See the Best of Kansai’s Fireworks Displays

Jun 17, 2019 By Justin Hanus

One of the most exciting aspects of Japanese summers is the multitude of dazzling fireworks displays to enjoy. Originally, fireworks (花火, ‘Hanabi’) were thought to help ward off evil spirits, but the tradition is still going strong today among tourists and locals alike as a coveted summer pastime. With hundreds...[ Click to read more ]

Fireworks Festivals in Tokyo

By Jason Gatewood

Fireworks and summer festivals are arguably the best part of summertime in Japan, with days spent wearing yukata and jinbei traditional clothing while munching street food and nights spent outside watching literally hours of explosions and enjoying the atmosphere of the festival, and the crowds.  Summer festivals are a rare...[ Click to read more ]

Nagoya Summer Fireworks Festivals – Hanabi 2019

By Bert Wishart

For Brits like myself, fireworks displays conjure up memories of cold winter nights, huddling round bonfires and oohing and ahhing as both your breath and extremities freeze. While this is possible in Japan, here fireworks festivals, or hanabi matsuri, are very much a summertime thing. Fireworks Festivals in Nagoya Hanabi...[ Click to read more ]

July Festivals Around Nagoya and Beyond

Jun 13, 2019 By Bert Wishart

Though the air is getting hot and sticky and permanently filled with the perma-drone of cicadas, July is perhaps one of the best months in Japan (and not just because it's my birthday). That's July marks the beginning of the matsuri [festival] season. It is a time when local communities...[ Click to read more ]

Yoyogi Park, home of Tokyo’s “World Festivals“

Apr 24, 2019 By Jason Gatewood

Situated south of Shinjuku, north of Shibuya and just west of Harajuku, the expanse of lush greenery, rolling hills and clear ponds, Yoyogi Park serves as an oasis of refreshing nature in the concrete jungle known as Shibuya Ward. It’s also the home of Meiji Jingu, the shrine dedicated to...[ Click to read more ]

Diving into Hiroshima’s Sakes

Apr 23, 2019 By Matt Mangham

If you’ve only recently moved to Hiroshima, you may not yet be aware that you are in one of Japan’s three great centers for sake production, the other two being in Kobe and Kyoto. Of the three, Hiroshima is both the youngest and, by some metrics, the most innovative. Until...[ Click to read more ]

Cinco de Mayo Festival and Mexican Restaurants in Tokyo

Apr 19, 2019 By Bert Wishart

Cinco de Mayo, while originally a commemoration of an unlikely victory for the Mexican Army against the then powerful French in 1862, has in the US become something of a large celebration for all things Mexico. As these things tend to go, Japan has taken the American interpretation of the holiday, and...[ Click to read more ]

What is Golden Week?

Apr 18, 2019 By Bert Wishart

Japan is a nation that famously takes their working week very seriously. Hours are often long and hard and, as paid vacation is relatively limited when compared to many western countries, the decision to take time off is not taken lightly. This goes a long way to explain why Golden...[ Click to read more ]

5 Comments

Kobe Matsuri: Where East Meets West for a Weekend in May

Apr 17, 2019 By Justin Hanus

The annual Kobe Festival (Matsuri) is unlike any celebration you are likely to run into in the Kansai region during the year. There are plenty of colorful street festivals in Japan and most are tied to an ancient shrine. The Kobe Matsuri is tethered to the past as well, but...[ Click to read more ]

No Comments

Horsing Around at Tado Festival in Mie

Apr 16, 2019 By Bert Wishart

Japan has so many strange, eccentric and exciting festivals every year that it is sometimes difficult to keep track. However, few festivals are exciting and dramatic as Ageuma-Shinji, held every year in Tado, Mie. Also known as Tado Festival, Ageuma-Shinji has been held in this sleepy little town since the Nanboku-chō...[ Click to read more ]