Gaido Japan

Himeji Yukata Festival
2022-07-22 - 2022-07-24 | Nagasaki
The Himeji Yukata Festival is the oldest festival of its type in Japan, dating back more than 260 years.
Yukata are the light and often very bright kimonos worn in Japan during the summer months. While yukata are a part of most summer festivals, it’s the main point of this one so people make an extra effort with their yukata. Reportedly, 70% of festival-goers come kitted out in their yukata.
The evening festival (it runs from 4:30 pm until 9:30 pm) features around 700 food and drink stalls along with entertainment. If you get in on the yukata action yourself, you’re entitled to some discounts. In particular, entry to the zoo, museum, and Himeji Castle is free.

Tobata Gion Yamagasa Festival
2022-07-22 - 2022-07-24 | Nagasaki
Tobata is a ward of the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture and this festival dates back over 200 years to when Tobata was a village.
The Yamagasa are tall floats that are carried around. At night the floats are adorned with lanterns, making them an impressive sight.
The festival has been recognized by the Japanese government as an important intangible cultural asset.

Hita Gion Festival
2022-07-23 | Yasan Shrine, Yasan Shrine
The historic town of Hita in Oita prefecture is the venue for the Hita Gion Matsuri in late July. Gion festivals are held throughout Japan in July, but each brings a touch of local flavor with lavishly decorated floats and traditional music.
The Hita Gion is touted as one of the “top 3 Gion festivals in Kyushu”. How these rankings are made is a bit of a mystery, but if you’re in the area in late July it’s worth a look.

Kihoku Lantern Festival 2022
2022-07-23 | Nagasaki
The Kihoku Lantern Festival takes place in the port town of Nagashima in Kihoku, Mie Prefecture. Each year a large, elaborate cloth lantern is set afloat on the harbor in the afternoon. After nightfall, there is a spectacular fireworks display known as the Saiun Kujaku (Rainbow Peacock) as a backdrop to the floating lantern. From 3 pm until the fireworks begin at 8 pm there are performances and other entertainment on a stage.

Akeno Sunflower Festival
2022-07-23 08:00 - 2022-08-21 17:00 (Asia/Tokyo) | Nagasaki
Bright and cheerful sunflowers are a quintessential sign of summer in Japan, and the annual Akeno Sunflower Festival boasts fields upon fields of them to enjoy. The event began in 1993, and at the venue, you’ll also find a sunflower maze and the ability to purchase locally made products. From sunset until 9 pm the fields will be lit up, giving visitors the chance to enjoy the flowers illuminated under the night sky. Admission to the Akeno Sunflower Festival is free.

Tsushima Tenno Matsuri
2022-07-23 08:30 - 2022-07-24 21:00 | Nagasaki
Every steaming hot summer evening for over 500 years, the people of Tsushima in Aichi Prefecture go down to the Tenno river. It’s not that the riverside is cooler on the evening of the fourth Saturday of July, but that’s when one of the three major river festivals in Japan, the nationally famous Tsushima Tenno Festival takes place. The Tenno Festival was said to have been a favorite of local war-lord Oda Nobunaga, and today has been designated a Nationally Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. Tsushima is a small city of around 66,000 people, just west of Nagoya City. Apart from the Tenno Festival, Tsushimas’ Autumn Festival, and Wisteria Festivals which also share a long history and traditions, Tsushima’s other claim to fame is the little-known fact that there are more temples in Tsushima than there are in Kyoto! However, it’s that fourth Saturday evening in July, the night of the “Yoimatsuri”, the Night Festival, and the celebrations that continue the next day with the “Asamatsuri”, or Morning Festival that has everyone Tsushima bound. The festival begins after sunset on a Saturday night. Various displays of matchlock gun firing and a kind of handheld fireworks resembling an upright bazooka get the festival goers in the mood. Singing and dancing also take place before the highlight of this particular festival takes to the water. Five large and graceful Makiwara boats, consisting of two boats strapped together with purified straw ropes and decorated with over 400 large paper lanterns each, arranged in a dome-like flying saucer shape, but supposed to represent a mountain, glide along the river, to the accompaniment of Tsushima flute players on board. The reflections of the hundreds of lanterns in the dark, calm waters add to the ethereal effect. The five boats represent the former five villages that made up Tsushima. The dome-shaped arrangement of 365 lanterns, one for each of the days in the year, features a further 12 or 13 lanterns in an antennae-like fashion above it. Under the orange-yellow dome of lanterns are 30 red lanterns. More lanterns decorate the bow of this floating festival float. Most folks dressed in light summer kimono called Yukata watch from the riverside, others take to small boats to enjoy a meal, drinks, and entertainment. All the while, cameras click as the lantern-laden boats sail by, and fantastic fireworks roar like thunder in the sky above. The next morning, the same five Makiwara boats are redecorated with gorgeous red, black, and gold hand-woven tapestries and Karakuri Ningyo mechanical dolls dressed in Noh costumes. These boats are joined by a sixth, the “Ichieguruma” from neighboring Higashiho-Cho. This boat too is decorated with dolls representing characters from Japan’s traditional Noh performing arts. Also on board are ten men, armed with cloth-covered halberds and specially chosen to take part in the ritual, where they dive off the boat with the halberd, before swimming, or walking to shore before presenting the broad-bladed pole-arm to the Tsushima Shrine. The rest of the day is filled with various displays, events, and festivities. If you find yourself in Japan in late July, make sure you visit Tsushima for both days of one of Japan’s biggest and most spectacular festivals, the Tsushima Tenno Matsuri. It’s an awe-inspiring sight on a hot summer’s night!

Tokyo Hula Festival
2022-07-23 18:00 - 2022-07-24 20:00 | Nagasaki
It’s summertime and Ikebukuro is gripped by Hawaiian fever. The annual Hula Festival is hard to miss as the colors and sounds of the Pacific sweep the northwestern part of Tokyo. Up to 3,900 dancers show off their skills on stage, where the gentle sounds of Hawaiian music are playing to the elegant routines of the dancers. First held in 2002, the festival celebrates the friendship between Ikebukuro and Hawaii, where 13% of its residents are Japanese Americans. The festival is usually held on the 3rd weekend of July, so take your seats and be transported to the Pacific Islands.

Odaiba Lantern Festival
2022-07-23 18:30 - 22:00 | Nagasaki
Marine Day or Umi no hi (literally ‘day of the sea’), is celebrated every third Monday of July. While there aren’t any traditional ceremonies (being a newer national holiday), many people choose to visit the beach on this day. Parks and aquariums also hold events and festivals to celebrate the importance of the ocean. Odaiba’s Marine Park located right behind DECKS Tokyo Beach and Aqua City (near Daiba Station or Odaiba-Kaihin-Koen Station on the Yurikamome Line), holds an annual Lantern Festival, where thousands of colored lanterns are lit along the beach, thoughtfully placed to reveal an image when seen from a vantage point. Although the highlight of the festival is the lanterns lit by volunteers, there are many activities and things to do while waiting for the sun to set. Local musicians and singers perform by the beachside café, where you can sit and enjoy the scenery: cruising ferries, the Rainbow Bridge, and skyscrapers surrounding the bridge. If you’re a fan of seafood or feeling adventurous, you may also choose to try the oysters that are freshly grilled by vendors on the street. Whether you are there to enjoy the music, witness the hundreds of lanterns flickering in the night, or even just for an evening stroll, the Lantern Festival at Odaiba is definitely an event you don’t want to miss. More photos of the Odaiba Lantern Festival

Umi no Hi (Ocean Day) at Odaiba
Odaiba is set in a wonderful light using paper lanterns, which are lit up by citizen volunteers every year on the third Monday

Tenjin Festival
2022-07-24 - 2022-07-25 | Nagasaki
This year, Osaka’s Tenjin Festival will only include the mikoshi procession, which will happen on the 25th, as well as various shrine rituals. The festival’s evening components, including the lighting of fires on the boats and the firework displays, are not going ahead. Moreover, should Osaka be placed under a state of emergency or quasi-state of emergency, there may be no parade at all.
Although this is held throughout Japan, the festival that takes place around Osaka Tenmangu shrine is the most famous. Touted as one of Japan’s Top 3 festivals, the Tenjin Matsuri has a history of over 1,000 years.
There are two main parts to the festival, one on land and the other on the water. On dry land, there is a procession of 3,000 people dressed in the style of courtiers of the 8th to 12th centuries accompanied by mikoshi (portable shoulder-borne shrines). The water part of the festival takes place when the same 3,000 participants board boats at Tenmanbashi bridge and sail up the river.
As the sun sets, fires are lit on board the vessels, creating a spectacle for those on the banks. Although they’re lit just for effect now, originally, they were lit for night patrols or fishing.
As the darkness descends, there is also a fireworks display.

Daigaku Festival at Ikune Shrine
2022-07-24 01:00 - 2022-07-25 20:00 | Nagasaki
The Daigaku festival takes place in late July every year at the Ikune Shrine in Osaka. Like other matsuri, it’s a lively community event with street food stalls and children’s games accompanying the traditional elements. The eponymous daigaku is an impressive array of 79 lanterns, originally constructed in celebration of a successful prayer for rain. Ikune is the only shrine in Osaka where a daigaku can be seen, as the others burned down during a battle. Singing, dancing, and a great display of traditional drumming are the main show here, but a wander around the local streets is also a necessity – the street food is delicious and the atmosphere is infectiously upbeat. It’s worth noting that there are two Ikune shrines within a walk of each other, the Daigaku Festival is at the north-westerly of the two.

Tenjin Matsuri
2022-07-24 04:00 - 2022-07-25 23:00 | Nagasaki
Tenjin Matsuri (天神祭) is one of the most symbolic water and light festivals in Osaka also ranked as one of the three greatest festivals in Japan, held annually on the 24th–25th of July. Tenjin is the ‘god of the sky’ and Matsuri is a festival in Japanese. The other festivals are the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto and Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo. Osaka, also known as the City of Water and Light, hosts this festival that dates back more than a thousand years ago. This festival started in year 951 to commemorate the deification of the great scholar, Sugawara no Michizane, enshrined now as the God of Learning. Come and you will get a first-hand experience of how the Japanese celebrate their summer. Tenjin Matsuri is the amalgamation of a boat festival, a fireworks display of over 3000 shots, and parades of Omikoshi-portable shrines. And of course, a lot of energy from the crowd clad in colorful yukata (summer kimono) and geta (wooden slippers) to be a part of this annual summer event. Start your exciting journey into the festival from the Tenmangu shrine. For early birds, on the 24th of July, the Yomiya-sai(Pre-evening festival) starts as early as 7:45 am with rituals and prayers for the success of the festival. There is a Taiko-Japanese drum performance accompanied by a Danjiri (Omikoshi carrier) dancer and dragon dance to signify the start of this festival. Do not miss the golden Omikoshis on display in Tenmangu shrine used in the festival. By 11 am in the Tenmangu shrine you can see the people dressed in costumes getting ready for the possession of the Omikoshis. One of the famous stops that you won’t want to miss is the possession on Midosuji street all the way to Tenjinbashi bridge. Sound and music are of course a big part of any festival, for Tenjin Matsuri, you can see people young and old, sweating profusely in the summer heat, chanting loudly, playing traditional music while 20-30 Danjiris shout to the rhythm of the music while carrying the sacred Omikoshis that weights up to hundreds of kilos. At 6 pm, the Boat Possessions starts on Okawa River. Try to spot the possession with a Kabuki actor, or the boat with the Japanese puppets while enjoying your walk along the stalls by the river. On 25th July, known as the Honmiya – the actual festival day, the three main events are the Land Possessions, Boat/ Water Possessions, and the Fireworks at night. The highlight is the Hanabi firework that starts around 7:30 pm with a much bigger crowd. In Japan, a summer festival is not complete with Hanabi, this must-see event displays 3000 shots of awesome fireworks. The firework is indeed a great end to a grand festival. The people, the energy, the sound, and the color of Tenjin festival are indeed an experience a Japanese traveler wouldn’t want to miss.

Live Earth Matsuyama
2022-07-24 10:00 - 17:00 | Nagasaki
The middle of May in Matsuyama is an uncertain time, weather-wise. It might be burning hot. It might rain. It might be cold and overcast. Or it might be all of these on the same day. You can expect any during Live Earth Matsuyama. As the name suggests, the festival is about live music with an earth-loving theme. The event runs from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening. This small local festival was born in 2007 and it has come a long way. Literally in fact. It used to be held in the car park of the gymnasium above the Fuwari Road Station. Report from 2012 At around noon I made my way up the hill by bicycle towards the venue. It’s a long steep climb and I passed a number of people trudging up on foot. I didn’t envy them. As the car park came into view, I could hear a pleasant throbbing hum coming from the hilltop. This was the music of Dewachen, a combo that features sitar, didgeridoo, throat singing, chanting, and hand percussion. Having handed over my 1,500 yen ticket, I bumped into an English friend who greeted me cheerfully; “We’re living the dream. This drone is driving me nuts”. I plonked myself down on a tarp and was introduced to my friends for the afternoon. Someone went to the beer stall to get a round of Asahi Super Dry in plastic cups that had to be bought separately and reused, to emphasize the importance of resources. The cold, leaden sky gave way to scorching sunshine. Someone had given me a blanket to keep my legs warm, and I wondered about transferring it to my head for shade. The venue was filled with rows of stalls selling a very tempting array of food with a generally “ethnic” theme, clothing, accessories, and outdoor gear. Other stalls offered massages, aromatherapy, and barefoot art for children. Between the lectures, the music went on with some fairly major Japanese acts including Ua, who sang her interesting but undanceable freeform jazz, and Ikue Asazaki who sings in the Okinawan style. The sun went in again and it got really cold. Then the reggae/ska group Little Tempo took the stage, and at last, some danceable music poured forth. Those with a taste for it shook their booty hard, waving empty reusable plastic cups. The Japanese rapper Rankin’ Taxi, topped off with a jaunty gold crown, joined Little Tempo and entertained the crowd with his scurrilous lyrics and banter. Woodstock this is not. Nor is it Fuji Rock. But for a pleasant day out with food, music, and an impromptu community, it can’t be beaten.

The Kagurazaka Matsuri
2022-07-25 19:00 - 2022-07-28 21:00 | Nagasaki
In late July, the Tokyo suburb of Kagurazaka will host the annual Kagurazaka Matsuri. Famous for Kagurazaka Dori, the area’s chic and pedestrian-friendly street slope, the suburb is also known for the historical Akagi Shrine, Edo period geisha houses, and French schools. Held over four days, the first two days of the festival center around the Houzuki Market. Houzuki is ground cherries used during the Obon festival in summer and was once thought to prevent chronic illness. The final two days feature the Awa Odori Festival with crowds of evening dancers performing traditional Japanese dances that originated from far-off Tokushima Prefecture. Kagurazaka features a lively local eatery scene and along with the four days of festival street food stalls, the area will be full of happy revelers enjoying a traditional Japanese summer party atmosphere.

Haneda Matsuri
2022-07-28 09:00 - 2022-08-29 18:00 | Nagasaki
The annual Haneda Matsuri, or Haneda Festival, is held on the last week of July every year. At this lively traditional summer festival, the mikoshi, or the portable shrine, is carried by 3,000 people, with more than 30,000 visitors attending. As Haneda used to be a fishermen’s town, the mikoshi is carried in a unique way, called the Yokota, which represents a boat swaying on the ocean. This article originally appeared on the Ota-City.com website and is republished with permission.

Yubari Fantastic Film Festival
2022-07-28 18:00 - 2022-08-01 19:00 | Nagasaki
Many people in Tokyo have no idea how different Hokkaido is. It is almost 200 km from Sapporo to Obihiro, the same distance as between Shizuoka and Tokyo. But instead of 20 million people and the world’s 15th biggest GDP (Tokyo’s GDP is equal to that of South Korea), there are only 5 million people in the whole of Hokkaido. Tokyo became the biggest metropolis in the world just after the Meiji Period, and Osaka was even bigger than Tokyo in the 1920s. On the other hand, parts of rural Hokkaido in winter snow look more like Siberia than Tokyo. In fact, during the ice age, Hokkaido was connected with Siberia. Halfway between Obihiro and Sapporo is Yubari, a city of 10,000 that used to be the home to 100,000 people. The trains only call at Yubari station five times a day, unlike in Tokyo where there could be five trains at the station every minute. Yet Yubari has a faded charm that can’t be found in Tokyo. Faded posters and architecture, lost in time while Sika deer wander the streets. In the midst of the snow season, people from around the world celebrate this city’s past and future at the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival. The name evokes images of circuses and fun fairs, as if Laurel and Hardy appeared in candy stripe costumes, hollering, “roll up, roll up, the greatest show on earth is here!” Actually, the feature film this year, “The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir’ is in many ways the embodiment of the Yubari, whose hero rises from obscurity to worldwide fame through a fantasy-like adventure.

Lantern Festival at Chidorigafuchi
2022-07-29 19:00 - 2022-07-30 20:00 | Nagasaki
There is a myriad of great summer festivals to enjoy in Tokyo, and one of the prettiest has to be the Chidorigafuchi Moat Lantern Festival. With a history dating back to 1958, the event sees around 2000 gentle lantern lights decorate the water’s surface, and there are several ways for visitors to take part.
Photo: Chiyoda Ward Tourism Association
The most budget-friendly option is simply enjoying a stroll around the moat and appreciating the lanterns from a distance, which won’t cost you a single yen. Alternatively, you can write your own wishes or prayers on a lantern to be released on the water (¥ 1000 per lantern).
Photo: Chiyoda Ward Tourism Association
There’s also the opportunity for a select number of people to enjoy the lanterns from a unique vantage point–by rowboat on the moat. The selection process for this is done via a lottery system and is limited to 80 groups per day and a maximum of three people per group. The lottery applications will go live on the official website from June 20th – don’t fret if you get a 404 Page Not Found before that date!
Photo: Chiyoda Ward Tourism Association

Sumiyoshi Matsuri
2022-07-30 - 2022-08-01 | Sumiyoshi Taisha, Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka, Japan
The Sumiyoshi Matsuri (festival) happens over three days in and around Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine.
The highlight is the nagoshi harai shinji ritual which happens on a middle day. The ritual involves participants (women and children) processioning through a straw rope ring wearing Muromachi period costumes.
The parade of mikoshi (portable shrines) takes place on the last day of the festival. The mikoshi leaves Sumiyoshi and proceed to Shukuin Tongu shrine in neighboring Sakai City.

Kuroishi Neputa Festival
2022-07-30 - 2022-08-05 | Nagasaki
Kuroishi, a town on the central Tsugaru Plain of Aomori Prefecture holds its own Nebuta festival (called Neputa in these parts) on July 30th and August 5th each year.
The parade features more than 50 floats, most in the shape popular in the neighboring Hirosaki Neputa with a small number of free-form Aomori Nebuta-style floats also taking part. The floats gather together on the 30th and the 2nd, so these are the best days to visit. On other days they move around the town and ceremonies are held.
Even though the festival is smaller than the Hirosaki and Aomori City processions, there is a history of Neputa in the area from the Edo period with the official city event beginning in 1955.

Kawagoe Million Lights Summer Festival
2022-07-30 00:00 - 2022-07-31 20:00 | Nagasaki
The Kawagoe Million Lights Summer Festival is a highlight of the annual calendar in the quaint Edo period town of Kawagoe. Just thirty minutes from Ikebukuro station in Tokyo. It has been celebrated for around 150 years. It is a personal favorite event of my family of six. As locals, we have been to this festival several times over the years. It is always held on the last Saturday and Sunday of July each year. The festival extends a large area stretching from the Atre Maruhiro Department store beside the Tobu Tojo Line Kawagoe station up to the top of the main tourist thoroughfare “Ichibangai in the historic warehouse district. Much of the area is made pedestrian-friendly for the course of the festival. Over a thousand festival stalls line the tourist district and station areas. And, as they claim, there are a million lights. There are also stalls and events around Kawagoe City Hall and on the periphery, such as at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine and Kitain Temple. What to expect at Kawagoe Million Lights Summer Festival Festival lanterns line many of the streets in Kawagoe. You are even greeted by a line of lanterns as you come out of the Tobu Tojo Line Kawagoe station exit. Whether there are a million or not, I do not know, but there are certainly thousands throughout the city. Portable shrines, known as Mikoshi in Japanese, are carried around the town. As the sun begins to set festival floats come to join them for a dramatic parade. Festival Stalls Festival stalls with various offerings are available at all the key locations of the festival including around Hon-Kawagoe, on Crea Mall, and in the tourist area. They don’t just sell food or drink. Some stalls have festival games such as gallery shooting, goldfish scoop, hoops, and other traditional Japanese festival games. Entertainment Throughout the festival, in various locations, there are live performances either on stage or on the street. They include traditional as well as modern music and dance performances, sometimes in moving (but not parade) floats. There are parades too. They have a musket shooting event on an opening day, with the shooters dressed up in warrior outfits and kabuto helmets. You can pick up a timetable, with each of the locations marked on a map, at any of the train stations or information desks. Wind Chimes Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine has an annual wind chime event from early July until to early September. Escape the crowds for a few minutes of reprieve while listening to the soothing sounds of wind chimes in the historic and captivating shrine. Dealing with the heat Make no mistake, it is hot. Kawagoe is close to Kumagaya, the hottest city in Japan, and experiences similar temperatures. Pick up a free uchiwa, a Japanese-style fan, to help keep cool. It doubles up as a nice keepsake too. During the festival, there are several areas where you can cool down by a fan blowing out the cool mist. You can also enter one of the shops in the tourist district or on Crea Mall, the main shopping street, and refresh in the air conditioning. Should you need it, there are a couple of first aid stations set up for the festival period, for example at the car park of Maruhiro Department Store. You can just visit this first aid area just to see inside an ambulance and a fire engine as well.

Toyohama Sea Bream Festival
2022-07-30 08:00 - 2022-07-31 17:00 | Nagasaki
It looks like something out of a Godzilla movie, or a fishy version of King Kong, Clash of the Titans gone wrong! Giant land-based Sea Bream up to 18 meters long and six meters high, charging and attacking each other in clouds of sand and dust and being chased by near-naked men before returning to the sea, where they splash and bob about! Before you call in the armed forces, just remember, this IS Japan! And what you’d be watching is the Toyohama Tai Matsuri, or Sea Bream Festival, an annual event held to pray for maritime safety and an abundant catch. Toyohama, about 50 kilometers south of Nagoya City on the southernmost tip of the Chita Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture is divided into five wards, Hangetsu-Ku, Nakamura-Ku, Nakasu-Ku, Tobu-Ku, and Torii-Ku. Each area makes its own huge bream from frames of bamboo and timber and is wrapped in dyed cotton cloth. During the festival, the giant red and black bream are borne by the local young men around the town and seaside. Smaller fish are carried by child participants and adds a certain charm to the boisterous event. There are other smaller parts of the festival, such as the girl’s shrine maiden dance, and the boys drumming performances. The bizarre annual festival is held on a Saturday and Sunday in mid to late July, depending on the tides at Toyohama Beach. You can see the locals gathering to work on their area’s giant fish in the weeks leading up to the spectacle, and the event itself starts at 10 am on Saturday, with a parade of the fish, carried by up to 60 men dressed in traditional festival garb, happi coats, and headbands, all working in rotation through the town, then a mad dash to the seaside. The best place to see the action is just east of the Toyohama intersection on route 247 just before midday, and from about 12:30 pm at Toyohama Fishing Port, where all five fine fishy festival floats fall in to fight! Saturday night’s festivities end with a massive fireworks display, while Sunday dishes up pretty much the same events, the only real difference being at about 3 pm when the Nakasu Ward’s float leads a spectacular plunge into the ocean, followed by what could be described as a giant fish dance announcing the end of the festival. As with all Japanese festivals, they are well catered for, with hundreds of small food and drink stalls, attractions, and specialty stands popping up along the route and near the main beach area too. Toyohama is located within the Mikawa Bay Quasi-National Nature Park and is surrounded by many sightseeing spots, historical sites, cultural properties, and festivals like the Tai Matsuri.

Shinjuku Eisa Festival
2022-07-30 13:00 - 16:00 | Nagasaki
Eisa is a style of dancing that originated throughout the Okinawan islands, and each year in early August the Okinawa Zento Eisa Matsuri draws in hundreds of thousands of spectators. For those who can’t get to Okinawa, the Shinjuku Eisa Festival is a great way to experience this part of the region’s rich culture, and it has been running for almost 20 years now. At the event, Eisa dancers from across the Kanto region will perform, complete with traditional drums, costumes, and music. In previous years the crowd numbers have exceeded a million, so anticipate a large turnout. The event is free to enjoy, so if you’re in the area be sure to check it out.

Matsumoto Grand Taiko Festival
2022-07-30 17:00 - 2022-07-31 21:00 | Nagasaki
Each year on the last weekend in July the city of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture, the “city of music”, already renowned for its historic castle, adds to its fame by hosting the raw and elegant sound and fury that is the annual Matsumoto Grand Taiko (the art of traditional Japanese drumming) Festival. The rhythmic pulse of the city can be heard and felt over two days and nights through the passion of the drummers and the depth of the power of the drums which they strike. Taiko groups from all over Japan come to Matsumoto to participate in the festival, which takes place throughout the city and within the grounds of Matsumoto castle. The festival comprises, in addition to the castle, multiple open-air designated areas in different parts of the city, which play host to multiple taiko performances during the afternoon starting from 1:30 pm. With groups from various parts of Japan performing, it is a pleasure to see the differences in regional styles as well as fluid combinations of showmanship and technical proficiency. Some groups are tremendously well-drilled teams, while others are passionate community groups made up of kids, mums & dads, and grandparents. Regardless of their age or experience, all performers and performances are filled with the special precision, grace, and passion unique to taiko. Each performance is an event in itself and all applause and words of congratulation are humbly received by the performers. At 5:30 pm, as the day gets longer and the sun begins to set, the festivities move to the main event stage inside Matsumoto Castle. No fee is charged and no ticket is required. A raised stage is constructed in the shadow of the castle where the performances take place from 5:30 pm until approximately 9:00 pm. An area of approximately 25m from the front of the stage is neatly divided into free-seating areas on the lawn. There is plenty of room to relax and get a good view of the stage and the castle. Beyond the lawn, seating is a section of individual outdoor chairs organized into a gallery for those with difficulty sitting on the floor. The atmosphere is wonderful. Young and old alike sit mesmerized, captivated by the intricacies of each performance, some of which take on a theatrical element with vibrant costumes and singing. Even the youngest of performers, of primary school age, hold themselves with great character and commitment to the performance. Moreover, as the sun sinks lower, pastel reds and oranges are thrown across the summer sky and clouds and create an unreal effect as they are projected upon and contrasted with the famous white and black surfaces of the castle. Perhaps only if you are particularly sentimental, but at this time it is difficult not to appreciate the weight of history and marvel at the impressive visual and aural intersection of Japanese history and culture. The program begins with individual groups giving 2 or 3 performances each, building up throughout the evening. The penultimate performance is reserved for a professional taiko group (this year: Kodō (鼓童)) to take the stage and, as part of their showmanship, bring the performance into the crowd. The finale can only be described as a taiko tour de force with all groups joining each other on stage for a combined performance of raw power that exceeds even the wildest expectations. A blur of hands and drums from start to finish, each performer exhausts themselves in a union of fierce passion, rigor, and enjoyment in the final performance of the night, which leaves the audience in an equal state of breathlessness. If you’re lucky you might even be able to also catch a glimpse of summer fireworks in the distant night sky to cap off a special evening. All the groups reassemble the next day, with a slight change, to repeat their sensational efforts. The groups are rotated so that those who performed in the castle during the previous evening will perform in the city’s open-air areas and vice versa. In its mythological origin story, taiko is said to have been born when the Shinto goddess Ame-no-Uzume danced wildly atop an empty sake barrel. An experience not to be missed, the festival and its historical setting within Japan’s second oldest extant castle will certainly have you dancing to the beat of a different (taiko) drum.

Kazahaya Fireworks Festival
2022-07-30 20:00 - 21:00 | Hojo Port, Matsuyama, Ehime, 1572-9 Hojotsuji, Matsuyama, Ehime 799-2430, Matsuyama, Ehime, 799-2430, Japan
In the summer months, local fireworks events are held all over rural Japan. Organized by sundry Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, and Chambers of Commerce, they are typically quite spectacular, reflecting the pride of the local area, and they draw crowds in the hundreds and thousands. The Kazahaya Umi Matsuri (Kazayaha Sea Festival) is typical of these events. The Kazahaya area, otherwise known as Hojo, outside Matsuyama is dominated by Kashima Island, a single blob of mountains deposited just offshore. The fireworks are launched from the long piers jutting out northwards from Kashima, and the festival goers gather on the quayside and in the port that serves Kashima just across the water. Those with connections and time to organize procure themselves a fishing boat, load it up with necessities such as cold beer, and bob about in the channel, craning their necks to see the fireworks almost directly above their heads. The area closest to Kashima on the mainland is cordoned off for those who wish to pay 5,000 yen for a camping table that seats four, with the use of temporary toilets and hand washing facilities. Otherwise, entry is free, and unreserved seating is available. The event features a good selection of whizzes, fizzers, squeakers, bangers, and thumpers, with stars, planets, flowers, hearts, palm trees, and other fantastic shapes of momentary duration. The biggest fireworks are loud enough to make your chest thump and fill up your whole field of view. I was sitting next to a gentleman who couldn’t help exclaiming “Do-on!” every time a big one went off. I must say, I sympathized. I might even have said “Do-on!” myself once or twice. The fireworks and smoke, the shape of Kashima looming in the dark, and the lights of the port and boats churning back and forth present a very compelling spectacle. Besides the fireworks, the stalls that line the streets and port are fun too. They sell an amazing array of generally unhealthy but satisfying snacks, cold drinks of every variety, toys that flash and whir, and goldfish. Gaudily painted and illuminated from within, the stalls suck in the crowds. The crowds themselves are a fine sight too. People in Ehime like to put on traditional clothing for festivals. The women appear dressed in bright, flowery yukata belted high below the bust, while the men wear darker colors belted low above the hips. There is much clacking of wooden sandals. It’s best to go by train or bicycle if possible so that you can enjoy the cold beer on tap and avoid the jam of cars that appears almost as soon as the gunpowder smoke has cleared. The nearest station is Iyo-Hojo on the JR line.

Summer Festa at Sanuki Mannou Park
2022-07-31 - 2022-08-31 | Nagasaki
Each year from late July through until late August, Kagawa’s Sanuki Mannou Park hosts a Summer Festa event which is filled with fun summertime activities. There are around 15,000 cheerful sunflowers and 6,000 green kochia to marvel at, along with a water play area and kabutomushi (Japanese rhinoceros beetle) land for the kids — the festival does provide fun for the whole family. For those who want to enjoy the sunflowers at their best, plan your visit for around late July to early August.

The Nagaoka Fireworks Festival
2022-08-01 - 2022-08-03 | Nagaoka Station Jōetsu Shinkansen, Nagaoka Station Jōetsu, Japan
The Nagaoka Festival is held from August 1st to August 3rd around the Shinano River in Nagaoka City. Its main attractions are the portable shrine float parades and folk dance processions during the day with large-scale fireworks displays in the evening on the final two days.
The festival has food tents with traditional Niigata cuisine: Kanzuri (a special seasoning made by leaving chili peppers exposed on snow, then adding flour, salt, and yuzu), Hegi-Soba (soba with a special kind of seaweed), Sasa-dango (Japanese rice cake filled with red bean paste, seasoned with mugwort and wrapped in bamboo leaves) and others.
The main fireworks viewing areas require tickets to enter. However, as with most fireworks festivals in Japan, if you’re prepared to watch from slightly further away, you can watch for free. Organizers claim over 1 million spectators attend over the three days, so make sure you have your transport and accommodation organized in advance.
Access
Nagaoka is directly accessible from Tokyo via bullet train in an hour and forty minutes, costing ¥8,400 for an unreserved seat. If you want to keep costs down you can catch local trains for ¥4,750 although this will take nearly six hours. There are buses available from Tokyo with prices starting from about ¥3,900 and a journey time of around three and a half hours.
Accommodation
With a cluster of business hotels located around the main station in Nagaoka, choices here are similar the cost and room-wise. For a simple room, you can choose from the Hotel Hokke Club or the Hotel New Otani which both have Western rooms and economy options. If you want to up the comfort level head to the Teradomari Misaki Onsen Hotel which is out on the coast.
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Aomori Nebuta Festival
2022-08-01 - 2022-08-07 | Nagasaki
This festival for which Aomori is most famous takes place in Aomori City during the first week of August, however, on the 1st it is only an evening fireworks display. The main procession of the festival consists of large internally lit floats depicting kabuki scenes that are wheeled around wildly from side to side. Members of the public are free to join in as long as they are wearing the required haneto costume.
The Aomori Nebuta schedule sees parades each evening from the 2nd to the 6th with a procession of floats happening during the day on the 7th with a large fireworks festival in the evening.
If traveling to Aomori for Nebuta, you should make sure to book your accommodation well in advance. The best seating spots along the route are mostly reserved by hotels and tour companies. If you don’t have a seat, either staking out a street corner or buying the festival costume (they are on sale throughout Aomori City) and participating in the parade are your best bets for getting a good view.
In addition to the Aomori Nebuta, there are similar festivals throughout the Tsugaru Plain including Hirosaki Neputa, Goshogawara Tachi-Neputa, Hirakawa Neputa, and Kuroishi Neputa.

Yoshinogawa Festival and Fireworks
2022-08-01 - 2022-08-31 | Nagasaki
Taking place on the banks of the Yoshino River in the Shinmachi neighborhood of Gojo city, this is Nara Prefecture’s most popular fireworks festival.
Not content with a mere 4,000 exploding projectiles, the organizers have added a laser light show and music to the mix. The one-hour show will finish with the launch of a spectacular “star mine” firework.
The festival typically attracts 80,000 people. The venue is a 10-minute walk due south of Gojo station. The festival starts at 2 pm and the fireworks begin at 8 pm.

Hirosaki Neputa Festival
2022-08-01 - 2022-08-07 | Nagasaki
The Hirosaki Neputa Festival is a lower-key (but still spectacular) sibling of the much rowdier Nebuta Festival in Aomori City.
While the Aomori floats are a lot more free-form, Neputa floats in Hirosaki are mainly of a distinctive fan-like shape with scenes from kabuki plays on either side of the float.
To chants of Ya-ya-doh!, the floats are wheeled along Hirosaki’s Dotemachi main shopping street starting next to the castle moat and then heading to the south. The attendants and paraders dress in distinctive Neputa kimono with a colorful sash around their shoulders, pinned with small bells.
While there are reserved, seated areas along the route, there are plenty of free seating areas along the road – which are quickly grabbed by both locals and visitors. Some of the best vantage points are at intersections on the route where the floats briefly stop while young men spin the fan part of the float at high speed using ropes, sometimes flying into the air in the process.
As with all the Nebuta festivals, booking well in advance is recommended if you don’t want to miss out on accommodation.

One Love Jamaica Festival
2022-08-01 - 2022-09-01 | Nagasaki
The One Love Jamaica Festival is an annual summer event that will be held in Komazawa Olympic Park and is a good time for those looking to soak up some great food, drinks, dancing, and music. Music seems to flow from every corner of the festival space. Vendors and performers are everywhere playing drums, singing, and creating a truly Caribbean flair. Reggae mostly, of course, and those who can’t play or sing often have a stereo set up with the sounds of one of the most famous Jamaicans, Bob Marley. And that’s not counting the main event stage, which has a full lineup of singers and dancers that enthusiastically rocks all weekend.
Photo: RealShot MASATO
There are rows and rows of tents set up with crafts and vendors. Of course, there is a wide selection of clothes and beachwear, Jamaican style (which means lots of green, yellow, and black designs, lots of tie-dye, and lots of earthy, bohemian styles). There are lots of Latin drums for sale. One tent was selling Usain Bolt merchandise, with clothing and bags featuring the iconic “Fastest Man Alive.”
Usain Bolt merchandise for sale
Of course, every festival brings a huge array of food and drink stalls with it. Good smells wafted everywhere, with the focus on the jerk chicken. There was plenty of jerk chicken stands set up, and though the crowds seemed eager to line up and wait for one or two, there was plenty of delicious food to be found elsewhere, so don’t waste your time lining up with everyone else. The famous Jamaican Red Stripe beer was well represented, as were a number of smaller and lesser-known rum and alcohol makers.
Get them while they’re hot!
And if you can’t make it to the Tokyo event in August, head down to Nagoya’s Hisaya Odori Park to experience the same fun tunes and atmosphere.

Kojiya Awa Dance
2022-08-01 - 2022-08-15 | Nagasaki
The Kojiya Awa Odori is held along the town’s shotengai (shopping street) where roughly 600 spectators join – lined up 10 rows deep – to watch the dancers and cheer as they pass by. There are about 150 kids who also participate in the performance, which is one of Ota City’s summer highlights. Awa Odori is known as one of the more energetic Japanese festivals due to the style of dance performed. It originates from Tokushima on the island of Shikoku. The Awa Odori is a folk dance unique for its irregular and energetic movements. It is said that the dance started out as a celebration of the newly-built Tokushima Castle; supposedly the townspeople happily guzzled sake until they broke out into a drunken dance that became known as Awa Odori.
