List of Jazz Festivals in Hokuriku and Koshin’etsu [2025]

It began in 1995 after the Moonlight Jazz Orchestra, an amateur big band that started full-scale activities in Nonoichi City in 1980, performed at a jazz festival in the United States. The event title “BIG APPLE” is a nickname for New York and was chosen to signify a place where the world’s top musicians gather.

This event, launched with the hope of brightening and energizing Niigata, is a jazz festival held at venues such as restaurants, jazz cafes, and halls throughout Niigata City. Influenced by the postwar occupation forces and the American Cultural Center, Niigata has long had strong ties to jazz. On this day, the city becomes a “music theme park,” offering a day of enjoyment for everyone from adults to children.

Mt.

The Fuji Kawaguchiko Jazz Festival is a jazz festival held in Fujikawaguchiko Town, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture. Spanning three days and featuring many jazz bands, it’s a festival of such scale that it’s synonymous with jazz in Yamanashi. If you’re in the area, be sure to check it out.

Kanazawa Jazz Street is held under the concept of sharing jazz from Kanazawa—a city that honors tradition while embracing innovation—with the world. Aiming to be a festival where anyone can take part, it fosters交流 among a wide range of musicians and audience members—young and old, professional and amateur alike.

This is a jazz festival held in the hot spring town of Matsunoyama in Niigata Prefecture. You can enjoy live jazz performances at venues set up around the town. After the event, why not soak in the hot springs to unwind before heading home? It might just make for a perfect day.

The Yatsugatake Jazz Festival, commonly known as Yatujazz, is held at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. A number of renowned jazz artists take the stage one after another for dynamic sessions. It promises to be a full day of authentic jazz. The venue, Kobuchizawa Wellness Garden, features stylish Western-style architecture.