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Festivals in Japan
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Japan's fascinating mix of old and new is reflected in Japan's festival diary!
Festivals in Japan - Japanese New Year - January 1 and for several days afterwards - countrywide Lots of towns hold a Hadaka Matsuri, which literally translates as naked festival and is based around the principle of purification. The ritual can seem complicated to outsiders but basically, it involves people - usually men - jumping into a river or sea wearing nothing but loincloths. You're not obliged to join them!
Less painful customs (possibly) include getting up early to see the first sunrise of the year, and eating mochi, sticky rice cakes. On New Year's Eve, a bell is struck 108 times. |
Festivals in Japan - Seijin shiki - second Monday of January - countrywide In Japan, children become adults when they reach the age of 20 and their coming of age is celebrated with a festival of that name. There are ceremonies for those who turn 20 in that school year, with parties later on. A good time to see kimonos being worn.
Festivals in Japan - Hounen Matsuri - March - particularly good in Komaki Possibly the only festival that revolves around the penis, although we'd be interested to hear of any others you find. A huge wooden model of said body part is paraded around the town for this fertility festival and the cakes and sweets take on the same shape. The sake is plentiful.
Festivals in Japan - Hanami - March/April/May - trees all over the country People have been known to go to Japan just to see the cherry blossom, which are the centre of hanami, or flower viewing, festivals. It's easy to join in - park yourself under a tree and eat and drink. Some of the best spots to blossom view are Ueno Park on the outskirts of Tokyo and Hirosaki, in the north of Honshū. Top tip: the blossom flowers first in the south, and makes its way north. |
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Festivals in Japan - Tanabata -July/August - dependent on area One for the romantics - during Tanabata (or star festivals), people write their hopes and dreams on scraps of coloured paper and hang them from bamboo branches with other ornaments.
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Festivals in Japan - Gion Matsuri - July - Kyoto Preparations for this huge festival begin around two weeks before the parade, on July 17, and for at least a week afterwards. As well as food stalls and a fantastic array of kimonos, some residents in Shinmachi-dori and Muromachi-dori open their front rooms to the public - a great chance to see inside a traditional home.
The parade on July 17 features floats to beat all floats, measuring up to 25 metres tall and weighing several tons. The sight of loinclothed men pulling them along is a spectacle in itself. |
Japan is worth a visit for the festivals alone, but if you want to make more of your time in Japan, then consider our gap trip programmes below.
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