Major festivals in Japan

Traditional festivals in Japan mainly originated shrine ritual.
So, many of them are held as the annual event of the main Shinto shrine in the area.

The town people around the shrine thank the God and pray for huge harvest.
It is Japanese festival that they show various performances for the God splendidly in the areas.

In many big festivals, the following vehicles are used.
The parade of them is the main event of the festivals.

Mikoshi is a portable shrine on carrying poles and the God of the shrine is in it.
Many parishioners carry the Mikoshi with cheerful shout, and they parade from the shrine through the town.

Dashi is a tall vehicle and a decorated float.
Dolls, the parishioners, children are on the float and many parishioners pull it.
They parade from the shrine through the town.

As the festival of Buddhism, Bon Odori (Bon Dance) is held in many towns in the midsummer.
"Bon" (or "Obon") is a period that ancestors' souls return from the heaven and the day is around August 15.

Bon Odori is a traditional Japanese folk dance and is one of the events to welcome the ancestors' souls, so it is held around the Bon day.
Many people in the area dance in a circle in the evening.

In some cities, the dancing became a big festival and many tourists visit to see the festival.

Some big festivals started in the modern times are not related to the traditional religions.
These have the regional characteristics and attract many tourists.

Major festivals in each region

Hokkaido Tohoku Kanto Koshin-etsu Hokuriku Tokai Kansai Chugoku Shikoku Kyushu

Major festivals in Hokkaido Region

Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo city, Early February) is the biggest festival of Hokkaido Prefecture in winter.
A lot of big snow statues are made in Odori Park.
Most of them are modeled after famous buildings or popular characters.
It is held for eight days.

Yosakoi-Soran Festival (Sapporo city, Early June) is the popular festival that many teams consisting of tens of people dance to the folk music of Hokkaido "Soran-bushi", and is held around Odori Park.
A student living in Hokkaido watched the Yosakoi Festival at Kochi city, and he began the similar and lively team dance in 1992.
Since then, it has explode in popularity of young people, so it has become one of big festivals in Hokkaido.
Like Yosakoi dance, all dancers dance with "naruko" like a castanet.

Odori Park in Sapporo city

Major festivals in Tohoku Region

Nebuta Festivals (Aomori Pref., Early August) is held in summer at many cities and towns in Aomori Prefecture.
In some cities, it is called "Neputa".
Nebuta (Neputa) is a big paper lantern in the shape of a warrior and it is set up on a float.
Many floats are paraded with many shouting citizens through the streets in the evening.
The lights inside the lantern create a fantasic sight.
The festivals in Aomori and Hirosaki cities are very popular.

Aomori city Hirosaki city

Morioka Sansa Dance Festival (Iwate Pref., August 1 - 4) is the parade of great Bon dance held in the center of Morioka city.
The parade goes in teams.
Each team has some dancers, pipers and drummers, but the number of drummer is very large, so this is called "the greatest drum parade in Japan".
Visitors can also dance without prior application.

Morioka city

Akita Kanto Festival (Akita Pref., August 3 - 6) is held in Akita city.
"Kanto" is a bamboo pole with a lot of "chochin" (paper lantern), and it is the expression of an ear of rice as the hope of a good harvest.
A man hold a kanto pole, and he places it on his shoulder, forehead or hip with balancing and dancing to music.
Main fastival is held in the evening, and the competition of feat is held as the daytime event.

Akita city

Sendai Tanabata Festival (Miyagi Pref., August 6 - 8) is held in Sendai city.
Tanabata is one of the traditional seasonal festivals in east Asia, and in Japan generally it is on July 7th.
Great and gorgeous decorations are hung all over the city.
So, the whole city is filled with the decorations.

Sendai city

Yamagata Hanagasa Festival (Yamagata Pref., August 5 - 7) is held in Yamagata city.
"Hanagasa" is a sedge hat decorated with some red blossoms.
Many dancers with hanagasa go dancing to the folk music "Hanagasa-ondo" through the streets.
The call in Hanagasa-ondo comes from a call that the workers tamped down the ground, and current song has been mixed with various songs during about a century.

Yamagata city

Soma Nomaoi (Fukushima Pref., 3 days from last Saturday in May) is the festival reenacted an ancient cavalry action, and it is held for three days in Soma city facing the Pacific Ocean.
Many men in ancient armor and more than 500 horses join this festival.
They march through the city and gather at Hibarigaoka field, which is the main venue for this festival.
Some reenactments of battles and races by cavalries are performed there.

Major festivals in Kanto Region

Kanda Festival (Tokyo, Several days around May 15) is held around Kanda Myojin shrine.
Many people carry a Mikoshi (portable shrine) with spirited call.
It is said that over 200 mikoshi are carried in the festival, so the festival is really an exciting time.
It alternates between "Main Festival" (in odd year) and "Sub Festival" (in even year) every year.

Kanda Myojin shrine

Sanja Festival (Tokyo, For 3 days from the 3rd Friday in May) is the annual festival of Asakusa Shrine.
It is said that the festival based on the myth was held in 1312 for the first time.
In the last day (Sunday), many people carry several dozen mikoshi, so there is an air of excitement around the shrine.

Asakusa

Sumida River Fireworks Festival (Tokyo, Last Saturday in July) is a big event of fireworks in Tokyo.
About 20,000 fireworks are set off in the sky from 19:00 to 20:30.
The places are Sumida River between Asakusa and Ryogoku districts.

Sumida River

Chichibu Night Festival (Saitama Pref., December 2, 3) is the annual festival of Chichibu shrine in Chichibu city.
It has been held every year since the 1660s.
Six large and decorated Dashi (floats) parade through the streets.
The highlight is the parade by all floats in the last evening.

Chichibu city

Major festivals in Koshin-etsu Region

Yoshida Fire Festival (Yamanashi Pref., August 26, 27) is held in Fuji-Yoshida city located at the northern foot of Mount Fuji.
It is the autumn festival of both Kitaguchi-hongu-Fuji-Sengen Jinja and Suwa Jinja shrines, and they are located between Lake Kawaguchi and Lake Yamanaka.
On the first day, two Mikoshi (portable shrine) are carried throughout the city, and about 70 huge torches about 3 meters high are kindled in the evening.
On the second day, two Mikoshi are carried again and they are returned to the original shrines.

Fuji five lakes

Suwa Onbashira Festival (Nagano Pref., Early April & early May) is the main festival of Suwa Shrine with four shrines, and is held every 6 years.
(The last festival was in 2022.)
Sixteen big fir trees are cut down in a mountain.
In April, the logs are brought a distance of about 12 km from the mountain to the town.
Especially when they take a downhill slide, it is very exciting.
In May, the logs are brought a distance of a few kilometers to each shrine.
And four logs are set up as the sacred pillars in each shrine.

Lake Suwa

Major festivals in Hokuriku Region

Owara Kaze-no-bon (Toyama Pref., September 1 - 3) is a Bon dance festival held in Yatsuo town about 15 km south-southwest of Toyama city.
Many dancers in the town dance to the folk song "Etchu-Owara-bushi".
The song is relatively slowly and is like a elegy.
It is played with only Shamisen, Chinese fiddle and Japanese drum.
The dancers dance in silence and the dance is elegant and sophisticated.

Toyama city

Mikuni Festival (Fukui Pref., May 19 - 21) is the annual festival of Mikuni Shrine in Mikuni town in Sakai city, and there is Awara onsen town near this town.
Six decorated floats are pulled throughout the town.
The symbol of this festival is the huge dolls on the floats.
They are the dolls of historic warlords, heroes or Kabuki actors, and are created newly every festival.
The people in Mikuni town have enthusiasm about creation of the big and dignified dolls.

Awara onsen

Major festivals in Tokai Regions

Konomiya Hadaka Festival (Aichi Pref., Mid-February) is the annual festival of Konomiya shrine in Inazawa city.
It is held on January 13 under the lunar calendar, so the date changes every year.
A sacred man is selected from the candidates and he becomes a man who accept the misfortunes.
Thousand of men with only a loincloth gather in this shrine from surrounding area.
After they jostle each other, the sacred man without a stitch of clothing enter the crowd in the evening.
All men try to touch the sacred man to drive away their unlucky, so the crowd becomes very exciting.
After about an hour, the mobbed sacred man is pulled into the shrine at last.
The misfortunes of all men have been removed by the sacred man and the shrine.

Inuyama Festival (Aichi Pref., 1st Saturday & Sunday in April) is held in Inuyama city.
Thirteen Dashi (floats) parade throughout the city.
On the highest floor of Dashi, a Karakuri Doll (Japanese mechanized puppets) is set up, and it moves magically.
Some operators operate the doll on the second floor, and the musicians play music on the lowest floor.
Not only the parade of Dashi but also the show of the Karakuri Dolls is the main attraction.

Inuyama Castle

Takayama Festival (Gifu Pref., April 14, 15 and October 9, 10) is held in Takayama city.
The spring festival is the annual festival of Hie Shrine, and the autumn festival is the annual festival of Sakurayama-Hachimangu shrine.
In both festivals, about a dozen beautiful and gorgeous floats are pulled throughout the city.
A few floats have Karakuri Doll (Japanese mechanized puppets) on the top.
These beautiful floats are registered as cultural properties, so when it rains or looks like rain, the parade isn't done.

Takayama city

Gujo Odori (Gifu Pref., Between mid-July and early September) is the great Bon Festival dance held in Gujo city.
The dance event is held from 20:00 to around 22:30 on Saturday and Sunday in the period.
In August, the event is held in most days.
Especially, around the day of Bon (August 13 to 16), the dance is held all night until 4:00 or 5:00 the next morning.
Gujo Odori is danced to the music called Gujo-bushi.
The musicians play Gujo-bushi on a float, and many dancers dance in a circle around the float.
The dance is easy, so you can join the dance.

Gujo-Hachiman town

Major festivals in Kansai Region

Tenjin Festival (Osaka city, From late June to late July) is the annual festival of Osaka Tenmangu Shrine.
For about a month, many rituals are held.
The highlight of the festival is the parade of illuminated boats in the river held in the last day (July 25th).
Thousand of people involved in the festival board many boats and parade.

Osaka Tenmangu

Omizutori (Nara city, March 12) is the annual Buddhist ceremony held at Nigatsudo temple in Todaiji.
The ceremony has various events, but all of them are held in Nigatsudo by only the priests.
At night, ten or eleven priests hold a large torch about 6 meters long individually and run along the upper-level corridor of the hall like balcony.
Visitors can see it under the balcony in front of Nigatsudo.
People believe that exposure to the sparks brings good fortune.

Todaiji

Aoi Festival (Kyoto, May 15) is the annual festival of Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine.
About 500 people wearing the graceful costume of ancient nobility parade on the road in Kyoto city.
The route is from Gosho (Kyoto Imperial Palace) through Shimogamo Shrine to Kamigamo Shrine, and the distance is about 8 km.
"Aoi" means "hollyhock".
The people wear the leaves of hollyhock.

Kyoto Imperial Palace Shimogamo Shrine Kamigamo Shrine

Gion Festival (Kyoto, July 1 to 31) is the annual festival of Yasaka Shrine in Gion district.
As the festival of the shrine, various events are held for a month.
But the most popular events are Yoiyama in the evening from July 14 to 16, and the parade of floats is held on July 17.
In Yoiyama, the beautiful floats with lighted lanterns are set up at many town, and many stalls line there.
On July 17, 32 beautiful floats parade from Shijo-Karasuma through Shijo street, Kawaramachi street and Oike street.
This parade is called Yamahoko Junko.

Yasaka Shrine Gion district

Daimonji Okuribi (Kyoto, August 16) is a big event in Bon period in Kyoto.
In the evening, five giant bonfires are lit on the mountains to the northwest, north and northeast of the city.
Each of them forms a kanji character or a sign.
Especially the character "Dai" (大) is simple and clear, so it is the symbol of this event.
"Dai" means "big" or "large", and "monji" means "character".
In Bon period, dead souls return to their families, and Kyoto people send the souls to the heaven at the last day of Bon.

Jidai Festival (Kyoto, October 22) is the annual festival of Heian Shrine.
"Jidai" means "era" or "period".
Eighteen groups of seven historical periods in Japan parade in the city.
About 2,000 people wearing the costume of each era parade.
The length of the procession is about 2 km.
The head of the procession is the group of Meiji Period (the late 19th century), and the following groups go back to the past in sequence.
The route is from Gosho (Kyoto Imperial Palace) through Marutamachi Street, Karasuma Street, Oike Street and Kawaramachi Street to Heian Shrine.

Heian Shrine

Major festivals in Chugoku Region

Horan-enya (Shimane Pref., Mid-May) is the festival of Jozan-inari Shrine located in the site of Matsu Castle.
It is held once every 10 to 12 years, the last festival was in 2019.
The boats carrying the God go to Adakaya Shrine 12 km away from Jozan-inari Shrine.
For 7 days, some ceremonies and festivals are held in Adakaya Shrine.
After that, the boats and the God return Jozan-inari Shrine and the festival of dance is held there.

Matsue Castle

Yamaguchi Tanabata Lantern Festival (Yamaguchi Pref., August 6, 7) is the summer festival held in the center of Yamaguchi city.
About 100,000 red lanterns (Chochin) over the streets are lighted, and they create a fantastic sight.
It is said that this event has been held since the early 15th century.
In front of the city hall, a tall tree with many Chochin about 15 meters high is set up.
It looks like a Christmas tree in summer.

Yamaguchi city

Major festivals in Shikoku Region

Awa Dance Festival (Tokushima Pref., August 12 - 15) held in Tokushima city is the biggest Bon dance festival in Japan.
Men dance vigorously or comically, and women dance gracefully but briskly, to the up-tempo music with bell, drum and bamboo flute, etc.
The festival is performed in the form of dancing parade by many dancing teams.
The style of the festival is similar to Rio Carnival.

Tokushima city

Yosakoi Festival (Kochi Pref., August 9 - 12) is the summer festival of Kochi city which began to compete with Awa Dance Festival in Tokushima city in 1954.
At first, the main event of this festival was the Bon dance parade with clapping Naruko like castanet.
After that, free arrangement of the dancing and the music was allowed, and many various dancing teams came to join this festival, such as samba, rock, hip hop, Flamenco.
The dance performances are held in many places in Kochi city.

Kochi Castle

Major festivals in Kyushu Region

Hakata Dontaku Festival (Fukuoka Pref., May 3, 4) is the big annual festival in Fukuoka city.
Many various dancing teams march with dancing, and they dance on the stage in several place in the city.

Hakata Gion Yamakasa (Fukuoka Pref., July 1 - 15) is an annual festival of Kushida Shrine in Fukuoka city.
Yamakasa means Dashi (float), and many tall and beautiful Yamakasa are pulled by many people in the towns.

Kushida Shrine

Karatsu Kunchi (Saga Pref., November 2 - 4) is the annual festival of Karatsu Shrine in Karatsu city.
The main attraction is the parade of the floats with large papier-mache statues.
But the statues are the excellent craftworks with lacquering and gilding.
Each of 14 districts in Karatsu city has a different statue.
They are lions, fishes, samurai warrior helmets, etc.

Karatsu city

Nagasaki Kunchi (Nagasaki Pref., October 7 - 9) is the annual festival of Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki city.
59 towns in Nagasaki city divide into 7 groups, and each group with 7 to 11 towns joins this festival in turns.
Each town shows unique performance.
They are dragon dance, Japanese dance, pulling or carrying floats, and parades.
On the whole, they has been influenced by the traditional culture of Portugal, the Netherlands and China which are the countries traded in the middle ages.

Nagasaki

Naha Haarii (Okinawa Pref., Early May) is the festival of dragon boat race to pray for catching many fish and navigation safety.
It is held in Naha city.
Three large dragon boats compete in speed.
Each boat is about 15 meters long, and 32 rowers, 3 steerers, 2 ringer, and 5 other crewmembers are on board.
Over 100 teams join the race.
And, during the festival, the parades and the other events are held.

Eisaa (Okinawa Pref., Late August) is the Bon dance held in Okinawa Prefecture.
Since the early 17th century, the dance with only Buddhist invocation had been held during Bon season for commemoration of the ancestors.
In the 19th century, young people added folk songs and drums to the dance.
Additionally, showy performances and costumes have been added, and it has developed as the major event of Okinawa.
The festival is held in many cities and towns in Okinawa.

Naha city

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