Torigoe Shrine would probably be just another obscure little shrine in Tokyo’s shitamachi (“low town” loosely interpreted as the working-class district) if not for one feature: its huge four ton mikoshi (portable shrine). Once a year, the people living around the shrine literally fight for the right to carry the shrine in a procession on…
Category: Events
Tanabata
Tanabata is the celebration of the myth of the two lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, two stars separated by the Milky Way. Once each year on the 7th of July or August, they are allowed to meet. While their story represents the basis of Tanabata, the day is celebrated in many different ways. Most common is…
Undokai
Undokai (運動会) in Japan is known as “Sports Day” in English. Not to be confused with the October 10th holiday, sports days are held at nearly every Japanese public school (especially lower levels). Classes are divided into teams which compete in a variety of physical events including a tug-of-war, relay races, and other fun events….
Shibuya Ohara Festival
The annual Ohara Festival in Shibuya in June demonstrates how important festivals are in Japan; a section of a major street right in front of Shibuya Station is closed to vehicles to allow hours of dance performances for a large audience gathered on the sidewalks. The festival celebrates Shibuya’s ties to the southern region of Kagoshima….
Sanno Matsuri Parade
Sanno Matsuri is one of the three major festivals of Tokyo, but don’t expect the millions of spectators that festivals like Sanja Matsuri have. What Sanno Matsuri lacks in attendance it makes up for in stature; it is one of the few festivals that is attended by the Emperor…sort of. In truth, the festival comes…
Kujikuri Beach Area
Kujikuri is a stretch of beaches along the East Coast of Chiba Prefecture. With long beaches that meet the shore gently, this area is popular with Japanese surfers and bodyboarders as well as families just out to enjoy a swim in the ocean. Less than two hours from Tokyo, many Tokyoites have vacation homes in…
UN University Farmers Market
In a country where domestic agriculture is such a critical industry, there have been surprisingly few Farmers Markets in Japan. Recently, momentum is gaining for supporting sustainable agriculture and locally grown products, and Farmers Markets are a wonderful by-product of the overall movement. In the heart of Tokyo, United Nations University in Aoyama hosts a…
Shinto Wedding
Witnessing a wedding procession through a Shinto shrine is a grand and colorful affair, a parade of beautiful traditional costumes and relatives in fine suits and kimono. Seeing such an event taking place in an ancient shrine would make you believe you are witnessing a custom dating back centuries, even a millennium. But you’d be…
Zombies
When the weather turns nice in Tokyo, the zombies awaken from their hibernation to fulfill their most carnal desire: a walk in Yoyogi Park. Yes, the Tokyo zombies are out for their walk on a Spring Saturday afternoon. The exact date varies from year to year, so you’ll have to keep an eye on local sources…
Chichibu Shibazakura
Every year for about six weeks, a mountainside park about 90 minutes outside of Tokyo turns into a controlled explosion of pink, white and lavender flowers. They are shibazakura 芝桜 , known as phlox in English, and they grow like a carpet of flowers against the mountain backdrop of Saitama. Chichibu is a town in…
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