Emergenza Japan is the Japan edition of an international live contest held in over 15 countries worldwide. The competition is primarily decided by audience voting, with professional judges joining at the finals. The winning band is awarded a slot to perform at Germany’s Taubertal Festival. Open to all regardless of professional status, age, or background, the contest has helped launch artists such as Daiki Tsuneta, Yuuri, and Novelbright. In 2026, it will be held from April to June at venues including Shibuya eggman.

JAM FES is an independently organized festival held every year during Golden Week by Nishi-Eifuku JAM. The venue first opened in Shinjuku in 1980 and moved to Nishi-Eifuku, Suginami in 2018. This long-running event gathers a diverse array of bands with the warm, community-rooted feel of a neighborhood live house. Centered on rock, punk, and alternative, its eclectic lineup spans up-and-coming acts to mid-career artists. On some days during the festival, attendees can move freely between the main space and the adjoining UNDERGROUND, making for an intense eight days of hopping between two stages. Scheduled from April 29 to May 6, 2026.

TOKYO M.A.P.S is an urban music program that J-WAVE and Roppongi Hills have been running since 2008, built on the concept of a map where Music, Art, and Performance intersect. It is held every year during Golden Week at Roppongi Hills Arena, with that year’s organizer welcoming a diverse lineup of artists. For this year’s edition in May 2026, STUTS serves as organizer, sketching a “crossroads of sound” in the heart of the city centered on hip-hop and jazz.

The Kichijoji Music Festival, which began in 1986, is a long-running city festival that will mark its 41st edition in 2026. The venues span all of Kichijoji in Musashino, Tokyo, with eight stages set up around town—including the plaza at the station’s North Exit and the area around Inokashira Park—filling the city with music against the backdrop of a unique culture where bustling commercial districts and residential neighborhoods blend seamlessly. Under the banner of a “festival of culture and creativity,” a diverse range of music—jazz, folk, rock, and more—colors the entire city over three days during the Golden Week holidays.

HUG ROCK FESTIVAL is a circuit-style festival featuring only female vocal artists, first held in 2015. Organized by Hug Teppei, it takes place across multiple live music venues around Udagawacho in Shibuya, offering a wide variety of stages centered on singer-songwriters. The Golden Week edition on May 7, 2026, is slated to feature dozens of acts, including Kanoerana, Momo Hashizume, and Chiharu Midorimura.

CRAFTROCK FESTIVAL is a “music and craft beer festival” hosted by the brewery CRAFTROCK BREWING. The venue is Tachikawa Stage Garden, and its hallmark is a schedule that alternates between the hall stage and the outdoor lawn stage, letting you enjoy every artist with no overlapping sets. Powerhouse acts from the rock/pop scene such as STRAIGHTENER, toe, and cero will gather, and you can also savor distinctive craft beers from eight breweries from Japan and abroad. Scheduled for May 2026.