It is rare for the same small Japanese town to be home to 2 festivals as different as those held in Towa, Nihonmatsu City. Towa is a satoyama – this means that the town has been built around the patches of arable land located on the border of mountain foothills. The above photos shown youContinue reading Rural Towa Town & its Unique Festivals
Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival is held annually between October 4 & 6th. These beautiful festival float’ lanterns shining bright in dark should not to be missed!Continue reading Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival
This Friday a kabuki performance will be held at the magnificent open-air Hinoemata Kabuki Stage! What is Kabuki? Kabuki is a form of Japanese theatre born in the Edo period. It is different from Noh and Bungaku - the other 2 traditional forms of theater – through its use of vibrant costumes and make up,Continue reading Historic Kabuki Performances Held in Hinoemata Village
Last weekend I visited the Soma Nomaoi Festival. This 3-day festival takes place during the last weekend of July every year, and is centered around 3 main shrines in Minami Soma and Soma. It is thought that the festival has its roots in a local tradition from the 10th century, when horses were chased andContinue reading Watching Exhilarating Samurais on Horseback - Soma Nomaoi
Last week, I went to see Aizu-Tajima Gion festival! I was really lucky to be shown around by a number of local residents, so I could ask as many questions about the customs of the festival as I wanted. All About the Gion Festival Why is there a Gion Festival in Aizu-Tajima? The most famousContinue reading Going to See Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival
Tomorrow I get to go to one of the 3 most spectacular Gion Festivals in Japan. (The other 2 take place in Kyoto, and Fukuoka, if you were wondering!) Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival is an annual shinto celebration which takes place on July 22nd, 23rd and 24th. For 800 years, gion festivals have been an importantContinue reading Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival - Planning My Trip
Ouchi-juku’s breathtaking snow festival is held on the 2nd weekend of February every year in Ouchi-juku, Minamiaizu. Ouchi-juku is a town with a rich history, and is well known having been used as a ‘post-town’ for travellers during the Edo period. The area includes 33 buildings which have been painstakingly preserved as they were hundreds ofContinue reading Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
I recently went to Iizaka Onsen’s Kenka Matsuri (Fighting Festival). Held on the first weekend of October every year, Iizaka Onsen’s Kenka Matsuri is one of the three biggest fighting festivals in Japan. Kenka Matsuri Explained The six different areas that make up Iizaka Onsen Town each come together and compete for the favour of theContinue reading Fukushima’s Fighting Festival: Kenka Matsuri
