The Japanese term for a Shinto festival held to honor or welcome a kami is matsuri.
Matsuri are community celebrations connected with shrines, local deities, seasonal events, and important moments in agricultural or civic life. A festival may include offerings, processions, music, dance, food stalls, and a mikoshi, a portable shrine carried through the neighborhood.
The word matsuri is related to the idea of worship or ritual service. Shinto festivals differ greatly in scale: some are intimate ceremonies at a local shrine, while others attract large crowds and have elaborate processions. Their purposes can include expressing gratitude, asking for protection, marking a season, or renewing ties between a community and its kami.
Matsuri should not be confused with misogi, which is a purification practice, or kagura, a category of ritual music and dance. Those activities may occur during a matsuri, but they are not synonyms for the festival itself.