Summer Festivals in Japan

The summer months of July and August are the best time to get outdoors and enjoy one of the numerous summer festivals on offer across Japan. From traditional celebrations such as the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto to spectacular summer fireworks, there is something for everyone to enjoy during summer. 

Known as matsuri (祭) in Japanese, these celebrations have their roots in Chinese festivals from centuries ago. Most matsuri are Shinto in origin with a connection to a local shrine where the gods or spirits known as kami reside. A festival is a time for breaking out the sake, enjoying wild dancing and singing, and getting closer to the gods. It is the only time of the year when the deities can leave the sanctuary of the shrine to be out amongst the people in the streets. 

Festivals typically celebrate the shrine’s deity or a historic event. Portable shrines called mikoshi house the kami when they are brought out from the shrine and paraded for the festival in front of thousands of adoring fans. 

The best way to fully immerse yourself in the matsuri experience is to wear a yukata (a light summer cotton kimono) and geta (wooden shoes). 

Here are a few of the many must see summer festivals to add to your Japan itinerary. 

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. This spectacular summer festival features colorful lantern floats called nebuta which are paraded through the streets of central Aomori every August. The enormous floats are constructed of painted washi paper by local teams and often depict historical figures, famous Japanese samurai, kabuki actors, or mythical creatures. 

Photo Credit: Yo3up at Flickr

Gion Matsuri in the ancient capital of Kyoto. This summer festival dates back to 869 and is held over the entire month of July. It is the festival of Yasaka Shrine and was originally held to appease the gods after an outbreak of disease. The highlight is the famous grand procession of elaborately decorated festival floats which occurs on July 17th. 

Photo Credit: Patrick Vierthaler at Flickr

Gujo Odori in the picturesque riverside town of Gujo Hachiman in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan. This summer street dance festival is one of the three most important traditional bon dance festivals in Japan. The festival started over 400 years ago in an attempt by the local feudal lord to bring all the people of his domain together regardless of rank or social position in order to enjoy one massive street party. 

Yosakoi Festival by Kumar nav at Flickr

Sendai Tanabata Matsuri in Miyagi Prefecture. Held in downtown Sendai from August 6th to 8th, it celebrates Tanabata (The Star Festival). Tanabata originates from Chinese folklore and is based on the romantic legend of Hikoboshi and Orihime, two star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way. The festival is famous for its thousands of brightly colored tanabata streamers that decorate the city. 

Photo Credit: Yo3up at Flickr

Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival in Tokyo. Fireworks have been a summer tradition in Japan for centuries. One of the biggest and best is this one along the banks of the Sumida River near Asakusa. It is the oldest fireworks festival in Japan and is held on the last Saturday of July. It is the perfect chance to try some street food with yatai (stalls) selling all kinds of delicious festival food and seasonal snacks such as takoyaki, yakisoba, shaved ice, and chocolate coated bananas.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Summer Fireworks in Japan

Summer fireworks in Japan have a long history and can be considered a quintessential part of the warmer months in Japan. Across the country, hundreds of fireworks festivals are held every year, but two of the best and most traditional are held in the Mikawa region of central Japan.

Armadas, a video production company based in Japan recently released a stunning 8K video which captures all the thrills and excitement of a summer fireworks festival in Japan.

Shot in the Mikawa region of eastern Aichi Prefecture, this old province in central Japan was one of the few places where gunpowder could be manufactured during the Edo period (1603-1868). The making of firearms gradually evolved into the production of fireworks, including the unique tezutsu hand-held fireworks, which originated in Toyohashi City. Originally used as a form of battlefield and inter-castle communication devices, they are now a popular summer festival attraction.

The Gamagori Summer Fireworks Festival which is held annually on the last weekend of July, starts on the Saturday with “Yosakoi” street dancing and climaxes with a stunning fireworks display on the Sunday. It can boast the largest explosive round in the entire Pacific Rim with an astounding 90cm-diameter 300 kg shell.

Image from Aichi Now

The Toyohashi Fire Festival in September at the home of hand-held fireworks in Japan features tezutsu hanabi accompanied by the sounds of taiko Japanese drumming.

Image from Aichi Now

Take a look at this 8K video from Armadas shot in Toyohashi and Gamagori City to experience a traditional Japanese summer fireworks festival at its best.

Umi no Hi

Marine Day or “Umi no Hi” (海の日) in Japanese is an annual Japanese National Holiday held on the third Monday of July. It is also sometimes called Ocean Day or Sea Day.

This year Umi no Hi will be on July 20th.

Umi no Hi was established to appreciate and celebrate the ocean and to consider the importance of the ocean to Japan as an island nation.

History of Umi no Hi 

Umi no Hi was established on July 20th 1941 to commemorate the Meiji Emperor and his 1876 voyage in the Meiji Maru, an iron steamship constructed in Scotland. The voyage included a trip around the Tohoku region as well as a brief stop in Hakodate before returning to Yokohama on July 20th 1876. Umi no Hi was officially designated a national holiday in 1995, when it became the first holiday in the summer months. It was established as a holiday to express gratitude for the gifts of the sea, honour its importance and to pray for the prosperity of Japan as a maritime nation.

How is Umi no Hi Celebrated 

There are no particular traditions associated with Umi no Hi since it is quite a modern holiday in Japan. Many people take advantage of this holiday and the beautiful summer weather to visit the beach. You can also see special events held at aquariums and water parks around Japan to celebrate Marine Day.

How will you spend your Umi no Hi this year?

Image source

Summer Foods in Japan

It’s mid-August and summer is fully upon us now in Central Japan. It is really hot and humid with no relief in sight! We recently posted 10 Tips to Survive Summer in Japan. Now continuing on with our summer theme is our latest article about Summer Foods in Japan. Food is a big indicator of the season in Japan and changes depending on the time of year. Summer offers a variety of unique seasonal dishes that are intended to provide you with stamina and raise your energy levels (to withstand the summer heat) as well as cool you down. 

Here are a few of our summer favourites:

Hiyashi Chuka (冷やし中華) 

Hiyashi Chuka is a popular summer dish that consists of chilled ramen noodles topped with cold ingredients and a special sauce. Restaurants in Japan only serve it during the summer months but it is pretty easy to make at home yourself. You can also find it at Supermarkets and Convenience Stores across Japan. Popular toppings include tamagoyaki (cooked egg), boiled chicken, ham, cucumber, bean sprouts and tomatoes. The sauce is made from a combination of water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. It is a delicious dish that actually does help cool you down.

Hiyashi Chuka

Unagi (うなぎ) 

Unagi or Japanese freshwater eel is another popular summer food in Japan that has been eaten since the early Edo Period. A popular way to eat Unagi during summer is in a dish called Kabayaki. The eel is put on metal skewers and grilled over charcoal while being dipped and basted in a thick sweet soy sauce. It is usually served on a bed of rice like a don-buri. Unagi is believed to help withstand the hot and humid days of the Japanese summer, and is packed with both Vitamin E and A as well as protein. There is even a special day in mid-summer called “Unagi Day” in Japan for enjoying this wonderful summer stamina dish.

Summer Vegetable Curry (夏野菜カレー) 

Japanese curry or just kare (カレー) as it is called here is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. Curry was originally introduced to Japan during the Meiji Era by the British. It can be eaten all year round and is a lot sweeter than your traditional Indian Curry. In summer, it is enjoyed with a lot of seasonal summer vegetables such as eggplant, tomato and peppers.

Goya Champuru (ゴーヤチャンプルー) 

Goya or bitten melon as it is called in English is another popular summer food in Japan. It is the key ingredient in a famous Okinawan summer dish called Goya Champuru, which is a healthy stir-fry dish made with pork or spam, tofu, thinly sliced goya and scrambled eggs. Goya is a summer stamina food and provides you with healthy doses of Vitamin A and C as well as antioxidants.

Hiyayakko (冷奴) 

Hiyayakko is a chilled tofu dish that is a great summer appetizer or side dish. The chilled tofu is topped with sliced scallions, daikon radish, yuzu rind, sliced myoga ginger and mustard. Hiyayakko is perfect in summer as tofu is packed with B Vitamins which stimulate your metabolism and help provide you with energy to withstand the heat.

Kakigori (かき氷) 

Kakigori or shaved ice is a summer favourite in Japan and can be enjoyed anytime of the day to cool down. Kakigori consists of shaved ice that is topped with a flavoured syrup and sweetened with condensed milk. Some of our favourites include Ichigo Milk (Strawberry Milk), Blue Hawaii (Soda) and Matcha (Green Tea) with Anko (Sweet Azuki Beans). A lot of cafes and restaurants will serve Kakigori in the summer and you can always find it at one of the many summer festivals. Kakigori might not be as healthy or nutritious as the other summer food listed above, but on a hot summer day in Japan nothing beats it.

Matcha Green Tea with Sweet Azuki Beans

 What is your favourite Japanese summer food? Please share with us in the comments below.

10 Tips to Survive Summer in Japan

Summer in Japan is very hot and sticky with the mercury rising to the mid and high 30C levels with very little relief at night. Popular destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka can get extremely hot during this season. You can escape the heat by heading to places like Nikko, north of Tokyo or the cooler Japan Alps in the heart of Japan. Alternatively you can follow these handy tips below to survive a Japanese Summer.


10 Tips to Survive Summer in Japan

Summer Snacks in Japan

One of the great things about living in Japan is the seasonal food and drinks that come around every year, and summer in no exception. Summer 2013 in Japan has seen a great range of summer snacks hit the shelves at conbini (convenience stores) and supermarkets around the country. A few of my favourites have been:

Summer Pocky

Two new summer flavours of Pocky came out for summer 2013. These are Tropical Pocky and Coconut Pocky. Tropical Pocky is very fruity with the Pocky stick covered in mango cream and infused with bits of pineapple. Coconut Pocky features the Pocky stick covered with chocolate and coconut. It was delicious and definitely is our favourite of the summer Pocky.

Coconut Pocky & Tropical Pocky

Passionfruit / Cookies & Cream KitKat

Two new summer versions of KitKat also hit the shelves this summer. Passionfruit KitKat and Cookies & Cream KitKat. Passionfruit KitKat is very sweet and has a strong fruity passionfruit taste. Perfect for any passionfruit fan. Cookies & Cream KitKat is best eaten cold straight out of the fridge or freezer, and is very sweet and delicious. It's hard to beat our all time favourite Matcha Green Tea KitKat but these come close.

Passionfruit KitKat

Cookies & Cream KitKat

Crunch Caramel & Vanilla

Crunch Caramel & Vanilla is also recommended to be beaten cold and is super sweet. It has a great texture and is very good.

Crunch Caramel and Vanilla

Watermelon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Watermelon or Suika is an extremely popular summer flavour in Japan and you will find it in all sorts of things.These Watermelon Chocolate Chip Cookies are a very interesting idea and taste pretty good.

Watermelon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Calbee Salty Lemon Potato Chips

These have been our favourite summer potato chip with a great lemony taste that is just perfect with a cold beer.

Calbee Salty Lemon Potato Chips

Pepsi Shuwa Shuwa Cola Corn Snacks

An unusual flavour that really does taste like Pepsi with that refreshing shuwa shuwa (fizzy bubbles) feeling! They are basically Cheetos that are covered in a fizzy cola powder.

Pepsi Shuwa Shuwa Cola Corn Snacks

What is your favourite Japanese Summer Snack for 2013? Please leave your answers in the comments below.

Summer Fashion in Japan

Summer trends in Japan for 2013 include vivid colours and colours such as blue, red, yellow, green, pink as well as neon colours. Printed designs and patterns are also very popular this summer. Soft pastel colours and whites that give a feeling of transparency and sophistication are also trending.

Classic Japanese patterns from the past have also made a come-back this year. The Japanese yukata (浴衣) is a popular choice for summer this year as well.

The yukata is a casual summer kimono usually made of cotton and worn by both men and women. Cotton is perfect for the hot summers as it lets air through and is very cool and comfortable. A typical yukata ensemble includes the yukata, obi (sash), geta or zori (traditional Japanese sandals), sensu (foldable fan), and kinchaku (carry bag). It is a popular look and very common during the hot summer months starting in July and the summer festivals and fireworks (hanabi) which are also part of this season.

Japanese Yukata

Geta ~ Traditional Japanese Sandals and Kinchaku ~ Carry Bag

Sensu ~ Japanese Folding Fan

Yukata are traditionally made with indigo dyed cotton but these days a wide variety of colours and designs are available. The traditional yukata had patterns of flowers or nature against a background. The general rule is that younger people wear bright vivid colours and bold patterns. The older generation prefer dark, simple patterns and matured colours. Men usually wear solid dark colours.

Japanese Men's Yukata

A lot of young people are also completing their yukata look with a pair of cool sunglasses. Men are also wearing hats and women hair accessories to make the look more modern. It is a wonderful mix of the traditional with the new and modern, which is a big part of fashion today in Japan.

This post is proudly sponsored by SmartBuyGlasses Japan, one of the world's largest online eye wear retailer.

Cormorant Fishing in Gifu

Cormorant Fishing or ukai in Japanese is a major summer attraction on the Nagara River in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Ukai is a traditional fishing method that uses trained cormorants to catch river fish. The art has been practiced along the Nagara River in Gifu for more than 1300 years. It has a very long history in Japan and is mentioned in many ancient chronicles. The samurai warlord Oda Nobunaga took the ukai fisherman under his patronage and created the official position and title of usho (Cormorant Fishing Master). The Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, enjoyed watching ukai when he visited Gifu City and also gave his patronage and protection to the art. He was so fond of the sweetfish he had it delivered to Edo Castle in modern day Tokyo. Today the fishing masters are the official fisherman of the emperor of Japan.

Picture depicting the Cormorant Fishing

Cormorant fishing takes place at night in the darkness. It begins with six long, wooden boats, each manned by a master fisherman and two boatmen, who propel the boat downstream with long wooden poles. The fishermen are dressed in traditional costume of straw skirt, sandals and black kimono. They use the flames of the kagari-bi (fire lanterns) which reflect of the surface of the river to attract the fish. The fishing masters usho use cormorants u to catch the fish as they come to the surface. The cormorants dive underwater to catch the fish by swallowing them whole. A special snare around the neck of the bird prevents them from eating the fish, which are kept in the cormorant’s throat and are retrieved later. The fish are ayu or sweetfish and are very tasty.

It is spectacular to watch and is made even more beautiful by having Mt Kinka and Gifu Castle as a background to the scene.

Cormorant Fishing Viewing Boat

The Usho Fishing Masters 

There are six Cormorant Fishing Masters on the Nagara River in Gifu City. The title and occupation are inherited and are passed down from generation to generation. Their lives are dedicated to cormorant fishing and the skills and techniques used are honed over many years. They lovingly care and raise their cormorants all year round and take great pride in them.

Bronze Statue of a Fishing Master

The Cormorants 

The cormorants are migratory birds and are captured in the wild and trained by the fishing masters to grow into fishing cormorants.

Manhole Cover in Gifu City featuring the famous Cormorants

Where to see Cormorant Fishing in Gifu City 

You can view the cormorant fishing free from the banks of the Nagara River east of the Nagarabashi bridge, or for a closer view, from one of the many viewing boats. The boats range in size from 15-50 passengers.

The Ukai season is from May 11 to October 15 and usually start from 7:30 pm. Boats depart nightly (except after flooding or on the night of the harvest moon) from the Nagarabashi bridge.

You can purchase tickets at the Cormorant Fishing Viewing Boat Office at 1-2 Minato-machi Gifu City.

For more information and fishing schedules, visit the tourist information office in Gifu station or the Cormorant Fishing Viewing Boat Office.

There are some spectacular fireworks to celebrate the opening of the Cormorant Fishing Season on May 11th.

Cormorant Fishing Viewing Boat Office

How to Get There 

From JR Gifu Station take a Gifu Bus heading towards the Nagara area and get off at the Nagarabashi bus stop. It takes around 15 minutes.


View Larger Map

Website: http://www.gifucvb.or.jp/en/01_sightseeing/01_01.html

Gifu Summer Festivals and Events

July is the start of the hot summer period in Japan with the end of the rainy season. This is the time to head outdoors and enjoy the numerous festivals and events happening around the country. A few of my favourite Summer Activities in Japan.

Some of the big summer events happening in Gifu this July include:

Summer Activities in Japan

Summer is the time for festivals, food and fireworks in Japan. The white winter landscape has been covered in lush greenery with the sounds of cicadas shrilling and furin (wind chimes) blowing in the breeze.

The weather is hot and sticky, which is perfect for the summer festivals.

A few of my favourite summer activities in Japan

Air Conditioned Clothing

http://www.inhabitat.com

Japan’s hot and humid summers have led to many great ideas and inventions to try and stay cool and beat the summer heat. The latest is from Japanese entrepreneur Hiroshi Ichigaya, and is air conditioned clothing. Ichigaya is selling jackets, shirts and pants fitted with battery-powered “personal cooling systems”. Small fans circulate so much air over the wearer’s body that a 31C room feels comfortable, according to America’s ABC News, which has tested the clothing. According to ABC News, Ichigaya is selling to 1000 companies and even getting requests from the Prime Minister’s office for half a million jackets.