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Immerse Yourself in Japan’s Culture and Locals with These 3 Interactive Festivals!
Thousands of tourists and locals attend festivals in Japan yearly.
Tens of thousands of festivals, or matsuri in Japanese, are celebrated in Japan each year. Each one offers some of the most unique sceneries of the country’s four distinct seasons, with amazing performances and large parades―some involve getting soaked as part of the celebration, others encourage tourists to take an active role in the rituals.
If you are all about doing as the locals do, then check out the following festivals for the experience of a lifetime!
1) The epic (and wet!) festival of Beppu Hatto Onsen Matsuri (Oita Prefecture)
The Yu-bukkake Matsuri Festival celebrates the prosperity brought about by hot springs in the area.
The origin of this event can be traced back to 1910, when the locals celebrated by expressing their gratitude for the prosperity brought by the hot springs in the area. During the festival held usually in the first week of April, many onsen (hot springs) in Beppu are free of charge. Mikoshi, or portable miniature Shinto shrines, are paraded through the streets and splashed with hot spring water.
Mt. Ougiyama is set ablaze during the Ougiyama Fire Matsuri.
Also part of the celebration is the spectacular Ougiyama Fire Matsuri. Dried grass from the mountain is set ablaze at night, to remind the gods about the coming of winter.
At least 100 tons of hot spring water is splashed on portable shrines, a highlight of the festival.
But even that cannot beat the biggest highlight: the Yu-bukkake Matsuri, or the parade of mikoshi (miniature shrines). At least 100 tons of hot spring water is splashed on the revelers and the portable shrines, and participants show no mercy, all in the name of fun and celebration. Rest assured, no one, including the mikoshi, is going home dry from this occasion.
Event Information
Event Information
Name: Beppu Hatto Onsen Matsuri
Event Period: Usually around April 1 and the 1st weekend of April
Location: Beppu Eki-mae Dori, Beppu City, Oita
Time: 3 p.m.
Access: Walk from JR Beppu Station Website: Discover Oita (English)
2) Exciting festivals and massive, extravagant float parades
(A) Yayoi Festival (Tochigi Prefecture)
Thousands gather annually to participate in the historical Yayoi Festival.
Decorating the Honsha Shrine, Takio Shrine, and Hongu Shrine of Nikko Futarasan Shrine with mikoshi on April 13 marks the beginning of the 1,200-year-old Yayoi Festival.
Portable shrines are decorated extravagantly and paraded to the sound of festival music.
Slightly different than the miniature mikoshi, Yayoi Festival’s portable shrines (hanayatai) are created by 11 different towns, each one lavishly decorated with artificial flowers and paper lanterns then paraded around the Haiden (worship hall) of Nikko Futarasan Shrine to the beat of festival music. Seeing the locals carrying the heavy float up the mountain on their shoulders in one go is truly impressive.
Floats can be seen everywhere during the festival.
There are also special floats for tourists to pull and be part of the tradition. Don’t miss out on this amazing chance to experience hands-on Japanese culture on your next spring trip to Japan!
Event Information
Name: Yayoi Festival (Yayoisai)
Event Period: April 13 – April 17
Location: Downtown area of Nikko City, Nikko Futarasan Shrine, Takio Shrine, Kamibashi, Hongu Shrine, Tochigi
Access:
[Nikko City] Walk from JR Nikko Station
[Nikko Futarasan Shrine ] 7-minute walk from JR Nikko Station by bus
Tourists flock to see these 12-meter-high floats. | Photo credit: Ishikawa Prefectural Tourism League
Literally meaning “green Japanese Emperor Oak festival,” this spring event of Otokonushi Shrine in Nanao City is named after the ritual in which the offerings are placed on the leaves (sei) of the Japanese Emperor Oak tree (haku). Held annually from May 3 to 5, it is the biggest festival of the Noto region and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The highlight of the event is the street parade of three dashi―tall traditional floats that people can sit on. Measuring 12 meters high and weighing 20 tons each, they are the biggest of their kind in the country! Visitors are welcome to try pulling the floats too.
Event information
Name: Seihaku Festival (Seihakusai)
Event Period: May 3 – May 5
Location: Downtown area of Nanao City, Ishikawa
Access: Walk from JR Nanao Station
3) One of the Greats: Akita Kanto Festival, or the Pole Lantern Festival (Akita Prefecture)
Warmly colored bamboo lanterns light up the streets at night. | Photo credit: Akita City Kanto Festival Executive Committee
As one of the Three Great Festivals of the Tohoku region, the Akita Kanto Festival in Akita Prefecture is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property with 270 years of history. Celebrated from August 3 to 6 each year, the festival that prays for a bountiful harvest is noted for its bamboo lanterns resembling rice ears. Lit at night, they cast a warm glow on the main street, making for a stunning night view that should not be missed.
The view lit up by lanterns is a must-see for locals and tourists. | Photo credit: Akita City Kanto Festival Executive Committee
Performers show off their incredible skills and strength when hoisting up the lanterns and balancing the base of the pole on their hand, shoulder, and even forehead. The largest ones can go up to 12 meters high and weigh 50 kilograms!
Performers play traditional instruments for visitors. | Photo credit: Akita City Kanto Festival Executive Committee
In the afternoon, contests are held for performers to show off their balancing skills. Visitors can also participate in lifting miniature, beginner-friendly versions of the Kanto poles. At night, you can experience taiko drum playing and touch the real poles as you take in the lively scene.
Event information
Name: Akita Kanto Festival
Event Period: August 3 – August 6
Location:
[Night Parade or the main event] Kanto-Odori
[Pole Lantern Performance] Area Nakaichi Nigiwai Park
Access:
[Kanto-Odori] 15-minute walk from JR Akita Station
[Area Nakaichi Nigiwai Park] 10-minute walk from JR Akita Station
