festival

Tokyo Koenji Awaodori festival will fully take place for the first time in four years this August

The energetic, dance-filled festival will make its grand outdoor return to the streets of Tokyo for the first time since before the pandemic.

Read More

There’s more to do than just look at the flowers at Tokyo’s biggest riverside sakura celebration

If you’re in Tokyo, take a day to immerse yourself in the Edo period atmosphere during one of these events while enjoying the cherry blossoms.

Read More

Take a trip back in time with an Edo Period-style hanami at the Oedo Fukagawa Sakura Festival

One of Tokyo’s most scenic cherry blossom viewing spots has a lot more to offer than just space for a picnic!

Read More

Nagasaki Lantern Festival is like Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away in real life

Local resident reveals the secret spots you won’t want to miss during this breathtaking festival. 

Read More

Japan petitions to add 40 traditional folk dances to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

If approved, the new additions would join one dance already on the list under the collective title of “Elegant Dances.”

Read More

Akihabara’s otaku shrine celebrates PlayStation 5 launch with ethereal one-night event

The PS5 is welcomed into the world at a Japanese shrine with a long history of protecting electronics.

Read More

We eat imoni, a delicious autumn stew, at a unique version of a traditional Japanese festival

Celebrating the arrival of autumn with a piping-hot bowl of delicious stew!

Read More

Akihabara shrine celebrates anime festival Noryo Matsuri on an Animal Crossing Dream Island

Keep the spirit of summer festivals alive, digitally!

Read More

Sanrio’s matsuri festival-themed toys and plushes will give you Japanese summer vibes at home

The cutest product is definitely the goldfish-scooping set. Or maybe it’s the little pouches made to resemble shaved ice?

Read More

Disney releases new line of summer kimono, complete with stylish Mickey and Frozen motifs

Elegant enough to make anyone look and feel like a Disney Princess!

Read More

Nagasaki Lantern Festival: An awesome event that will whisk you away into a celestial world【Pics】

Filled with marvelous displays and breathtaking performances, this is one festival you won’t want to miss.

Read More

2018 Tohoku Kizuna Festival aims to unite the people of northern Japan

This “Festival of Tohoku Bonds” continues to pay homage to six of northern Japan’s most important annual festivals all at one time and one place.

Read More

First-ever Bon-Odori dance festival to be held at Shibuya scramble crossing for Obon

Shibuya’s giant scramble crossing will be closed to traffic for a summer street festival.

Read More

Japanese pop culture festival and concert to be held in Tokyo next month, foreigners get in for free!

In late November a four-day festival of music, food, fashion, and culture will be held, and anyone with a foreign passport will get some VIP treatment.

Read More

Aragehonji breathes new life into traditional Japanese folk music

These days its hard to describe any music as “unique” but Aragehonji certainly fit that bill.

Read More

“Scary” mass of idol fans break through security at 2016 Tokyo Idol Festival 【Video】

These Japanese idol fans at the 2016 Tokyo Idol Festival show us that, when it comes to being first to the front of the stage, all etiquette is thrown out the window.

Read More

Cloudy skies can’t keep these symbols of fertility down! Note: This post may not be safe for your workplace.

Read More

Mounted police officers in Kyoto get Heian Period outfits to match their ancestral colleagues

Though the Heian Period probably evokes more images of poetry and courtly love affairs than daring action, there was still plenty of work for the kebiishi, the peacekeepers of the time. Though the Heian court’s police force is now long gone, they remain a fixture of Japanese police history, and, in fact, served as the inspiration for the new uniforms to be worn by the Kyoto mounted police at this year Jidai Festival!

Read More

Five things you need to know about Obon–one of Japan’s biggest holidays 【Videos & more】

If the idea of your loved ones leaving this earth never to return again seems unfair, then you should consider the Japanese view of the afterlife. While nothing can change death itself, it is comforting to know that in Japan there is a special time of the year when the souls of the dead come back to visit the living. This is called Bon (or Obon using the honorific “o”) a holiday period from August 12-16 (exact dates may vary depending upon location), a time when the entire country takes a break to celebrate the “festival of the dead.” It’s a lively few days when the living and the dead can once again unite to eat together, drink together and share good times.

The Bon tradition gives the country some of the unique dances that Japan is so famous for. Tokushima’s Bon dance, called Awa Odori, for example, draws over one million tourists every year. Traditional Bon entertainment is so lively, colorful and intriguing that a Bon dance is a must-see on every traveler’s itinerary.

Today we’ll introduce you to a five things you should know about Obon. Needless to say, it’s a very exciting time to be in Japan as a tourist!

Read More

Despite raging typhoon, Gion Matsuri goes on as it has for over 1,000 years【Video】

The Gion Festival, or Gion Matsuri, has been celebrated consistently for over a thousand years and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. The highlight is the Yamahoko Parade which occurs twice, on July 17 and July 24, and our competition winner’s wish was to see it happen with her own eyes here in Japan. This year, with a incoming typhoon, there were rumors swirling about the festival being cancelled, but with hardly any interruptions in its long history, this parade wasn’t about to be stopped by mere weather!
Read More

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3