Get Into the Summer Spirit with Tokyo’s “Three Great Festivals of Edo”
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CONTENTS
In Japan, Summer Is the Season of Traditional Festivals and Fireworks!
As the Tokyo weather heats up, Tokyoites begin to flee their stuffy offices and classrooms to feel the cool breeze outside. For some, that means throwing on their lightweight yukata (not heavy kimono!) and going to watch fireworks. But the most exciting summer activities are undoubtedly the traditional festivals that take place all over Japan during the summer.
Kanda Festival: One of Japan’s Big 3
The Kanda Shrine is a major Shinto spot in Tokyo, and its biennial festival is a big deal. The Kanda Festival, or Kanda Matsuri (神田祭) has been going on long enough that it was already a big deal back when Tokyo was known as Edo (which is why these are the "Great Festivals of Edo!) While today we're discussing Tokyo's major festivals, the Kanda Festival has also been named one of Japan's three major festivals, so it's known nationwide.
Many festivals of all sizes include processions where teams of locals will carry portable shrines, "mikoshi" (神輿), on their shoulders. These little shrines are usually lavishly decorated and beautiful, and they are definitely very heavy, but they have to be small enough that groups of people can carry them. The Kanda Festival also includes larger versions around the size of a car! The smaller mikoshi and the larger parade-floats make their way through the streets of Tokyo, guided by enthusiastic festival participants. Traditionally the Kanda Festival and Sanno Festival are both biennial festivals, and alternate years! This year (2019) the Kanda Festival has already begun, but you can start planning for 2021 now!
Image Source: Kanda Festival Official Website
Event Dates: May 9, 2019 ~ May 15, 2019
Location: Kanda Shrine, 2 Chome-16-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
Access: 5 min. walk from Ochanomizu Station or Shinochanomizu Station. 7 min. walk from Akihabara Station.
Official Website
Sanno Festival: Richly Ornamented and Beautiful
The Sanno Festival also has a long history, beginning in the Edo Era. It started out as an annual festival of the Hie Shrine in Akasaka, and with support from the shogunate then in power, paraded through the city and even Edo Castle. It's still going strong today, and now it's popular with those who want to admire the traditional outfits of festival participants, and the really beautiful mikoshi and parade floats. Lasting about 10 days, the Sanno Festival still starts at the Hie Shrine, and winds its way through the city, complete with 500 people in traditional court costume. Alternating years with the Kanda Festival, the next Sanno Festival will be in 2020, so before attending the Tokyo Olympics, spend some time admiring Japan's rich traditions!
Image Source: Sanno Festival Official Website
Image Source: Sanno Festival Official Website
Event Dates: June 7 ~ June 17
Location: Hie Shrine, 2 Chome-10-5 Nagatacho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
Access: 5 min. walk from Kokkaigijidomae Station, 8 min. walk from Akasaka Station or Akasakamitsuke Station
Official Website
Fukagawa Hachiman Festival: The “Water Splashing Festival”
The final Great Festival of Edo is also the latest in the year, as the Fukagawa Hachiman Festival usually starts around August 15th. In the midst of hot and humid August weather, you may be excited to find that this festival is also nicknamed the "Water Splashing Festival" because it includes the tradition of splashing the festival participants, those carrying mikoshi in the parade, with lots and lots of water! Hopefully it cools them down while they carry the heavy structures on their shoulders. Every three years a special imperial carriage joins the ranks of the parade, making it a special "hon-matsuri." Maybe you'll get lucky and be there for one!
Image Source: Go Tokyo
Event Dates: usually around August 15th (dates not yet announced)
Location: Tomioka Hachiman Shrine, 1 Chome-20-3 Tomioka, Koto City, Tokyo
Access: 3 min. walk from Monzen Nakacho Station, 15 min. walk from Ecchujima Station
Official Website
Image Source: Asakusa Shrine Official Website
So, are you feeling that summer heat yet? Ready to go see some portable mikoshi shrines glitter in the sunlight, or mikoshi bearers get soaked? The summer festivals this year have already begun, but there's still plenty remaining, and they're a great way to get into the Japanese spirit!
(If you're reading this article right when it comes out, you have time to make it to Asakusa's Sanja Festival. It may not be one of the "Great Festivals" of Tokyo, but in our hearts it's top 3 worthy! Definitely worth a look if you're in Tokyo.)
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Niseko is about two hours from New Chitose Airport, in the western part of Hokkaido. It's one of Japan's most noted winter resort areas, and a frequent destination for international visitors. That's all because of the super high-quality powder snow, which wins the hearts of beginners and experts alike, bringing them back for repeat visits. That's not all, though, it's also a great place to enjoy Hokkaido's culinary scene and some beautiful onsen (hot springs).
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Shizuoka Prefecture is sandwiched between eastern and western Japan, giving the prefecture easy access to both Tokyo and Osaka. Not only is it known for beautiful natural attractions, with everything from Mount Fuji to Suruga Bay, Lake Hamanako, and Sumata Pass―Shizuoka's Izu Peninsula is known as a go-to spot for hot springs lovers, with famous onsen like Atami, Ito, Shimoda, Shuzenji, and Dogashima. Shizuoka attracts all kinds of travelers thanks to historic connections with the Tokugawa clan, the Oigawa Railway, fresh eel cuisine, Hamamatsu gyoza, and famously high-quality green tea.
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Kyoto flourished as the capital of Japan between the years 794 and 1100, becoming a center for poilitics and culture, and to this day it's a great place for close encounters with Japanese history. The cobbled streets of Gion, the atmospheric road to Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji's golden walls and countless historic attractions, even Arashiyama's Togetsukyo Bridge―Kyoto is a place of many attractions. With new charms to experience throughout the seasons, travelers can't stop themselves from returning again and again.
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Nara Prefecture's important history reaches back to 710, a time now called the Nara era, when it was once capital of Japan. Called "Heijo-kyo" during its time as a capital, it's said that nara was once the end of the silk road, leading it to flourish as a uniquely international region and produce important cultural properties of all kinds. To make the most of each season, travelers head to Nara Park, where the Nara deer who wander freely, or climb Mount Yoshino, a famous cherry blossom spot.
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Osaka is known for friendly (and funny) people, but its history is nothing to laugh at, playing a major part in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 16th century unification of Japan. Thanks to long years of economic activity, it's one of Japan's biggest cities, and Osaka's popular food culture earned it the nickname "The Kitchen of the Nation." To this day Osaka is the model of western Japan, and alongside historic structures like Osaka Castle, it also has major shopping malls like Umeda's Grand Front Osaka and Tennoji's Abeno Harukas. Osaka is a place to eat, eat, eat, with local specialties like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushi-katsu, and for extra fun, it's home to Universal Studios Japan.
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The Chugoku Region (中国地方) consists of five prefectures: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In Chugoku you’ll find the sand dunes of Tottori, and Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site, plus centers of ancient history like Grand Shrine of Izumo.
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Hiroshima Prefecture has everything, from world heritage sites to beautiful nature and delicious local cuisine, and it's either an hour and a half from Tokyo by plane, or four hours by train. Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Dome, two Hiroshima UNESCO sites, are famous around the world, but in Japan it's also famous for food. Seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, especially oysters, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Setouchi lemons are all popular, and the natural scenery alone is worth seeing.
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On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).
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Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.
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Located in the most southwestern part of Japan, Kyushu (九州) is an island of 7 prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. The island's unique culture has been influenced by Chinese and Dutch trade, along with missionaries coming in through Nagasaki's port. Modern-day travelers love the lush natural scenery and fresh food, plus the natural hot springs found all throughout the area (thanks to volcanic activity)!
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Fukuoka Prefecture has the highest population on the southern island of Kyushu, with two major cities: Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. Thanks to growing transportation networks, Fukuoka is more accessible than ever, and so are the many local attractions. On top of historical spots like Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, travelers shouldn't miss Fukuoka's food scene, with motsu nabe (offal hotpot), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and famous Hakata ramen―best eaten from a food stall in the Nakasu area of Hakata. Plus, it's full of all sorts of destinations for travelers, like trendy shopping centers, and the beautiful nature of Itoshima and Yanagawa.
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Kagoshima Prefecture played a major role in Japan's modernization as a backdrop for famous historical figures like samurais Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, who pushed Japan out of the Edo era and into the Meiji. Because of that, Sengan-en Garden is just one of many historical destinations, and when it comes to attractions Kagoshima has plenty: the active volcano of Sakurajima, popular hot springs Ibusuki Onsen and Kirishima Onsen, World Heritage Site Yakushima Island, even what Japan calls the "island closest to heaven," Amami Oshima. Kagoshima might be found on the very southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu, but there's plenty to see.
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OKINAWA
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The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.
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