Tag Archives: Japanese festivals
Japanese Festivals in August Posted by Ginny on Aug 4, 2011
The Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri (弘前ねぷた祭り) takes place in the city of Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture (青森県). The Hirosaki Neputa Festival is a brightly colored festival where giant paper lanterns are paraded through the streets. These paper lanterns are decorated with images of samurai, mythological gods and goddesses, etc. After the festival has finished, the lanterns…
Japanese Festival in July Posted by Ginny on Jul 3, 2011
The summer season is a grand time for Japanese festivals. For example the Uwajima Ushioni Festival (うわじま牛鬼祭り) or Ox Demon Festival in Uwajima City (宇和島市) of Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県) is known for its large ox demon effigies. There are two large teams that maneuver the two ox demons. This Festival is also known for its…
Japanese Festivals in June Posted by Ginny on Jun 3, 2011
There are quite a few interesting festivals in Japan for the month of June. If you have some free time this summer, why not go to the Dontsuku Festival (どんつく祭り) in the town of Higashiizu (東伊豆町)? The Town is located in Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県). In the Dontsuku Festival the townspeople carry large phalluses through the…
Japanese Festivals in May Posted by Ginny on May 4, 2011
There are some awesome Japanese festivals that occur in May, one of which is the Sanja Matsuri (三社祭) or Sanja Festival. This festival in Japanese literally means “three shrine festival”. The festival is dedicated to three men who founded an ancient Buddhist temple called Sensōji (浅草寺). The main event is when three portable shrines called…
Japanese Festivals in December Posted by Ginny on Dec 21, 2010
Misogi Matsuri (禊祭り) is a festival where men wear a white loincloth or underwear and purify themselves in a river. The Oshiroi Matsuri (おしろい祭り) is a festival where white paste is smeared over the faces of the townspeople. The white paste is made of rice flour and water and is believed to bring a good…
Japanese Festivals in November Posted by Ginny on Nov 10, 2010
November is the time for some interesting Japanese festivals. Take a look at some of these festivals : The Onomichi Betcha Festival (尾道 ベッチャー祭り) is a festival where men dress as demons and pretend to thrash children as they walk by. It’s an old custom that traces back to a time when people believed that…
October Festivals Posted by Ginny on Oct 7, 2010
There are lots of Japanese festivals in October. Here are some of my favorite festivals. The Sawara festival (佐原祭り) is a festival where men push around a palanquin with a large doll mounted on the top of the palanquin. Yabusame festival (流鏑馬祭り) is a festival where men dress up as samurai and draw their bows…