Ten Bosch ticket end Jan 11. Canal City Hakata’s discount service runs to Feb 28.

Checked with official pages on October 25, 2026 (Japan time).

1. How to choose a January event in Fukuoka and Kyushu

New Year rituals: Tamatori Festival on the 3rd (from 13:00); Usokae at Dazaifu Tenmangu on the 7th (18:00) and Onisube (from 15:00 to the fire-walking at about 21:00); Oniyo at Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine in Kurume on the 7th (13:00 to after 23:00); Toka Ebisu on the 8th–11th.
Exhibitions: Himiko’s Mirror (Kyushu National Museum), “Beyond Conflict” (Fukuoka Asian Art Museum), the 1999 exhibition (Fukuoka City Museum) and the Kurume City Art Museum collection show all end on the 11th. The Hosoda exhibition (Fukuoka City Museum of Art) starts on the 22nd.
Night lights: teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins “Festival of Light” ends on the 11th. Huis Ten Bosch runs to Feb 25, Mojiko to May 23, and the Sakuramachi Kumamoto rooftop garden to May 30.
Discounts: the free ride pass for Kitakyushu residents and the JR Kyushu Huis Ten Bosch ticket end on the 11th. Canal City Hakata’s “show-and-save” service runs to Feb 28.

2. Festivals and rituals held on fixed days in January (10 items)

These are events you plan a day for. They are in date order, and the place column includes the area. The big shrine events cluster on the 3rd, the 7th and the 8th–11th.

Date	Event	Place	Fee / conditions
Jan 1–3	New Year shrine visits in Fukuoka (Japanese)	Fukuoka City, Dazaifu City Dazaifu Tenmangu, Hakozaki Shrine and 4 others	Dazaifu Tenmangu closes at 18:30 in winter. The Hakozaki Shrine car park is paid at New Year
Jan 1	First sunrise in Fukuoka, Kitakyushu and Itoshima (Japanese)	Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City, Itoshima City 7 spots	Parking and access for each spot are on that page
Jan 2	First sales and lucky bags in Fukuoka (Japanese)	Fukuoka City 11 department stores and station buildings	Last year most opened at 10:00 on Jan 2 (last year’s record; this year’s announcements are pending)
Jan 3	Tamatori Festival (Tamaseri) at Hakozaki Shrine (Japanese)	Fukuoka City, Higashi Ward Hakozaki Shrine	Tama-washing ceremony at 13:00, until about 14:30. Parking is banned on the roads around
Jan 7	Usokae ritual at Dazaifu Tenmangu (Japanese)	Dazaifu City Tenjin Hiroba	From 18:00. A wooden uso bird costs ¥2,000 (hatsuho offering)
Jan 7	Onisube ritual at Dazaifu Tenmangu (Japanese)	Dazaifu City Onisube-do and the streets nearby	From the 15:00 Tsuina ceremony, fire-walking at about 21:00. Watch from the grounds and the roadside
Jan 7	Oniyo at Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine (Japanese)	Kurume City Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine	13:00 to after 23:00. In 2026 paid seats cost ¥2,000
Jan 8–11	Toka Ebisu Shrine New Year festival (Japanese)	Fukuoka City, Hakata Ward Toka Ebisu Shrine	Lottery ticket ¥3,000 (2026). No parking at the shrine
Jan 10	Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon (Japanese)	Kagoshima Ibusuki City	Starts at 9:00. Full marathon ¥11,000 (entries closed on Oct 18, 2026, first come first served)
Jan 10, 11	Coming-of-age ceremonies in Kyushu (Japanese)	Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima city venues	Fukuoka City Jan 11 at 14:00, Kitakyushu Jan 10 at 11:00, Kumamoto Jan 11 at 11:00, Nagasaki Jan 10 at 15:00, Kagoshima Jan 10 at 11:00

If you go by car, besides the venue’s official parking information you can look for a car park nearby. Find a car park with Toku-P (Tokupi) (ad)

The three events on January 7, and how to see Toka Ebisu

On the 7th, the Onisube ritual at Dazaifu Tenmangu starts with the Tsuina ceremony at the main hall at 15:00, then the demon-mask decoration ceremony at 17:00, departures from several places from 19:00 and fire-walking at about 21:00. On the same day at 18:00 the Usokae ritual takes place at Tenjin Hiroba: you exchange the wooden uso (bullfinch) bird you receive from that evening (hatsuho ¥2,000), and take home the one left in your hands at the end. Some wooden birds turn out to be golden uso.

Oniyo at Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine in Kurume takes place every year on January 7 from 13:00 to after 23:00. It begins with the Onmen-son procession at 13:00, six large torches are lit at night, and it ends with the bell after 23:00. In 2026 the paid seats were ¥2,000 (all unreserved), and the free parking had about 150 spaces in the shrine garden and about 100 at Daizenji Elementary School.

The Toka Ebisu New Year festival has 4 days: Hatsu-Ebisu on the 8th, Yoi-Ebisu on the 9th, the main festival on the 10th and Nokori-Ebisu on the 11th. In 2026 the lottery ran 10:00–23:00 on the 8th, 9:00 to 6:00 the next morning on the 9th, 6:00 to 1:00 the next morning on the 10th, and 9:00–16:00 on the 11th. On the afternoon of the 9th, geisha of the Hakata Kenban walk (kachi-mairi) from the entrance of Higashi Park to the shrine. The shrine has no parking, and it is a 5-minute walk from JR Yoshizuka Station and Chiyo-Kenchoguchi Station on the subway.

The Tamatori Festival on the 3rd is a Hakozaki Shrine ritual where teams from the land side and the sea side fight over a wooden ball. The venue runs from Tamatori Ebisu Shrine to the grounds of Hakozaki Shrine. When you cross National Route 3, use a crosswalk or a pedestrian bridge.

3. Exhibitions and light shows you can see any day in January (11 items)

These have long runs, in order of closing date. The exhibitions at 4 museums in Fukuoka Prefecture and teamLab end on Monday, January 11 (a national holiday).

Exhibitions and art (6 items)

Date	Event	Place	Fee / conditions
Until Jan 11	Special exhibition “Himiko’s Mirror” (Japanese)	Dazaifu City Kyushu National Museum	Same-day ticket: adults ¥2,000, university students ¥1,200, high school and under free. Open until 19:00 on Saturdays
Until Jan 11	South Asia special exhibition “Beyond Conflict” (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Fukuoka Asian Art Museum	Adults ¥1,000, high school and university students ¥800, junior high and under free. Closed Wednesdays and Jan 1
Until Jan 11	Special exhibition “1999: Memories of a Day That Never Was” (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Fukuoka City Museum	Same-day ticket: adults ¥2,500, junior high to university ¥2,000, elementary school ¥1,000. Closed Dec 28–Jan 4
Until Jan 11	10th anniversary “Collectioning” (Japanese)	Kurume City Kurume City Art Museum	Adults ¥800, university students ¥400, high school and under free
Jan 1–31	New Year special showing of the National Treasure “Hatsune Chodo” and the New Year Kyuhaku tour (Japanese)	Dazaifu City Kyushu National Museum, 4th floor	Included in the admission to the Cultural Exchange Exhibition (adults ¥700)
Jan 22–Mar 28	“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” 20th anniversary: Mamoru Hosoda: Origins (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Fukuoka City Museum of Art	Adults ¥2,200 (advance ¥2,000), high school and university students ¥1,200, elementary and junior high ¥800. Closed Mondays

For the 1999 exhibition at the Fukuoka City Museum, showing each other’s ticket stubs gives a discount at both it and Fukuoka Tower (see the discount table below). The “Hatsune Chodo” at the Kyushu National Museum is a National Treasure owned by the Tokugawa Art Museum, shown from January 1 to 31. The Hosoda exhibition is in the special exhibition room on the 2nd floor of the Fukuoka City Museum of Art, open 9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00). On March 22 (Monday, a holiday) it is open and it is closed the next day, March 23.

Lights and illuminations (5 items)

Date	Event	Place	Fee / conditions
Until Jan 6	Christmas markets in Fukuoka (Japanese)	Fukuoka, Kitakyushu 9 venues including Hakata Station front, Tenjin and Kokura	Free entry at Hakata Station front (the dates for each venue are on that page)
Until Jan 11	teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins “Festival of Light” (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Maizuru Park, Fukuoka Castle Ruins	In January 18:30–22:00. Weekdays: adults ¥2,300; weekends and holidays: ¥2,500 (date and time reserved in advance on weekends and holidays)
Until Feb 25	Illuminations in Tenjin, Kokura, Oita and Huis Ten Bosch (Japanese)	Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City, Oita City, Sasebo City	Huis Ten Bosch (Nov 6 to Feb 25) and others continue into January. Dates are in the table on that page
Until May 23	Illuminations outside Fukuoka City (Japanese)	Kitakyushu, Kurume and others 11 places	Mojiko is lit from 18:00 to 24:00 in principle; Ishibashi Cultural Center is ¥1,000 for adults
Until May 30	Illuminations in Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Miyazaki and others (Japanese)	Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Saga and others 12 places	Sakuramachi Kumamoto rooftop garden is 17:30–21:00, adults ¥1,500

4. Discounts and tickets you can use in January (5 items)

In order of the end of the period you can use them. The Kitakyushu free ride pass and the Huis Ten Bosch ticket are available through the 11th (Monday, a holiday).

Date	Offer	Place	Fee / conditions
Until Jan 11	Fukuoka Tower and the 1999 exhibition: mutual discount (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Fukuoka Tower, Fukuoka City Museum	With a 1999 exhibition ticket stub, the Fukuoka Tower observation deck is ¥800 for adults (normally ¥1,000)
Until Jan 11	Free 1-day ride pass and taxi coupons for Kitakyushu residents (Japanese)	Kitakyushu City buses, monorail and others	Free ride passes: up to 10 days’ worth per person. Taxi coupons: ¥3,000 worth for ¥2,000 (for Kitakyushu residents)
Until Jan 11 (on sale)	JR Kyushu Winter Toku Huis Ten Bosch ticket (Japanese)	Fukuoka City, Nagasaki JR Kyushu, Huis Ten Bosch	From Fukuoka City, adults ¥12,000. Valid for travel until Jan 14; Huis Ten Bosch is closed on Jan 12–15
Until Feb 28	Canal City Hakata “show-and-save” service (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Canal City Hakata	5% off and more at participating shops when you show it. No sign-up needed
Until Feb 28	Events until Fukuoka PARCO closes (Japanese)	Fukuoka City Fukuoka PARCO (Tenjin)	Closing is planned for the end of February 2027. Shop benefits run until Feb 28

For New Year holiday dates, see our page (in Japanese) Fukuoka year-end and New Year guide, and for December, December events. February’s Setsubun festivals are in Setsubun and bean-throwing in Fukuoka, and the Gokoku Shrine flea market on Feb 13 and 14 is in Flea markets and antique markets in Fukuoka.

Official information checked on October 25, 2026 (Japan time). For events whose 2027 schedule is not yet announced, we show the fixed date together with the 2026 record. Prices and hours can change.

Common questions

Which events are on fixed days in early January?

Jan 3 (Tamatori Festival), Jan 7 (Usokae, Onisube and Oniyo) and Jan 8–11 (Toka Ebisu).

Which exhibitions end on January 11?

Himiko’s Mirror, “Beyond Conflict”, the 1999 exhibition and the Kurume City Art Museum collection show. teamLab Fukuoka Castle Ruins also ends that day.

Sources

8 pages we checked