One thing Japan is well known for is its festivals. If you haven’t experienced participating in a Japanese festival, you’re missing out in a fantastic opportunity to truly immerse yourself in Japanese Culture. They are held for many different reasons. From Hokkaido all the way to Kyushu and Okinawa. They celebrate new harvests, or the [...]

My Favorite Place in Japan will be the topic for this months Japan Blog Matsuri (blog carnival) and everyone is welcome to participate!  The hosting duties fall to The Nihon Sun after Ken from What Japan Thinks hosted last month with a great round up of Slow Times in Japan. The goal for this month’s [...]

Kodomo No Hi is celebrate annually on May 5th in Japan.  The  day was known as Boy’s Day until 1948 when was declared a national holiday and was renamed “Children’s Day”.  Today families pray for the health, strength and future success of their children, both boys and girls, on this holiday that is one of [...]

What happens when four national holidays fall within seven days in Japan?  Golden Week.  Many businesses close completely during this period due and many people travel abroad or within Japan resulting in extremely heavy traffic at the airports and on the trains and roadways.  While most tourist destinations and larger stores are not affected by [...]

Ken from What Japan Thinks joins us today as a special correspondent to report on his doughnut eating and cake tasting adventures at Kobe Sweets Festa 2009.  This is one event that I’m sorry I missed but there will be cake for everyone from May 1-6 in Kobe!  Tell us all about it Ken… At [...]

The annual Fuji Matsuri or Wisteria Festival is another chance to take advantage of some of the beautiful spring flowers in Japan.  As the season moves on the pink cherry blossoms give way to the purple blooms wisteria vines throughout the country.  In Tokyo the festival is also an opportunity to take in traditional Japanese [...]

The Kabuki-za Theater is Tokyo’s Ginza district is presenting a series of gala farewell performances over the next year to honor the historic theater before it is torn down in 2010 and to make way for a new highrise structure that is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2013 season.  The Kabuki-za Theatre [...]

The Hono Ozumo at Yasukuni Shrine is a great opportunity to see sumo in Tokyo for free!   On Friday April 10th, ceremonial sumo matches will be held in an outdoor amphitheater on the grounds of the shrine. Approximately 200 rikishi (sumo wrestlers) will participate in bouts that start after opening rites an the blessing of [...]

Since the latter half of the 1980s, Japanese manga and animation have been increasing popular around the world.  More and more works are translated into other languages, manga is used in advertising materials and in the creation of public relations campaigns and has even made it’s way into Japanese textbooks.  Manga is even being used [...]

Each April in Kawasaki the Kanamara Festival takes place at the Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine in Kawasaki, about thirty minutes by train south of Tokyo.  It’s an unusual festival and one that may cause you to shake your head and look twice at some of the mikoshi (portable shrines) being paraded through town. “Huge pink and [...]