Hiroshima Prefecture

Hiroshima’s Ebisuko Festival 2018

Oct 29, 2018 By Matt Mangham

Across Japan, Ebisu is one of Shinto’s most popular deities. Deaf and lame, and always laughing (hence the Japanese term ‘ebisugao’ for a smiling face) Ebisu is the god of...[ Click to read more ]

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...[ Click to read more ]

Hiroshima Grand Inoko Festival

Oct 29, 2018 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...[ Click to read more ]

Saijo Sake Festival in Higashi Hiroshima

Sep 27, 2018 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,...[ Click to read more ]

Takehara Shokei-no-michi Candle Festival near Hiroshima

Sep 26, 2018 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...[ Click to read more ]

Onomichi Lantern Festival Near Hiroshima

Sep 26, 2018 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...[ Click to read more ]

Full Moon Tea Ceremony at Shukkei-en in Hiroshima

Aug 28, 2018 By Matt Mangham

Tsukimi, or Moon Viewing, is a Japanese tradition going back to the Heian period, when portions of the old Chinese mid-Autumn festivals blended with local practices to create one more...[ Click to read more ]

WoodEgg Okonomiyaki Museum Hiroshima

Aug 28, 2018 By Matt Mangham

I regularly meet people traveling through Hiroshima. And because my wife has suggested I be friendlier, I ask them what they’ve seen and enjoyed. Most of the answers are unsurprising,...[ Click to read more ]

Summer Evening of Prayer and Peace in Hiroshima

Jul 30, 2018 By Matt Mangham

Let’s say you arrive in Hiroshima for the August 6th Peace Memorial Ceremony a day early. You don’t feel like sitting around the hotel room watching TV, but what feels...[ Click to read more ]

Hiroshima International Animation Festival 2018

Jul 30, 2018 By Matt Mangham

Both of my daughters have attended and enjoyed this wonderful local film festival for their entire lives. If you’re living in Hiroshima, or are lucky enough to be passing through...[ Click to read more ]