The streets were awash in lantern light and food stalls lined the area around the Bishamonten Zenkokuji Temple this past week at the  Kagurazaka Festival. After partaking our fill of great matsuri food and beer amongst the other revelers we decided to wander through that alleys of Kagurazaka to get away from the crowds along […]

Japan is in the middle of its spring matsuri – festival – season, and the summer fireworks (hanabi) are soon to come. All over the country people flock to the shrines to pay homage and watch the spectacle as the portable shrines – mikoshi – are paraded through the streets by colorfully dressed and shouting […]

You may have though it was all bad news when you heard that Japan’s rainy season officially started this week but it’s doesn’t rain everyday and the weather is still relatively cool and pleasant – in fact it’s great sightseeing weather!    One of the best things to do this time of year is to take […]

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, […]

Sakana is a Japanese term referring to food eaten with sake or alcohol, similar to appetizers like Spanish tapas, it is also the common pronunciation for the kanji for fish. The story behind the image: “Late this past July I attended the Obon Lantern Festival at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.  The lanterns were impressive as […]

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 […]