Firewalking at Miyajima 2018
Oct 29, 2018 By Matt Mangham
Japan has a slew of fire rituals, the most famous of which being Kyoto’s famous Daimonji Festival. These festivals, leveraging ancient notions of purification and renewal, continue to draw people even in the modern world. In Hiroshima, November offers two chances for visitors to experience ‘Hiwatari,’ or firewalking. The first...[ Click to read more ]
Hiroshima Grand Inoko Festival
By Matt Mangham
Inoko Festivals are a familiar feature of autumn across western Japan. Hiroshima has been running its own Grand Inoko festival since 1990, although there was a 17-year hiatus prior to 2013. This means the 2023 festival marks the 10th anniversary and so should be extra special. What Are Inoko Festivals?...[ Click to read more ]
Free Places to Visit During the Nagoya Festival
Sep 27, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Nagoya has a long and rich history, and The Nagoya Festival is a great time to celebrate this great city in which we live. Of course, the parade through the town is the festival's greatest spectacle, but you may be surprised to know that there are also plenty of other...[ Click to read more ]
Discovering Japan at the Japanese Folk Festival and Cultural Fair
By Bert Wishart
One of the great pleasures of living in Japan is discovering the wide array of cultural differences that we encounter. From arts to food to ways of life, it is difficult to overstate how not only different, but also amazing, this country's cultural heritage is. Another delight is how proud...[ Click to read more ]
Saijo Sake Festival in Higashi Hiroshima
By Matt Mangham
In early October of every year, Hiroshima Prefecture’s Saijo town (part of Higashi-Hiroshima) lets its hair down for a massive, two-day block party. One of Japan’s three premier sake-brewing locales, Saijo is proud of its history. About thirty kilometers east of Hiroshima City, the town’s brewing industry claims roots reaching...[ Click to read more ]
Tokyo Oktoberfest 2018
Sep 26, 2018 By Jason Gatewood
We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Japan loves beer. So it's no surprise there's an Oktoberfest festival happening somewhere at any point in the year. But what about actually IN October? Well, yeah, we got those covered. Greater Tokyo is awash in the amber goodness throughout the...[ Click to read more ]
Takehara Shokei-no-michi Candle Festival near Hiroshima
By Matt Mangham
If you missed the Onomichi Lantern Festival on the 13th, or you were blown away by it and wanted more, the Takehara Shokei-no-michi Candle Festival may be just what you’re seeking. These autumn lantern and candle festivals are increasingly popular around western Japan since they’re such an excellent way to...[ Click to read more ]
Onomichi Lantern Festival Near Hiroshima
By Matt Mangham
Onomichi’s Lantern Festival (Onomichi Akari Matsuri) makes for a perfect way to see this jewel of a small city and its historic temple district. Some 30,000 paper lanterns light the way along a path which carries you past some of the town’s best sights, laid out (according to the website)...[ Click to read more ]
Seki Cutlery Festival in Gifu
By Ray Proper
Seki is a small city in the center of Japan, located in the northern Mino region of Gifu Prefecture. Seki is famous for the production of blades; first samurai swords and now kitchen knives and cutlery continue a legacy of production by artisan swordsmiths in Seki City using modern and...[ Click to read more ]
All Japan Gyoza Festival at Nagakute’s Moricoro Park
Aug 29, 2018 By Bert Wishart
Much like ramen, gyoza is a dish with Chinese origins that the Japanese have taken to their hearts. Typically filled with ground pork, chives, green onion, cabbage, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil, these little dumplings can be fried or boiled, but are almost always delicious, not to mention incredibly moreish....[ Click to read more ]
