Here you’ll find information about visiting the snow & winter festivals happening in Fukushima over the next couple of weeks. Please note the time tables listed below are the 2019 winter season time tables. Skip to the festival you’d like to know about by choosing from the list below: Ouchi-juku Snow Festival Tadami Snow FestivalContinue reading Fukushima Snow Festivals Guide 2019
Next Monday, the annual Tug-of-War Festival will be held in Aizu Bange Town, a small town just a short drive from Aizu-Wakamatsu City. I attended this festival last year and had lots of fun, so I wanted to share some information about the festival for people considering going this year! Basic Information: The festival’s nameContinue reading January 14: Aizu Bange’s Tug-of-War Festival
Hi everyone! I hope you have all had a good Christmas break. This is my first day back at work! During the holidays, I spoke to members of the international community here who either currently live in Fukushima or who have lived here, and asked them what they love most about the prefecture. They providedContinue reading “Why We Love Winter in Fukushima”: Local Recommendations
Where is Iizaka Onsen & What is a ‘Kenka Matsuri’? Iizaka Onsen is a quaint town built around the sources of the Iizaka Onsen hot springs. Iizaka Onsen hot spring water has been loved for over a millennium, and is well-known in Japan. Residents of Tokyo often pop up on the Shinkansen to takeContinue reading Iizaka Onsen & Kenka Matsuri Autumn Festival
Fukushima Prefecture’s biggest firework festival will be held tomorrow night (August 25) in Sukagawa City. I was impressed went to the Sukagawa City Shakado River Fireworks Display last year. Not only was the 90-minute firework display fantastic, but the atmosphere in the city centre was really fun and exciting. Thinking back to my visit toContinue reading Sukagawa City: Fireworks, Tatami, Fire Festivals & Sci-Fi Heroes
When I think of summer in Japan, I think of the 5 following things: Cicada – the call of these huge insects is synonymous with hot summer nights for Japanese people! Humidity – Not only is summer in Japan hot, but it’s also super humid! Aircon – The word for ‘air conditioner’ in Japanese. IfContinue reading Summer Events & Festivals in Fukushima 2018
What began over 1,000 years ago as a military training exercise started by the founder of Fukushima Prefecture’s Soma Clan has transformed over the centuries into a fantastic annual festival, where men and women clad in traditional samurai armor compete in various races in order to receive blessings at local shrines. Not only is theContinue reading Soma Nomaoi 2018: Festival Guide
Introducing the Yanaizu Naked Man Festival On the evening of January 7th every year, crowds of men, dressed only in loincloths, get ready for Yanaizu’s Naked Man festival or Hadaka Mairi (Literally translates as ‘Naked Temple Visit’). They cleanse their bodies, and march through the streets of Yanaizu to Enzoji Temple, almost completely exposed toContinue reading Yanaizu Naked Man Festival: What You Need to Know
One of the questions I am asked the most frequently is how to reach Ouchi-juku, especially during the annual snow festival held in this historic post-town. The information about accessing this festival is predominantly written in Japanese, so I thought I would post this blog article about how to access the festival. Next year’s SnowContinue reading Getting to Ouchi-juku Snow Festival 2018
Although I have lived in Fukushima for 1.5 years now, I am constantly finding new places that I want to visit or festivals I want to go to. So I decided to write a bucket list of things to try out in Fukushima during the winter months! (This list includes a couple of places IContinue reading Ideas for Winter Trips in Fukushima
