Celebrate Bon Odori By the Kobe Seaside
Jul 25, 2018 By Justin Hanus
Bon Odori festivals are well known as an entertaining and interesting summer events across Japan, and Kobe’s seaside fest is no exception. Bon Odori, or simply Bon dances, are some of the most exciting open-air parties that Japan offers, and they’re fun for all ages! Since the Obon holiday is...[ Click to read more ]
Gujo Hachiman Bon Dancing Festival in Gifu
Jul 11, 2018 By First Admin
For four magical nights each August, at Gujo Hachiman in Gifu, dancers revelers line the streets until dawn breaks over the surrounding mountains in celebration of Obon. Across most of Japan, the festival of Obon is celebrated from the 13th-15th of August (there are some regional variances). This festival is not only...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima Port Dream Fireworks
Jun 26, 2018 By Matt Mangham
Summer in Japan just doesn’t quite work without taking in at least one fireworks show. Hiroshima has several, but the two big crowd pleasers are the Miyajima show in August, and what is called the Yumehanabi, or “Dream Fireworks” from Hiroshima Port in the Ujina district. Formerly held directly in...[ Click to read more ]
Theatre Iridescence Presents Medea
Jun 20, 2018 By Admin
HELL HATH NO FURY... An adaptation of the Greek play by Euripides, Medea is a tale of love and revenge. It tells the story of a wife's all-consuming desire for revenge against her unfaithful husband.Our version of this Greek tragedy is set in Japan and features a multicultural cast...[ Click to read more ]
Ise Ebi Matsuri (Lobster Festival)
May 29, 2018 By Bert Wishart
For much of the world, there is little more decadent than dining out on lobster. However, here in Japan, lobster - while still relatively pricey compared to most seafood - is by no means the preserve of the uber-rich, and nor is the festival that celebrates it each year. All...[ Click to read more ]
Getting Up Close and Personal at Nagoya’s Sumo Stables
By Bert Wishart
The sumo season centers around six fifteen-day major competitions, or 'honbasho', throughout the year, with three events held in Tokyo in January, May and September, one in March in Osaka, one in Fukuoka in November, and July sees the Nagoya Basho. The honbasho - literally 'real tournament' - are of...[ Click to read more ]
Rice Planting Events in Hiroshima
By Matt Mangham
I always recommend venturing out of the city if you can. Rural Hiroshima Prefecture is a knockout, and this is a wonderful time of year. The spring foliage still shows its fresh, pale green on the hills, and the worst of the summer heat is weeks away. Most of the...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima’s Toukasan Festival
By Matt Mangham
For four hundred years, Hiroshima’s Toukasan festival has marked the arrival of summer for locals. Stretching over three days on the first weekend in June, the festival is officially in honor of Touka Daimyoujin, a deity enshrined at Enryu-ji, a temple one block north of Peace Boulevard on Chuo-dori. Also...[ Click to read more ]
Atsuta Shrine Festival in Nagoya
May 18, 2018 By Ray Proper
Atsuta Jingu, ranks in importance second only to the Great Shrine of Ise in Mie, which is the center of the Shinto religion in Japan, and draws over 9 million visitors a year to its gates. The shrine, located in Atsuta Ward of Nagoya City, dates back nearly 2,000 years,...[ Click to read more ]
Tebasaki Summit – Scaling the Heights of Nagoya’s Most Famed Food
May 16, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Americans could be forgiven for thinking that chicken wings come from Buffalo, and Brits may think of them as that bit of the Sunday roast that no one really wants, but there are few foods quite so close to the heart of the people of Nagoya as the humble chicken wing. Tebasaki, to...[ Click to read more ]
