Festivals

Japanese festivals (called matsuri) are traditional festive occasions. Some of them have roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs. There are also various local festivals (e.g. Tobata Gion) that are mostly unknown outside a given prefecture. It is commonly said that you will always find a festival somewhere in Japan.

Unlike most people of East Asian descent, Japanese people generally do not celebrate Chinese New Year, though they tend to throw massive parties on December 31st for Western New Year. (It's unwise to try and shop for the week surrounding New Year's unless you have to as many people are out stocking up for their parties.)

Matsuri (as stated above) is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple, though they can be secular.

There aren't specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, usually related to the rice harvest.

Notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organized at the level of neighborhoods, or machi. Prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets.

One can always find in the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, cups full of kara age (fried chicken), sweet potato fries, beer, and games, such as snatching goldfish. Karaoke contests, sumo matches, dancing in the streets, and other forms of entertainment are often organized in conjunction with matsuri.

A favorite feature of each matsuri are the fireworks displays. This being Japan, they're quite spectacular, but the level of the display varies from place to place (bigger places will have larger displays) and the day the fireworks are on also varies from matsuri to matsuri. Some have them every day, some only on the last day, some on the first day. notably, if there's a matsuri around Obon, there will be displays every night.

Famous matsuri: Jidai, Aoi and Gion Matsuri held in Kyoto; Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka; and the Kanda, Sanno and Sanja Matsuri of Tokyo. Gion Matsuri, Tenjin Matsuri, and Kanda Matsuri are three most famous Matsuri in Japan.

Nationwide Festivals and Holidays

Fixed days:

*Ganjitsu: New Years Day (January 1)
* Seijin Shiki : Coming of Age Day (second Monday of January)
* Kenkoku kinen no hi: National Foundation Day (February 11)
* Hinamatsuri : Doll Festival (3 March)
* Shunbun no hi: Vernal Equinox (March 20 or March 21)
* Hanami : Flower Viewing (late March to early April)
* Shōwa no hi: Showa Day (April 29)
*Kenpō kinenbi: Constitution Memorial Day (May 3)
*Midori no hi: Greenery Day (May 4)
*Kodomo no hi: Children's Day (May 5)
* Tanabata : star festival (7 July)
*Umi no hi: Marine Day (3rd Monday of July)
*Keirō no hi: Respect for the Aged Day (3rd Monday of September)
*Shūbun no hi: Autumnal Equinox Day (September 23 or September 24)
*Taiiku no hi: Health-Sports Day (2nd Monday of October)
*Bunka no hi: Culture Day (November 3)
* Shichi-Go-San: festival day for children aged three, five and seven (15 November)
*Kinrō kansha no hi: Labour Thanksgiving Day (November 23)
*Tennō tanjōbi: The Emperor's Birthday (December 23)
* Ōmisoka : New Year's Eve (31 December)

Multiple days:

* Setsubun : division of season (beginning of each season (spring, summer, autumn, winter))
* Ennichi : temple fair (holy days related to Kami and/or Buddha)

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Seijin shiki
Other names:
Date: second Monday of January
Information: This is the Japanese coming-of-age ceremony. It is held annually on Coming-of-Age Day, the second Monday in January. Festivities include ceremonies held at local and prefectural offices and parties amongst family and friends to celebrate passage into adulthood. The festival was created as a national holiday in 1948, when Coming-of-Age Day was set to January 15. In 1999, as a result of the Happy Monday System, Coming-of-Age Day – and thus the seijin shiki – was moved to its current date of the second Monday in January.

The age of majority in Japan is 20. The seijin shiki covers all those who will reach this age during the current school year, which runs between April and the following March. The ceremony is generally held in the morning at local city offices and all young adults who maintain residency in the area are invited to attend. Government officials give speeches, and small presents are handed out to the new adults. Many women celebrate this day by wearing furisode, a special kind of kimono. Since most are unable to put on a kimono by themselves due to the intricacies involved in putting one on, many choose to visit a beauty salon to dress and to set their hair. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is usually either inherited or rented rather than being bought specially for the occasion. While men sometimes also wear traditional dress (dark kimono or hakama), most men now wear business suits instead.

After the ceremony, the young adults often gather in groups and go to parties or go out drinking. Young women not used to wearing the zori slippers can often be seen limping as the afternoon wears on and evening approaches. Later in the evening, it is not unusual to see wobbly young adults staggering in the trains, heading home after a day of celebration.

Kenkoku kinen-bi
Other names: kenkoku kinen-no-hi
Date: February 11
Information: This is a national holiday in Japan, celebrating the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its mythical first emperor, Jimmu. Though celebration of the story of the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu stretches back into Japanese history, National Foundation Day did not become an official holiday until January 1873, when Japan switched from its lunisolar calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Japanese scholars used the Nihonshoki to derive the exact date, February 11, 660 BC. However, it should be noted that historians have yet to find evidence of either the significance of this date or even the existence of Emperor Jimmu outside of the Nihonshoki.

In its original incarnation, the holiday was named Kigensetsu. It is thought that the Meiji Emperor may have established this holiday to bolster the legitimacy of the imperial family following the abolition of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Publicly linking his rule with the mythical first emperor, Jimmu, and thus Amaterasu, the Meiji Emperor declared himself the one, true ruler of Japan. With large parades and festivals, in its time, Kigensetsu was considered one of the four major holidays of Japan.

Given its reliance on Shinto mythology and its reinforcement of the Japanese nobility, Kigensetsu was abolished following World War II. It was re-established as National Foundation Day in 1966. Though stripped of most of its overt references to the Emperor, National Foundation Day is still a day for expressing patriotism and love of the nation.

Contrary to the importance of Kigensetsu, celebrations for National Foundation Day are relatively muted. Customs include the raising of Japanese flags and reflection on the meaning of Japanese citizenship. The holiday is still relatively controversial however, and very overt expressions of nationalism are rare.

Doll Festival:
Date: March 3
Other Names: Sangatsu Sekku (3rd month Festival), Momo Sekku (Peach Festival), Joshi no Sekku (Girls Festival)
Information: This holiday is also known as the Peach Festival because peach blossoms herald the coming of spring and are the symbol of courage and feminine beauty. Young girls put on their best kimonos and visit the homes of their friend/s. Tiered platforms for hina ningyō (hina dolls; a set of dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians in ancient court dress) are set up in the home, and the family celebrates with a special meal of hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (rice malt with sake).

Hanami
Date: April
Other Names: Hanami (flower viewing), Cherry Blossom Festival
Information: Various flower festivals are held at Shinto shrines during the month of April. Excursions and picnics for enjoying flowers, particularly cherry blossoms are also common. In some places flower viewing parties are held on traditionally fixed dates. This is one of the most popular events during spring. The subject of flower viewing has long held an important place in literature, dance and the fine arts. Ikebana (flower arrangement) is also a popular part of Japanese culture and is still practiced by many people today.

This is my favorite Japanese thing to do. There is really nothing like having a picnic beneath the cherry trees wtih your friends.

Shōwa no hi
Date: April 29
Other names:
Information: Showa Day is a controversial Japanese annual holiday. It honours the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, the reigning Emperor before, during, and after World War II (from 1926 to 1989). The official purpose of the holiday is "To reflect on Japan's Shōwa period when recovery was made after turbulent days, and to think of the country's future." Emperor Hirohito died on January 7, 1989. April 29 was subsequently no longer celebrated as The Emperor's Birthday but instead as Greenery Day, part of Japan's Golden Week. After many legislation attempts since 2000, Greenery Day finally won approval to be renamed Shōwa Day in May 2005, and the decision to move the date of Greenery Day from April 29 to May 4 was taken.

Kenpō Kinenbi
Date: May 3
Other names:
Information: This is a national holiday in celebration of the promulgation of the 1947 Constitution of Japan. It is a part of the collection of holidays known as Golden Week. A holiday since the current Japanese constitution came into effect on May 3, 1947, this is the only day of the year that the National Diet Building is open to the public. Being a day that draws its significance from the Japanese constitution, Constitution Memorial Day is often chosen as a day to reflect on the meaning of democracy and Japanese government. For instance, in 2003, a number of newspapers featured editorials regarding the constitution's embattled Article 9.

Midori no hi
Date: May 4
Other names:
Information: Between 1989 and 2006 it was held on April 29; from 2007 on, it will be held on May 4. It was the birthday of Hirohito, the Showa Emperor. Since 1989, following the accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne of the current Emperor Akihito, the name "Birthday of the Emperor" was changed to "Greenery Day". Officially, as its name suggests, it is a day to commune with nature, to be thankful for blessings, and to foster an abundant spirit.[citation needed] The day was renamed to "Greenery Day" in reference to the controversial war-time Emperor's love for plants, but avoided directly mentioning his name. However in practice it is seen as just another day that expands the Japanese Golden Week vacation.

In 2007, Greenery Day moved to May 4, and April 29 was changed to Showa Day in accordance with a 2005 revision of the law pertaining to public holidays. The Showa Emperor reigned for 62 years and 2 weeks. On May 3, 1947, he became a symbol of Japan by the new constitution of the country. Some found the decision to re-introduce Showa Day controversial, claiming that it could raise anti-Japanese sentiment in Japan's neighbours who still harbour hostile feelings for Japan's expansionist policies during World War II.

Boy's Day (Kodomo no hi)
Date: 5th of May a special day just for you lucky boys out their in peaceful, beautiful Japan
Other Names: Iris Festival (Shōbu no Sekku), Tango Festival (Tango no Sekku)
Information: May is the month of the Iris Festival. The tall-stemmed Japanese iris is a symbolic flower. Its long, narrow leaves resemble the sharp blades of a sword, and for many centuries it has been the custom to place iris leaves in a boy's bath to give him a martial spirit. Originally May 5th was a festival for boys corresponding to the Doll Festival, for girls, but in 1948 it was renamed Children's Day and made a national holiday. However, this might be a misnomer; the symbols of courage and strength mainly honor boys. It is customary on this day for families with male children to fly koinobori (carp streamers, a symbol of success) outside the house, display warrior dolls (musha ningyō) inside, and eat chimaki (rice cakes wrapped in cogan grass or bamboo leaves) and kashiwamochi (rice cakes filled with bean paste and wrapped in oak leaves).

Umi no hi
Date: third Monday in July
Other names: Ocean Day
Information: Many people take advantage of the holiday and summer weather to take a beach trip. As it is a modern secular holiday, there are no traditional ceremonies associated with the day. The law established this national holiday as a day of gratitude for the blessings of the oceans and for hoping for the prosperity of the maritime nation that is Japan. Prior to 1996, it was known as Marine Memorial Day, and was not a holiday. In 1996, it became a national holiday, with its date fixed as July 20. An amendment to the law made it, as of 2003, the Monday holiday it now is.

Tanabata
Date: 7th of July
Other Names: The Star Festival
Information: It originated from a Chinese folk legend concerning two stars-the Weaver Star (Vega) and the Cowherd Star (Altair)-who were said to be lovers who could meet only once a year on the 7th night of the 7th month provided it didn't rain and flood the Milky Way. It was named Tanabata after a weaving maiden from a Japanese legend who was believed to make clothes for the gods. People often write wishes and romantic aspirations on long, narrow strips of coloured paper and hang them on bamboo branches along with other small ornaments.

Bon Festival
Date: 13th-15th of August
Other Names: urabon
Information: A Buddhist observance honoring the spirits of ancestors. Usually a "spirit altar" (shōryōdana) is set up in front of the Butsudan (buddhist family altar) to welcome the ancestors' souls. A priest is usually asked to come and read a sutra (tanagyō). Among the traditional preparations for the ancestors' return are the cleaning of grave sites and preparing a path from them to the house and the provision of straw horses or oxen for the ancestors' transportation. The welcoming fire (mukaebi) built on the 13th and the send-off fire (okuribi) built on the 16th are intended to light the path.

Lantern Floating
Date: 15th or 16th of July (August)
Information: The customary practice to mark the end of the Bon Festival. Small paper lanterns containing lighted candles are floated on rivers or the sea light the way for the ancestral spirits as they depart. Usually a message is written on the outside of the paper lantern.

Keirō no Hi
Date: third Monday of September
Other names:
Information: A holiday celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens and has been a national holiday since 1966. This national holiday traces its origins to 1947, when Nomatanimura (now Yachiyocho), Hyōgo Prefecture proclaimed September 15 as Old Folks' Day (Toshiyori no Hi). Its popularity spread nationwide, and in 1966 it took its present name and status. Annually, Japanese media take the opportunity to feature the elderly, reporting the population and highlighting the oldest people in the country.

Kiku no Sekku
Date: 9th of September
Other Names: Chōyō no Sekku
Information: Now the least celebrated of the five sekku or seasonal celebrations. The chrysanthemum is a flower of special importance to the Japanese. The 16-petaled chrysanthemum is the imperial crest. Every year in September the Chrysanthemum Festival takes place. Hundreds of species of this flower developed by the Japanese are on display. An even more interesting part of this festival is the Chrysanthemum Doll Fete. Lifelike clay figures are dressed in robes made of fresh chrysanthemums. They are arranged as parts of legendary and historical scenes.

Taiiku no hi
Date: second Monday in October
Other names: Health-Sports Day or Sports Day
Information: It commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics being held in Tokyo, and exists to promote sports and an active lifestyle. The first Health and Sports Day was held on October 10, 1966, two years after the 1964 Summer Olympics. October was chosen for the unusually late Summer Olympics to avoid the Japanese rainy season, and Health and Sports Day continues to be one of the fairest days of the year. As Health and Sports Day is a day to promote sports and physical and mental health, many schools and businesses choose this day to hold their annual Field Day (Undō-kai), or sports day. This typically consists of a range of physical events ranging from more traditional track-and-field events such as the 100 metres or 4 x 100 metres relay to more uncommon events such as the tug of war and the Mock Cavalry Battle (Kiba-sen; kiba-sen is highly entertaining to watch, though I've never participaed in it).

Sports days as shown in anime are very typical. they pretty much all follow the same pattern. There are local diginitaries and high standing members of the community among the spectators. In small towns, the mayor will be there. In larger centers, a represenative of the local government will be there. Following the sports activities, there is always a round dance and it's always to the same music. If you've seen the sports day episode of the anime 'Azumanga Daiou', then you know what a psorts days looks like. Trust me. I've been to a couple of them myself.

Bunka-no-hi
Date: November 3
Other names:
Information: A national holiday held annually for the purpose of promoting culture, the arts, and academic endeavour. Festivities typically include art exhibitions, parades, and award ceremonies for distinguished artists and scholars. November 3 has been a national holiday in Japan since the Meiji Period. Originally celebrated as The Emperor's Birthday—the Meiji Emperor was born on November 3—it was changed to Culture Day upon the Meiji Emperor's death in 1912. With the official announcement of the post-war Japanese constitution on November 3, 1946, Culture Day gained additional significance, and has become a day for people to promote the values espoused in the post-war constitution. The day the constitution was officially adopted has its own holiday as well. (See Constitution Memorial Day.)

As Culture Day exists to promote the arts and various fields of academic endeavor, local and prefectural governments typically choose this day to hold art exhibits, culture festivals, and parades. For example, Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture holds the annual Federal Lord's Parade (Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu) to exhibit Edo Period clothing and costumes. It is common for universities to present new research and projects on Culture Day.

Since 1937, the award ceremony for the prestigious Order of Culture has been held on this day. Given by the Emperor himself to those who have significantly advanced science, the arts or culture, it is one of the highest honors bestowed by the Imperial Family. The prize is not restricted to Japanese citizens, and for instance was awarded to the Apollo 11 astronauts upon their successful return from the moon. Curiously, Culture Day is statistically one of the finest days of the year. Between 1965 and 1996, there have only been three years with rain occurring in Tokyo on Culture Day. Culture Day festivals as seen in anime such as Azumanga Daiou, Fruits Basket and Sailormoon are quite accurate in how the day goes.

"7-5-3" Festival (Shichigosan)
Date: 15th of November
Other names:
Information: Five-year-old boys and seven- or three-year-old girls are taken to the local shrine to pray for their safe and healthy future. This festival started because of the belief that children of certain ages were especially prone to bad luck and hence in need of divine protection. Children are usually dressed in traditional clothing for the occasion and after visiting the shrine many people buy chitose-ame ("thousand-year candy") sold at the shrine.

Kinrō Kansha no hi
Date: November 23
Other names:
Information: The law establishing the holiday cites it as an occasion for commemorating labour and production and giving one another thanks. Events are held throughout Japan, one such being the Nagano Labour Festival. The event encourages thinking about the environment, peace and human rights. It is not unusual for early grade elementary students to create drawings for the holiday and give them as gifts to local kobans, or police stations.

Labour Thanksgiving Day is the modern name for an ancient rice harvest festival known as Niiname-sai, believed to have been held as long ago as November of 678. Traditionally, it celebrated the year's hard work; during the Niiname-sai ceremony, the Emperor would dedicate the year's harvest to kami (spirits), and taste the rice for the first time. The modern holiday was established after World War II in 1948 as a day to mark some of the changes of the postwar constitution of Japan, including fundamental human rights and the expansion of workers rights. Currently Niiname-sai is held privately by the Imperial Family while Labour Thanksgiving Day has become a national holiday. Tennō tanjōbi
Date: December 23
Other names:
Information: The date is determined by the present Emperor's birth date. Emperor Akihito was born on this date in 1933. During the reign of Hirohito (Showa period, 1926-1989), the Emperor's birthday was observed on April 29. April 29 remained a public holiday, posthumously renamed Greenery Day in 1989 and Showa Day in 2007. (See Showa Day and Greenery Day for more information). Previous to World War II, it was called Tenchōsetsu, but after the war the new government renamed it Tennō tanjōbi, or "The Emperor's Birthday", in 1948, when it was established as a holiday by law. Under the law, the Diet of Japan must convene and change the holiday date before the reigning emperor's birthday becomes a public holiday. Thus, there exists a small chance that the former emperor's birthday may come before the change can be made.

On December 23, a public ceremony takes place at the Imperial Palace which, usually off limits to the public, opens its gates. The Emperor, accompanied by Empress Michiko and several other members of the imperial family, appears on a palace balcony protected by bulletproof glass to acknowledge the birthday congratulations of crowds of festive well-wishers waving tiny Japanese flags. Only on this occasion and on the second of January may the general public enter the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace.

To enter the inner grounds of the palace on December 23, visitors have to stand in line at designated areas across the street from the palace. The large, graveled plaza where the visitors can see Nijubashi Bridge is closed off by the police. At the designated time, visitors' bags are checked and they are escorted to the palace grounds. Admission is free, and visitors are given a free paper Japanese flag. Also, no food and drinks may be taken into the palace.

Visitors then stand in line near the famous Nijubashi Bridge, the symbol of the palace. At 9:30 am, they allow the first group of people to cross Nijubashi Bridge and enter the plaza in front of the balcony where the Emperor will appear. At 10:20 am, the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Prince Akishino, Princess Akishino, and others appear on the balcony and wave to the crowd who wave paper Japanese flags and shout "banzai!"

If the Emperor speaks, then the crowd falls silent. When the Emperor ceases his oratory greeting (however brief), the crowd starts waving the flags again and the Imperial Family wave back. They appear for three minutes. The crowd is then directed to the exit. Most of them scatter and take a walk around the East Garden of the palace which includes the remains of the castle donjon. Meanwhile, the next group is led into the palace.

The visiting crowds are usually made up of significantly older portions of the Japanese population, as national interest in the Emperor has been on the wane since the end of World War II. Quite a few foreigners also attend. Occasionally, organized groups of right-wing ultra-nationalists (uyoku) park nearby with vans that blast militaristic slogans over a loudspeaker.

As a note, I've been to the palace for this. It's insane. I've never seen that much red and white waving in the air and I'm Canadian! The palace is lovely and so are the grounds. I'll post picures up sometime (yes, I have some taken while I was there with my husband and friends).

Preparation for the New Year and Year-end Fair
Date: late December
Other Names: Year-end (toshi no se),Year-end Fair (Toshi no Ichi)
Information: Preparations for seeing in the new year were originally undertaken to greet the toshigami, or deity of the incoming year. These began on the 13th of December, when the house was given a thorough cleaning; the date is usually nearer the end of the month now. The house is then decorated in the traditional fashion: A sacred rope of straw (shimenawa) with dangling white paper strips (shide) is hung over the front door to prevent evil spirits from entering and to show the presence of the toshigami. It is also customary to place kadomatsu, an arrangement of tree sprigs, beside the entrance way. A special altar, known as toshidana ("year shelf"), is piled high with kagamimochi (flat, round rice cakes), sake (rice wine), persimmons, and other foods in honor of the toshigami. A fair is traditionally held in late December at shrines, temples or in local neighborhoods. This is in preparation for the new year holidays. Decorations and sundry goods are sold at the fair. Originally these year-end fairs provided opportunities for farmers, fisherfolk and mountain dwellers to exchange goods and buy clothes and other necessities for the coming year.

Ōmisoka (Ōmisoka)
Date: 31st December
Information: People do the general house cleaning (Ōsōji) to welcome coming year and not to keep having impure influences. Many people visit Buddhist temples to hear the temple bells rung 108 times at midnight (joya no kane). This is to announce the passing of the old year and the coming of the new. The reason they are rung 108 times is because of the Buddhist belief that human beings are plagued by 108 earthly desires or passions (bonnō). With each ring one desire is dispelled. It is also a custom to eat toshikoshi soba ("year-crossing noodles") in the hope that one's family fortunes will extend like the long noodles.

Hadaka Matsuri

A hadaka matsuri hadakamatsuri (lit. naked festival) is a type of Japanese festival, or matsuri, where participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a Japanese loincloth (called fundoshi), sometimes with a short hapicoat, and very rarely completely naked. Whatever the clothing, it is considered to be above vulgar, or everyday, undergarments, and on the level of holy Japanese shrine attire. Naked festivals are held in dozens of places throughout Japan every year, usually in the summer or winter.

These Matsuri often happen in one of two times of year, but rarely both times at the same place.

* It is common that mud is involved in the festivities in some way, and this no doubt lends to the entertainment.
* Hadaka matsuri held in summer tend to involve participants in loincloths carrying mikoshi, while carrying portable shrines.
* Hadaka matsuri held in winter tend to involve ritual purification by water followed by a mass fight for a holy object (such as a stick, jewel, etc) that symbolizes the event.
* Participants are often adult males, who try to cultivate a strong image; however, young boys and girls have been known at times to participate, and in this sense the festival can become a rite of passage for young participants. Most naked festivals limit participation to adult males, but many have separate events where youth may participate, allowing communities to pass their traditions from generation to generation.
* Some locations are dedicated to young men's (or rarer still, women's) hadaka matsuris. This is more common in Western Japan.
* Some places have changed their hadaka matsuri traditions, and switched to female sumo instead.
* Like other festivals in Japan, hadaka matsuri have multiple forms of entertainment for spectators, including stalls with food and games, and taiko drumming. Tourists often travel to see the spectacle.

Controversy

The nature of these festivals, with their scantly-clad participants, is not usually an issue in Japan. In fact, when participants do get naked, it is usually considered a healthy, sacred act, and not indecent. However, some controversies do exist.

* Safety among slippery mud and water, and due to exposure, can be a concern.
* One looming problem for some festivals has been the participation of unsavory characters looking to gain monetary prizes. Some festival organizers claim that yakuza participant numbers have risen, leading to aggravated violence in what are supposed to be jovial bouts.
* Some festivals, such as the Doro mochi tsuki in Tara, Saga have been more subdued in recent years, due to unwanted attention from the media, and the claim that people are forgetting the true, religious meaning behind the festival.