JAPANESE SNAPSHOTS – #41 – FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS

Japan is a trip no matter when you visit, but if you go during a festival or holiday it can make for even bigger fun and excitement.  When planning your trip you might want to time your vacation to coincide with a national celebration.  The Japanese love to party and they always put on a good show.

Here are a list of the Japanese national holidays.

January 1st                                      New Year’s Day

2nd Monday in January                Coming-of-Age Day

February 11th                                National Foundation Day

March 20th                                     Vernal Equinox Day

April 29th                                        Showa’s Day

May 3rd                                          Constitution Memorial Day

May 4th                                           Greenery Day

May 5th                                           Children’s Day

3rd Monday in July                        Marine Day

August 11th                                    Mountain Day

3rd Monday in September          Respect for the Aged Day

September 23rd                            Autumnal Equinox Day

2nd Monday in October              Health-Sports Day

November 3rd                              Culture Day

November 23rd                            Labor Thanksgiving Day

December 23rd                             Emperor’s Birthday

And here are the principal Japanese festivals.

First week of the New Year         Shogatsu

Many people decorate their homes with rice cake offerings to the gods and pine branches.  And this is the time when folks pay their first visit of the year to a temple or shrine.

The day before the beginning of a new Season                                      Setsubun

The first of these four festivals is on February 3rd, and is considered the most important.  People scatter parched beans to drive out the evil spirits and wish for good luck.  They also eat the number of beans to match their age and pray for health in the coming year.

Early February                              Sapporo Snow Festival                         Sapporo, Hokaido

More than 100 large snow sculptures and elaborate ice carvings at this winter festival that coincides with the International Snow Statue Festival

March 3rd                                     Girls’ and Boys’ Festival

Often called the “Doll Festival”, each home with at least one girl displays dolls to wish their daughter good health and growth.  People also celebrate children’s growth on May 5th, when every house with a boy displays carp-shaped streamers outside their homes.

March 21st                                   Ohigan

This is the Buddhist observance of the Vernal Equinox.  The Autumnal Equinox festival is performed on September 23rd.  This is a time when people visit their family graves.

Early May                                       Kanda Matsuri                                     Kanda District, Tokyo

One of the three major festivals of Edo (Japan circa 1600) where more than 100 portable shrines , holding the spirits of deities are carried on the shoulders of large groups of people in time to rhythmic shouts, while accompanied by colorful floats.

Mid-May                                        Sanja Matsuri                                       Asakus District, Tokyo

Like Kanda Matsuri, many portable shrines are paraded through the streets while costumed dancers perform the “Lion Dance”.

May 17th-18th                            Toshogu Spring Festival                      Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture

A procession of more than 1,000 people dressed in traditional costumes parade through the crowded streets.  Horseback archery is also performed, featuring riders wearing armor shoot arrows at wooden targets while galloping at full speed.

July                                                 Gion Matsuri                                         Kyoto

This 1,000-year-old festival features a parade of large spectacular floats from the 15th century and a procession of women wearing flower hats on the 24th

July 7th                                         Tanabata

Bamboo branches are decorated with strips of paper on which people write their wishes.  This event coincides with the Star Festival.

August 6th-8th                            Seandai Tanabata Star Festival         Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

Sendai hosts a Star Festival featuring huge displays of bamboo branches up to thirty feet in length that are shaped into elaborate decorations.  The festival is usually around July 7th to coincide with the old lunar calendar.

August 13th-15th                        Obon

This Buddhist observance is one of the most important times of the year in Japanese culture.  It is the time when people pay their respects to their ancestors.  Bon dancing accompanied by drums and festivals console the spirits of the dead and most people return to their hometowns where they clean their ancestor’s graves, bring them their favorite food, and light candles around which they dance at night.

November 15th                        Shichi-go-san

This traditional event involves girls aged 3-7 and boys aged 3-5 who dress in kimonos and their parents take them to a shrine to pray for their healthy growth.  People also buy “thousand-year candy” at this time to wish for a long life.

The thing that jumps out at me about Japanese festivals is how different their focus is when compared to what we commemorate in America.  The Japanese celebrate their children, ancestors, the change of seasons, health, the stars, and culture.  We celebrate war, government, famous people, labor, and Christianity.  And I think this illustrates the wide divide between our two cultures — our priorities are completely different.

In addition to the official holidays and festivals, there are two very special times of the year in Japan.  In springtime there are cherry blossoms.  When the cherry blossoms are in bloom the Japanese flock to the nearest garden and stroll beneath the fluttering white and pink petals.  Cherry trees are sacred and they are planted everywhere, so in the spring, Japan turns into a riot of outrageous color and beauty.

And in the summer there are the fireworks.  The Japanese have taken fireworks to a whole new level.  Towns compete against one another.  And a town like Tokyo or Osaka can easily spend over a million dollars shooting fireworks into the sky.  In the U.S., the average city spends about $10,000.  Once again different priorities.

   

 

The most obvious example of combining a vacation to Japan with a fun event would be the Summer Olympics in 2020 which will be held in Tokyo (and several other Japanese cities like Osaka).  Inna and I are already putting together our itinerary for what will undoubtedly be a trip of a lifetime.  I mean, Japan AND the Olympics.  How the hell could you beat that combo?