Myriad Winter Festivals in Tohoku!
Hachinohe Enburi : Dance Parade for Good Harvest
Aomori’s Hachinohe shi holds an enburi festival every year from February 17 to 20 to celebrate the arrival of spring. The Hachinohe Enburi, with a history of...
Kamakura Matsuri (Snow Hut Festival): More than Just Igloos!
Kamakura festivals, often held on the day of the first full moon of a new year (around mid-February) to pray for household safety and a bumper grain harvest, are traditional events in the Tohoku...
Namahage Culture: Living with the Times
In an agriculture society where people's daily lives depend on the weather, people have worshipped the gods at festivals to praculture of Namahage, frightening the people of Oga city in Akita Prefecture, is a...
First Shrine visit of the year – Hatsumode
New Year's is one of the most important holidays on the Japanese calendar. During the Edo period and the old way of counting, everyone was one year old at birth (because they counted the...
How to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Japan
The Japanese way of celebrating New Year's is very different from Western countries. New Year's is possibly the most important day of the year and is usually celebrated with family or good friends. We'll...
History of Christmas in Japan
If you're in Japan during the Christmas season you might be wondering why Christmas decorations are so prevalent. After all, only about 2% of the Japanese population is Christian and as good as all...
Winter Illumination at Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture
Not even 2 hours away from Tokyo by train you can watch Japan’s No.1 Illumination Show at Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture. 3,5 million warm and sparkling lights will surround you at this...
Step Back in Time: Kakunodate’s Samurai Residences, Akita Prefecture
Take a relaxing stroll around Kakunodate to immerse yourself in history.
While many traditional Japanese buildings have been lost due to fire, weather and deterioration from age, the houses along Samurai Street have stood undamaged...
Revisiting Traditional Architectural Wisdom: Thatching
Thatching is the traditional Japanese craft of building a roof with dry vegetation like straw to achieve warmth and sustainability while also saving energy. In Tohoku, there remain many thatched roof houses that resemble...
New Year’s Day celebrations in Japan
After the New Year's Eve celebrations, it's the real deal. Japanese people go back to their family home during the holidays and spend time together eating and talking.
Enjoying company and food
You could say that...
