-Events and five seasonal festivals that allow you to experience the changing seasons of Japan-

Each of Japan's four seasons has its own unique beauty and scenery, and the traditional events that take place during these seasons provide special moments for families.

In spring, people enjoy cherry blossom viewing, in summer they watch fireworks blooming in the night sky, in autumn they enjoy the beauty of nature by viewing the autumn leaves, and in winter they visit shrines for the first time in the year to pray for peace in the new year.

Through traditional Japanese events, you can rediscover the charm of the four seasons and deepen family bonds .

On this page, we will explain in detail about the representative events and five seasonal festivals of each season, and introduce how to enjoy them with your family.

Spring is a season that symbolizes new beginnings and many events are held during this time.

Cherry blossom viewing is a seasonal event that symbolizes spring in Japan , and spending time with family and friends under the cherry blossoms is a special experience.

On Hinamatsuri, people decorate their homes with dolls and enjoy traditional Japanese sweets to celebrate the growth of young girls .

The Boys' Festival is an event to pray for the healthy growth of boys, and it is customary to decorate carp streamers and May dolls and eat kashiwamochi.

• Doll's Festival (Girls' Festival): Celebrating girls' birthdays by displaying Hina dolls

• Vernal Equinox : Day and night are of equal length, celebrating the arrival of spring

• Graduation ceremony : a ceremony to celebrate the end of student life

• Cherry Blossom Viewing: Enjoy a picnic or stroll under the cherry blossoms

• End of the fiscal year/beginning of the new year: preparing for the new fiscal year and marking a turning point

• Entrance ceremony/kindergarten entrance ceremony : A ceremony to celebrate the start of a new life

• Spending time with family during Golden Week

• Children's Day and Boys' Festival (Iris Festival): Displaying May dolls and celebrating the healthy growth of boys

Enjoy spring events and spend special time with your family while enjoying the beauty of nature.

When summer comes, the whole of Japan is filled with exciting events.
Among these, Tanabata , summer festivals , and fireworks displays are particularly enjoyable events.
Each one has a special meaning that has been cherished since ancient times.
Now I will tell you about the fun and value of participating.

Tanabata is a festival held on July 7th, named after the Milky Way that spreads across the night sky.
This is a romantic day when Orihime and Hikoboshi are said to be able to meet just once a year.

Why not write your wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo leaves with your family and friends?
For example, "I hope you will study better."
You make a wish to the stars to make your wish come true, such as "May I have more friends."

Imagine your wishes reaching the heavens at night, beneath the swaying bamboo leaves and Tanabata decorations .
I'm sure you'll want to decorate it again next year.

Next, I'd like to talk about summer festivals .
Summer festivals are celebrations where towns and regions come together to enjoy themselves.

At night, the town comes alive with food stalls lined up in rows.
There are lots of fun things to do, such as shaved ice, yakisoba, and goldfish scooping .

Just imagine .
Wear a yukata and walk through the city at night with your family and friends.
The lights of the food stalls sparkle and happy voices can be heard from all around.
When you hear the Bon Odori music and join the dancing circle, you'll feel as if you've traveled back in time.

To close out the day, look up at the night sky and watch huge fireworks explode into the sky, creating huge flowers that bloom in the sky.
At this moment, memories of the summer festival will be etched deep in your heart.

And about the fireworks festival .

This event can be considered the climax of the summer festival and is a moment that will create lifelong memories.
The colorful fireworks that spread across the night sky will capture your heart in an instant.

Just imagine .
Everyone spreads out sheets, feels the night breeze, and enjoys watching the spectacular fireworks unfold before their eyes.
Every time I hear the sound of fireworks, my heart starts pounding and I get excited , wondering, "What kind of firework will go off next?"
This moving experience cannot be felt on television or in photographs; it is a special one that can only be understood by being there in person .

These summer traditions , Tanabata , summer festivals , and fireworks displays , are fun events that you will want to experience in the future.

Please come and participate in these events with your family and friends and create special summer memories.

Every time summer comes around, there are wonderful times that I want to experience again .

• Tanabata Festival : An event held on July 7th where people write their wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo.

• Summer festivals and fireworks displays : Festivals held at shrines or local areas on summer nights, and events where fireworks are launched into the night sky.

• Obon : An event to commemorate the spirits of ancestors and to honor them as family and in the community

• Victory over Japan Day : August 15th is a day to commemorate the war dead and pray for peace.

Autumn is the season of harvest, and many events are held to give thanks for the blessings.

On the fifteenth night of the full moon (the harvest moon), a ceremony called "tsukimi" is held , in which offerings of moon-viewing rice dumplings are made and the beautiful moon is gazed upon .

At autumn festivals, people carry portable shrines and hold ceremonies to pray for a good harvest, and each region has its own unique festivals.

Autumn events are the perfect opportunity to appreciate the blessings of nature .

• Double Ninth Festival : A custom of drinking and decorating with chrysanthemum flowers to celebrate longevity

• The Full Moon : Enjoying the Full Moon and Giving Thanks for the Harvest

• Respect for the Aged Day : A day to show respect and gratitude to the elderly

• Autumnal Equinox : The day when the length of day and night are equal

• Autumn Festivals : Traditional Events Celebrating a Good Harvest

• Sports Day : A healthy health event

• Culture Day : A day to respect and celebrate Japanese culture

• Labor Thanksgiving Day: A day to celebrate and give thanks for work

• Shichi-go-san : A traditional Japanese event to celebrate children's growth

• Halloween : A thorough comparison of Halloween in Japan with the rest of the world

Winter events provide warm family time to combat the cold .

New Year's Day is Japan's biggest festival, a special time to pray for happiness in the new year.

People visit shrines on New Year's Day to pray for safety and peace in the year ahead .

Also, at the Snow Festival, beautiful snow sculptures are lined up, allowing you to enjoy a wintery landscape.

• Winter solstice : The shortest day of the year, on which it is customary to eat pumpkin and take a yuzu bath.

• December/New Year 's Eve: To conclude the year, people ring the bells to welcome in the new year.

• New Year's Day, First Shrine Visit of the Year, New Year : Celebrating the New Year and making the first shrine visit of the year to a shrine or temple to pray for safety in the year ahead.

• Jinjitsu Festival : Eating rice porridge with seven herbs on January 7th to pray for good health

• Coming-of-Age Day/Coming-of-Age Ceremony : A day to celebrate new adults, with a ceremony held

• Setsubun : A day to throw beans to ward off evil spirits

• Risshun : The turning point when winter ends and spring begins

• National Foundation Day : A day to celebrate the founding of Japan

Specific dates and times of the five seasonal festivals and how to read them

• Jinjitsu Festival (Seven Herbs Festival): January 7th

• Jōmi Festival (Peach Festival): March 3

• Tango no Sekku (Boys' Day) (Iris Festival): May 5th

• Tanabata Festival (Sasatake Festival): July 7th

• Chrysanthemum Festival (Chrysanthemum Festival): September 9th

The five seasonal festivals are traditional Japanese events celebrating certain turning points, and each has its own unique meaning and history.
These festivals convey ancient customs to the present day and have been passed down as important cultural traditions that can be enjoyed by families .

Jinjitsu Festival is a traditional event held on January 7th, during which it is customary to eat rice porridge with seven herbs in order to pray for good health .

The "seven herbs of spring" used in nanakusa-gayu are parsley, shepherd's purse, gogyo, chickweed, ambrosia, turnip, and Japanese radish. These are wild herbs that sprout in the cold of winter, and have long been believed to have medicinal properties.

This event is held to soothe the stomach and intestines tired after the New Year's feast and to pray for good health for the year to come , and is a custom that was introduced from ancient China and has since taken root in Japan.

For those who would like to know more about the Jinchi Festival, we have set up an explanatory page here.
Please click below to see.

Jōshi no Sekku, or Hinamatsuri, is a traditional Japanese event held on March 3rd, a day to pray for the healthy growth of girls .

On this day, homes decorate with Hina dolls and the whole family enjoys a special meal together.

Hina dolls have long been believed to ward off evil spirits , and it is said that displaying them will protect children from misfortune.

Hinamatsuri is an event that has been held since the Heian period, and its origins lie in the "Nagashibina" ritual, in which dolls are floated down a river to ward off evil spirits.

It also provides a unique explanation of modern values ​​regarding the Girls' Festival, which is celebrated on Jōmi (Peach Festival).

Nowadays, there are an increasing number of stylish types of Hina dolls.
Take a look at the Hina dolls that create the atmosphere of Jōshi no Sekku (Girl's Festival).

See a list of stylish Hina dolls

The Boys' Festival is an event held on May 5th, and is a day to celebrate the growth of boys with May dolls and carp streamers .

The Boys' Festival is an event held on May 5th, a day to pray for the healthy growth of boys .

Also known as Children's Day, on this day it is customary to put up carp streamers, display May dolls, and eat kashiwamochi and chimaki.

Carp streamers, as they depict carp streamers climbing waterfalls without giving in to adversity, are said to symbolize the strong growth of boys .

This event originated during the Sengoku period when samurai began praying for the health and growth of boys, and is still cherished in many households today.

Have a wonderful Children's Day.
The latest designs of May dolls can also be displayed stylishly in a Western-style room.

See the latest fashionable May dolls and helmets

Tanabata is a traditional Japanese event held on July 7th, and is said to be the day when Orihime and Hikoboshi, who float in the Milky Way, can meet just once a year .

On this day, it is customary for families to write their wishes on strips of paper and attach them to bamboo leaves.

Tanabata originated as an ancient Chinese star festival , and after being introduced to Japan it became established as a unique part of Japanese culture.

This event, which involves making wishes while looking up at the starry sky on a summer night, is romantic and a great opportunity to create family memories.

The Double Ninth Festival is a traditional Japanese event held on September 9th and has long been known as the Chrysanthemum Festival.

On this day, it is customary to decorate with chrysanthemum flowers and drink chrysanthemum wine to celebrate longevity .

The Double Ninth Festival is one of the five seasonal festivals introduced from China, and is based on the ideas of Onmyodo, being said to be the day when the sun overlaps the most .

The chrysanthemum is a flower that symbolizes longevity and immortality, and the Double Ninth Festival is a special day to pray for the health and longevity of family members.

The following page provides detailed information on how to enjoy the Double Ninth Festival.

What is the Double Ninth Festival on September 9th? | Click here for more information

Japan's traditional events are closely linked to the nature and culture of the four seasons, and it is important to incorporate them into modern life.

Even in today's busy society, finding ways to enjoy these events as a family can deepen family bonds and pass on Japanese culture to your children.

Japan's traditional events and five seasonal festivals that color the four seasons provide irreplaceable time for families and are important cultures that should be passed down through generations.

Spending time with family and enjoying the beauty of nature through seasonal events throughout spring, summer , autumn and winter brings richness and color to everyday life .

These events are also a great opportunity to teach children about Japanese culture and values .