The Narita Taiko Matsuri is the largest drum festival in the Kanto region and is held each April at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.  The matsuri features two full days of taiko drumming, dancing and parades. Literally, taiko means “fat drum”, and the art form can be traced back the the sixth or seventh century in Japan, [...]

In the southern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto fertile farming land is abundant around Mt. Aso, an active volcano and the site of the largest volcano caldera in the world. Each spring cities, towns and villages in the area host the Aso No Hi Matsuri or the Fire Festival of Aso.  It’s a spectacular event highlighted [...]

Spring is fast on its way to Japan and with spring comes a fascination with her flowers.  The cherry blossom season is so anticipated that there are even calendars that will tell you when the cherry blossoms will start to bloom. The best way to celebrate the flowers of spring in Japan is to head [...]

Rustic hand made Japanese pottery, paper along with beautiful examples of and lacquerware, dyed and woven fabrics will all be on display at the Dento-teki Kogeihin-ten WAZA 2009 (Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition) from February 26th through March 3rd at the Ikebukuro Tobu Department Store. Not only will you be able to view a beautiful array [...]

Mark your calendar for the third day of the third month so you’ll be sure to catch the Hina Matsuri, formerly know as Girl’s Day in Japan, where people pray for the happiness and health of the the young people in their life. To celebrate this day, beautiful displays of dolls are set up in  [...]

Spring training for Major League Baseball starts in fourteen days and that makes it only two short weeks before before pitchers and catchers reports to various spring training sites in Arizona and Florida in the United States.   Position players follow somewhere from ten days to two weeks later.  But, in Japan the teams assemble in [...]

Tengu is the Japanese god of mischief and patron saint of the martial arts and is sometimes referred to as “The Slayer of Vanity”.  Attend the annual Tengu Matsuri (festival), held in honor of this mythical creature from January 30th to February 1st, 2009. “…the bird-like Tengu is a skilled warrior and mischief maker, especially [...]

The Daikoku Matsuri (festival) in held annually at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward an includes a variety of cultural events over a three day period.  This year the festival is held from January 10th through the 12th. On the 10th between 11AM and Noon, a purification ceremony is held where festival participants [...]

Celebrate New Years with traditional performances and exhibitions at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.  The museum is hosting some great events on January 2nd and 3rd that are sure to entertain visitors of all ages. On the schedule are the Shishimai (Lion Dance), performed to bring good fortune and health for the upcoming year, [...]

Whether you live in Japan or are just visiting, festivals, or matsuri as they are known in Japan, are held almost every weekend and special exhibitions and events are almost as common.  If your have a few hours to spare or a hole in your itinerary that needs filling with something fun and interesting then [...]