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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 Beppu Hanabi Taikai (Beppu Fireworks Festival) is a must-see summer event. The festival is held annually on either the last weekend of July or the first weekend of August. Beppu Hanabi Taikai is held at Spa Beach, which overlooks […]
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 […]
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 […]
The home of Mikawa fireworks, this is one of the biggest displays in Aichi, with spots by the river reserved a day in advance by many. With a history dating back to the Edo period, the festival uses 70% locally […]
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 […]
Usually, an incredible 40,000 fireworks go up in smoke in a couple of hours at this mid-summer fireworks festival. However, for 2021 the organizers are running a “special type” event over 15 days with fireworks every day for 10 minutes […]
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 […]
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 […]