Mount Takao Autumn Leaves Festival 2024
Kiyotaki Station 清滝駅, Takaomachi, Hachioji, TokyoThe Mount Takao Autumn Leaves Festival (“Mount Takao Momiji Matsuri”) is held throughout the month of November every…
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Chichibu Yomatsuri 2024
Chichibu Shrine 秩父神社, 1-3 Banbamachi, Chichibu, SaitamaOne of Japan’s greatest hikiyama (float) festivals, the Chichibu Yomatsuri is held 2-3 December every year and attracts…
Sengakuji’s Ako Gishi Sai 2024
Sengakuji Sengaku-ji, 2-11-1 Takanawa, Minato, TokyoThe story of the 47 ronin is one of Japan’s most celebrated and famous. While in English it…
Oji Fox Parade 2024
Oji Inari Shrine 王子稲荷神社, 1-12-26 Kishimachi, Kita, TokyoThe legend goes that foxes from all regions would gather under a large tree on New Year’s Eve…
Imperial Family New Year Greeting 2025
Chowaden, Tokyo Imperial Palace 皇居宮殿長和殿, 1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda, TokyoThe traditional New Year greeting by the Imperial Family from the long balcony of the Chowaden Hall. Members…
New Year Firefighter Ceremony 2025
Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo Big Sight, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto, TokyoThe New Year Firefighter Ceremony—officially called dezome-shiki (出初式)—is a display of acrobatics and other skills organized by the…
Ome Daruma Market 2025
Ome City Hall 1-11-1 Higashiome, Ome, TokyoDaruma are hollow, round, traditional Japanese dolls that are usually weighted at the bottom so no matter which…
Daikoku Matsuri 2025
Kanda Myojin 2-16-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda, TokyoThe association of Kanda Myojin with wealth and good fortune (it is after all home to two of…
Dosojin Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival 2025
Nozawa Onsen Village Shimotakai District, NaganoThe Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival (野沢温泉道祖神火祭り, Nozawa Onsen Dōsojin Hi-matsuri) is held on 15 January every year and…
Kameidoten Usokae Bullfinch Exchange 2025
Kameido Tenjin Shrine 3-6-1 Kameido, Koto, TokyoThis annual event held at Kameidoten-jinja in Koto Ward celebrates the passing of good fortune into the year…
Sapporo Snow Festival 2025
Odori Park, Sapporo 大通公園, 7-chrome Odorinishi, Chuo, Sapporo, HokkaidoWhat started off in 1950 as community event to display six snow statues made by local high school…
Setsubun at Narita-san 2025
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple 成田山新勝寺, 1 Narita, Narita, TokyoWhile setsubun festivals are held at many temples across the country, the rituals at Asakusa’s Sensoji, Takao-san Yakuo-in…
Setsubun (Bean Tossing) at Sensoji 2025
Sensoji Temple Senso-ji, 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, TokyoTraditionally setsubun (節分) marks the day before the beginning of a new season, but in post-Edo times the…
Otaru Snow Light Path Festival 2025
Otaru, Hokkaido Otaru Station, 2 Chome-22 Inaho, Otaru, HokkaidoThe Otaru Snow Light Path Festival (小樽雪あかりの路, Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi) began in 1999 with the hope…
Saidaiji Eyo (“Naked Festival”) 2025
Saidaiji Kannon-in 別格本山 金陵山西大寺観音院, 3 Chome-8-8 Saidaijinaka, Higashi Ward, Okayama, OkayamaThe Saidaiji Eyō (西大寺会陽), more commonly known as the Hadaka Matsuri (“Naked Festival”), gets more international media attention…
Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival 2025
Yokote, Akita 横手市民会館, 13-1 Minamimachi, Yokote, AkitaThe ritual of hollowing out a mound of snow and building a small hut like an igloo is…
Some no Komichi 2025
Nakai 西武新宿線 中井駅, 1-19-1 Nakaochiai, Shinjuku, TokyoUntil the 1950s, many dying factories could be found along the river near Nakai Station in Shinjuku Ward…
Kyoto Higashiyama Hanatoro 2025
Higashiyama, Kyoto Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, KyotoHanatoro (花灯路, Hanatōro) is a 10-day long illumination that takes place in Kyoto’s Higashiyama in March and Arashiyama…
Mount Takao Fire Walking Festival 2025
Takaosan Car Park 2390 Takaomachi, Hachioji-shi, TokyoThe Fire Walking Festival (火渡りまつり, hiwatari matsuri) is held near Takaosanguchi Station on the second Sunday of March…
Asakusa’s Honzon Jigen-e 2025
Sensoji Temple Senso-ji, 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, TokyoAccording to legend, a statue is said to have been discovered on the 18 March 628 on the…
Kanamara Matsuri (“Penis Festival”) Parade 2025
Kanayama Shrine Kanayama Shrine, 2-13-16 Daishi Ekimae, Kawasaki, KanagawaKanamara Matsuri (otherwise known as the "Penis Festival" or “Festival of the Steel Phallus”) is an annual festival…
Hana Matsuri at Sensoji 2025
Sensoji Temple Senso-ji, 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, TokyoThis event at Sensoji Temple celebrates the Buddha’s birthday on 8 April and is more formally called Bussho-e…
Edo Yoshiwara Ichiyo Sakura Matsuri (Oiran Dochu) 2025
Ichiyo Sakura Komatsu Dori 一葉桜小松橋通り, 4-40-7 Asakusa, Taito, TokyoOiran (花魁) is a word used to refer to the high-class prostitutes that worked in the Yoshiwara red-light…
Nikko Yayoi Festival 2025
Nikko Futarasan Shrine 2307 Sannai, Nikko, TochigiThe Yayoi Festival (弥生祭, Yayoi Matsuri) is held on the 13 to 17 of April each year at…