Experience a Firelit Noh Performance at Nara’s Kofukuji Temple
Apr 24, 2018 By Justin Hanus
Traditional Noh performances might occur at temples across Japan, but Nara’s Kofukuji Temple is the original home of the sacred event, and seeing a performance there is a truly unforgettable experience. Noh, which is derived from a Japanese word meaning “talent,” is a coveted musical drama performance that began in...[ Click to read more ]
Mie’s Iga-Uena Ninja Festival, and a History of Shinobi
By Bert Wishart
If you were told that there was an annual, family-oriented festival celebrating some of the most feared mercenary assassins and terrorists that the world has ever seen, you'd probably think it was an idea in quite poor taste. However, the Iga-Uena Ninja Fest is endearingly popular, and quite a lot...[ Click to read more ]
Sanja Matsuri, Tokyo’s Wildest Festival
Apr 20, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Tokyo has many festivals, and particularly as we head towards the summer months they will be coming thick and fast. But none are quite so wild as Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa. The History of Sanja Matsuri On the morning of March 18, 628 CE, so the story goes, two fisherman brothers, Hinokuma...[ Click to read more ]
Thai Festival in Tokyo
Apr 10, 2018 By
The annual Thai Festival in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park is a great place to find excellent Thai food, as well as enjoy a diverse stage schedule including martial arts demonstrations, musicians, dancers, and artists. The festival's main selling point is Thai food and drink, in copious quantities, prepared by virtually every...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima’s Onomichi Minato Festival
Mar 26, 2018 By Matt Mangham
Onomichi has long been one of my own family’s favorite day-trip destinations in Hiroshima prefecture. Time after time, this little port city continues to charm, from the slightly down-at-heel shopping arcade stretching along much of the waterfront to the wonderful maze of narrow passages that wind up and down the...[ Click to read more ]
Miyako Odori – Geisha Dancing in Kyoto
By Bert Wishart
The geisha is perhaps one of the most recognizable symbols of Japan, an icon that conjures up images of beauty, grace and a time of pre-industrial Japanese tradition. Perhaps the most famous geisha are the geiko of Kyoto (geisha translates as “person of the arts”, yet the geisha of Kyoto prefer the...[ Click to read more ]
5 Most Popular Festivals to Check Out in the Kansai Region
Mar 23, 2018 By Justin Hanus
There’s always a famous festival in every country that draws pilgrims, tourists, the one-time visitors and even locals. There’s that exhilarating energy that wafts in the air when you hear the drums booming, the music blaring, the dancing, the merriment and all the energy that is ablaze every time there’s...[ Click to read more ]
Getting Hot Under the Collar at Tejikara Fire Festival
Mar 22, 2018 By Bert Wishart
I sometimes worry about the Japanese and their propensity for dangerous festivals. With logs hurtling down hills, submergence in icy water and the violence inherent in the naked festival, it seems quite often that a festival isn't complete without someone getting hurt. I’d like to tell you that the Tejikara Fire Festival...[ Click to read more ]
Sake’ing it to ya, at the Nayabashi Sake Festival in Ngaoya
Feb 26, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Forget Asahi, Kirin or Strong Zero, there can be no doubt that the national drink of Japan is sake. ‘Nihonshu’, to give it its proper title (with ‘sake’ being a term to cover all alcoholic drinks), has been the main tipple of choice in these parts since the Nara period (710 to 794),...[ Click to read more ]
Oagata Shrine Fertility Festival, Celebrating the Power of Femininity
By Bert Wishart
If you have spent any time in Nagoya or its surrounds, then it is a good chance that you have heard of the Hōnen Matsuri harvest festival at Komaki. You, know that one. The one with the huge phallus that gets paraded around the city streets and everyone goes a...[ Click to read more ]
