The annual July grand sumo tournament (nagoya basho) is held from July 12 to 26 at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya-city. Reserved seat tickets are still available in Japan. See the ticket information. Also, non-reserved seat tickets can be purchased at the gymnasium's box office on the day of the game.

Read More:

• Japanese Sumo
• Nagoya Guide
• Forum Topic: Tickets for Sumo

Photo by Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images

With a history of over 1,000 years, Osaka Tenjin Matsuri is known as one of the three greatest festivals in Japan. A series of Tenjin Matsuri rituals and events take place from the end of June for about a month. The highlights of the festival are Yoimiya-sai on July 24th and Honmiya-sai on July 25th which are two kinds of processions. Visit Osaka to see this traditional Japanese festival.

Read More:

• Osaka Tenjin Festival
• Kyoto Gion Matsuri
• Japanese Festivals

Photo (c) Flickr user elmimmo

The annual Ground Cherry Fair (houzuki-ichi) in Asakusa Sensoji Temple takes place on July 9th and 10th. There are more than 250 stalls sell houzuki (ground cherry plants) and other traditional items in this fair. It's a nice summer event to enjoy the atmosphere of old Tokyo.

Read More:

• Asakusa Houzuki-ichi
• Tokyo Asakusa Attractions
• Tokyo Event Calendar

Photo by Kiyoshi Ota / Getty Images

Tanabata is a Japanese summer festival celebrated on July 7th or August 8th, depending on regions. People traditionally write their wishes on tanzaku papers and hang them on colorfully decorated bamboo branches. Tanabata can be observed in many cities and towns throughout Japan. Stop by a tanabata festival near your destinations.

Read More:

• Introduction to Tanabata
• Sendai Tanabata Festival
• Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

Photo (c) Shizuko Mishima, licensed to About.com