The Japanese New Year celebration lasts from January 1st to the 3rd. Many are made to be huge and extravagant, with the thick meter-long streamers hung on huge sticks of bamboo being the most eye-catching. Naoi-shinji, also known as "Hadaka Matsuri (naked festival)", started in the year 767 AD, the Nara Period. Thousands of artists from all over Tohoku and even further regions come to Nango to perform. The subject of flower viewing has long held an important place in literature, dance, and fine arts. There are three scripts in the Japanese language: In Japanese, writing is top down, right to left. Some are based around temples or shrines, others hanabi (fireworks), and still others around contests where the participants sport loin cloths (see: Hadaka Matsuri). If you want to see all 5, the rooftops or upper floors of hotels around Kyoto Station are your best bet. Even if your trip doesnt coincide with one of the big ones, youre almost guaranteed to find some form of matsuri festival or similar event throughout the year, so do some research and join the fun! Tobata Gion) that are mostly unknown outside a given prefecture. Its been going for more than 700 years at the Kushida Shrine. Gion Matsuri Taking place across the whole month of July, Kyoto's Gion Matsuri is perhaps the most famous festival in Japan. Other Names: Year-end (, toshi no se), Year-end Fair (, Toshi no Ichi). Moonlight Rose Garden. Before the New Year, homes are cleaned, debts are paid off, and osechi (food in lacquered trays for the New Year) is prepared or bought. Find Private Teaching Jobs on TakeLessons. During the day, you can enjoy a kabuki performance within the premises of the shrine. Japanese people celebrate Coming-of-Age Day on the second Monday in January. This festival began in 1989, in a small venue indoors. They resemble sponge cakes. From 2 to 7 August, about 15 childrens nebuta and 20 large nebuta parade around Aomori Station to chants of Rassera! You can enjoy this event just by looking at the dynamic nebuta, but you can also take part by wearing a costume and becoming ahanetodancer. The tradition is said to have originated in the Heian era as a cultured pursuit. Ranked as one of Japans top three festivals, the Tenjin Festival in Osaka is celebrated for its dual land and river processions topped off by a breathtaking fireworks display. The goal is to "fish" the balloon . The 6 prize-winning floats parading in the sea against a backdrop of about 11,000 fireworks on the last day is a must-see. Awa Odori features groups of choreographed dancers known as ren. There are lots of different ren of varying sizes, including amatuer ren made up of locals, highly trained professional ren, and renof schoolchildren or employees from a company. Best traditional festivals in Japan. Information: Preparations for seeing in the new year were originally undertaken to greet the toshigami, or deity of the incoming year. With over 1.5 million visitors, the Tenjin Matsuri is one of the largest three seasonal festivals held in Japan, and is celebrated annually in July. Karaage Japanese style fried chicken (often on a stick). Retrieved August 9, 2009, from About.com: This page was last edited on 31 October 2022, at 12:22. In some places flower viewing parties are held on traditionally fixed dates. A special altar, known as toshidana ("year shelf"), is piled high with kagamimochi (flat, round rice cakes), sake (rice wine), persimmons, and other foods in honor of the toshigami. This festival is held early-mid April. 10. Lanterns are lit on the floats when night falls, and thousands of fireworks are launched into the clear winter night sky. This article includes opinions of the Go Guides editorial team. This is a celebration for everyone who turns 20 during that Calendar year, since turning 20 signifies becoming an adult in Japan. The event commemorates when Emperor Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan, took the throne in 600 BCE. Summer Festival, Fireworks Display, and Bon Odori (Obon Dances) Speaking of Japanese summer, they are summer festival, firework display, and bon odori, aren't they? The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication. For other uses, see, Preparation for the New Year and Year-end fair, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Matsuyama Shiroyama Koen Cherry Blossom Festival, Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia, "Nagasaki Lantern Festival JapanVisitor Japan Travel Guide", "Governador prestigia 'Imin Matsuri', tradicional festa da colnia japonesa", "Haru Matsuri comemora chegada da primavera em Curitiba Paran-Online Paranaense como voc", "Eventos: Seto Matsuri dias 06 e 07 de novembro", "Tanabata Workshop: A Pre-Nisei Week Celebration by Japanese American National Museum", mothra.rerf.or.jp::hiroshima::about matsuri, http://www.yjw2008.jp/eng/info.php?no=241, https://web.archive.org/web/20110612014351/http://www.misawa.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123060239, http://www.vrmag.org/issue29/CHITOSE_LAKE_SHIKOTSU_ICE_FESTIVAL.html, http://www.misawajapan.com/festivals/others/towada_winter.asp, https://web.archive.org/web/20090227134339/http://gojapan.about.com/cs/tohokuregion1/a/aomorinebuta.htm, http://gojapan.about.com/cs/cherryblossoms/a/sakurafestival.htm, List All Japanese Festivals in the United States, UNESCO Intangible Heritage: Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_festivals&oldid=1119239257, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2015, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2013, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2010, Articles with dead external links from August 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from December 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, held at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in October 1415. With so many festivals it's hard to decide which one is better, but here is my list of the 10 best traditional festivals in Japan! This festival has a feature of illuminating the cherry blossom trees at night. Exchanging New Year's greeting cards (similar to Christmas Cards) is another important Japanese custom. There is a fireworks show and events held on an ice stage. This lake festival is held in the beginning of February. The welcoming fire (mukaebi) built on the 13th and the send-off fire (okuribi) built on the 15th and 16th are intended to guide the ancestor's spirits back to their permanent dwelling place. Cherry blossoms bless Japan for a short few weeks between mid-March and mid-April, depending on where you are in the country. Information: Various flower festivals are held at Shinto shrines during the month of April. People wear kimonos and dance with gestures and steps to the music. The festival lights up the night with clashes between the villagers and men at ages considered unlucky in Japan, 25 and 42. . Matsuri festivals can celebrate anything, from local deities to abundant harvests, good fortune, delicious sake, and self-fulfillment. Nowadays, kimonos are usually worn by women at special occasions, and only some oldermen and women wear it on a daily basis. Shogatsu, the Japanese New Year celebration, falls on the familiar date of January 1 per the Gregorian calendar, but the celebration in Japan is stretched out days before and after. New Year. The Gion Matsuri is most famous for the spectacular procession of floats on the 17th and 24th of July along with the smaller yoiyama festivals the preceding nights. Surrounding the floats are haneto dancers, who perform an energetic routine timed to a musical accompaniment while dressed flamboyantly. Once a year, during the seventh day of the seventh lunar month according to the lunisolar calendar, they are allowed to meet, marking the beginning of Tanabata. The floats are also referred to as moving Yomeimon gates. On January 2 the public is allowed to enter the inner palace grounds; the only other day this is possible is the Emperor's birthday (February 23). During this time, Japanese families will take trips to visit the graves of ancestors and pray for these deceased relatives. Despite excellent hospitality and customer service, it is not common to tip in Japan. You can also check outkarakuri(mechanized puppet) performances. To scare away the demons and the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them, people throw dried beans at the scary creatures, while shouting oni wa soto! It uses the Japanese name to show the sports Japanese heritage. The main events of Koshgatsu are rites and practices praying for a bountiful harvest. The origins of Hadaka Matsuri date back 500 years when worshippers competed to receive paper talismans called Go-o thrown by the priest. The biggest matsuri and traditional summer festivals. During this time, people will write their wishes on strips of rectangular tanzaku paper and hang it on the leaves of bamboo while praying to the stars. The first day of the year (ganjitsu) is usually spent with members of the family. The event is now very large and commercialized. There is a dance portion of this festival. Spending a whole day watching shows is a common way for Japanese people to relax. The traditional festivals are very important events for the Japanese, and they are a good opportunity to get together with family and friends. Taiyaki Taiyaki is an iconic Japanese street food. These. 1. People often write wishes and romantic aspirations on long, narrow strips of colored paper and hang them on bamboo branches along with other small ornaments. While there is no definitive data detailing exactly how many matsuri occur in Japan every year, estimates suggest that it could be as many as 300,000! In such times, shrines would commonly be more lively, with food stalls and bustling crowds. - Hina matsuri (Girl's day) 3 March - Kodomo no hi (Children's day) 5 May - Obon (Spirit festival) 13 to 16 August - Otsukimi (Moon viewing festival) September and October - Seijin no hi (Coming of Age day) 15 January - Setsubun (Bean throwing festival) 3 February - Shichi go san (Happiness and health day) 15th November It began in 1950 when high school students built snow statues in Odori Park, central Sapporo. The festivals main location is the central Odori Park, while the nearby neighborhood of Susukino and the Tsu Dome in Higashi Ward also showcase a delightful range worth checking out. Often surrounding these festivals are pop-up stalls selling food, drinks, souvenirs, toys, and more. Festivals and Events for February 2020 in Japan. Kyoto Jidai Matsuri October 22 Tiered platforms for hina ningy (hina dolls; a set of dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians in ancient court dress) are set up in the home, and the family celebrates with a special meal of hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (rice malt with sake). It was kicked off by a group of local high schoolers who started building sculptures out of snow plowed and discarded in Odori Park. Filled with dancing, music, costumes, food, and more, each matsuri festival boasts its own fascinating history and unique charm. Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival (Kanagawa, July 8-10) 4. "Matsuri" redirects here. The processions on the 24th are also worth checking out, with drums and men donning red hats swarming the streets during the afternoon to announce the completion of festival preparations. Compared with many of the other festivals on this list, the Sapporo Snow Festival has a relatively short and humble history. The surrounding streetsas and Yokohamabashi Shopping District are lined with hundreds of stalls selling lucky bamboo rakes (engi kumade) that are colourfully decorated with the Seven Lucky Gods, straw rice bags, sea bream, and small gold coins. It is a good time to go skiing or snowboarding, or just relax in a hot onsen.Signs of spring start to surface in February with the plum blossoms starting to bloom as a wonderful prelude to the cherry blossoms of spring. Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival held in Hirosaki Koen Hirosaki-city, Aomori prefecture. The puppets used for bunraku are unique pieces of art. The trees in this region have pink blossoms. This festival is held early April. Nagasaki Nagasaki Kunchi October 7-9 The festival of Nagasaki 's Suwa Shrine, the Nagasaki Kunchi features Chinese style dragons and floats shaped like ships. In Japan, it's considered unlucky to keep lucky items for more than a year. 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