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Japanese festivals
Akita Kanto Festival, one of Japan’s most spectacular summer festivals, gets an anime twist this year
- Oona McGee
2 days ago - Tweet
Towering lanterns, traditional balancing skills, and a special anime collaboration make this an unforgettable Japanese festival experience.
- Japan
- (Akita • anime • festivals • Golden Kamuy • Japanese festivals • Kanto • Kanto festival • manga • SNJO • summer • Tohoku)
Umaibo Festival campaign underway for Umaibo Day on 11 November
- Master Blaster
Sep 21, 2025
No one tell Pocky about this, OK?
- Japan
- (contests • happi • holidays • Japanese festivals • snacks • umaibo • Umaibo Day • Umaibo Festival • Yaokin • yukata)
Ponyo-catching game comes to Ghibli Park anime theme park this summer
- Casey Baseel
Jun 11, 2025
Ghibli Park gives you a chance to experience a traditional Japanese summer festival and to take home multiple Ponyos if you’ve got the right skills.
- Japan
- (Amusement Parks • anime • festivals • Japanese festivals • kingyo-sukui • manga • Ponyo • Studio Ghibli • summer festivals • theme parks)
Ghibli Park holds spring matsuri festival with special events to celebrate one-year anniversary
- SoraNews24
Feb 11, 2025
Japanese anime theme park opens its doors to non-ticket holders with a special application system.
- Japan
- (Aichi • Amusement Parks • anime • festivals • Ghibli • Ghibli Park • Howl's Moving Castle • Japanese festivals • Kiki's Delivery Service • manga • movies • Nagoya • news • spring • Studio Ghibli • theme parks • Valley of Witches)
How Japanese people deal with death at Nagasaki’s Shoro Nagashi ceremony
- Oona McGee
Aug 23, 2024
Honouring the dead in a moving way that aids the grieving process.
- Japan
- (ancestor worship • COK • culture • festivals • fireworks • holidays • Japanese festivals • Mariko Ohanabatake • Nagasaki • Obon • Shoro Nagashi • SNJO • Spirit Boat Procession • summer • tradition • travel)
Unko Museum Tokyo holds a Japanese poo festival in Odaiba
- Oona McGee
Jul 5, 2024
A scat twist on a Japanese festival.
- Japan
- (cool • events • festivals • fun • funny • hanami • Japanese festivals • Japanese summer festival • Matsuri • natsu matsuri • news • poo • summer • summer events • summer festival • Tokyo • unko • Unko Museum)
Akutai Matsuri: Japan’s Verbal Abuse Festival, where insults and bad behaviour are encouraged
- Oona McGee
Dec 28, 2023
People in Japan are known for being polite, but not at this weird winter festival.
- Japan
- (Akutai Matsuri • festivals • Ibaraki • Japanese festivals • society • tourism • tradition • travel • videos • weird festivals • winter festivals)
The top 11 Japanese summer festivals, according to travellers
- Oona McGee
Jun 16, 2023
Mark your calendars for these spectacular festivals!
- Japan
- (COK • culture • festivals • Gion Festival • Japanese festivals • Japanese summer festival • Kanto festival • Matsuri • Nebuta Festival • Sendai Tanabata Festival • SNJO • summer • summer festivals • Tanabata • tourism • tourist sites • travel)
Our street food-skipping reporter learns he’s been doing Japanese festivals wrong his whole life
- Casey Baseel
May 27, 2023
He’s one of the few people in Japan who made it to adulthood without trying one of the country’s most popular festival foods.
- Japan
- (COK • festivals • food • Japanese festivals • Japanese street food • Matsuri • Seiji Nakazawa • SNJO • street food • yakisoba)
Kyoto cotton candy brings us the taste of a traditional Japanese festival
- Oona McGee
Jul 28, 2021
Specialty sweets maker pops up in Tokyo for a limited time.
- Japan
- (Arashiyama • COK • confectionery • cotton candy • fairy floss • festivals • food • Japanese festivals • Japanese sweets • Kyoto • Mr. Sato • Shibuya • Shibuya Mark City • SNJO • specialty • sweets • zarame)
Mysterious Spirit Boat Procession in Nagasaki and the sandbox tram that follows it【Video】
- Oona McGee
Oct 8, 2020
A night when mystery hangs thick in the air.
- Japan
- (beautiful • bon • culture • festivals • Japanese festivals • Matsuri • Nagasaki • tourism • trains • trams • travel)
Silent Bon odori dance?! Japan’s traditional summer festival gets a modern twist
- Dale Roll
Aug 15, 2019
The lively dance becomes a silent dance to appeal to younger audiences.
- Japan
- (bon dance • bon-odori • culture • dance • festivals • Japanese festivals • modernization • Obon • silent dance • tradition • video)
What it’s really like to join a Japanese festival and carry a mikoshi around Tokyo for a day
- Oona McGee
Jun 14, 2019
We join the festivities at Suga Shrine, made famous as one of the real-life locations from the hit anime film Your Name.
- Japan
- (COK • culture • festivals • Japanese festivals • mikoshi • sightseeing • SNOJ • Tokyo • tourism • tradition • traditional Japan • travel)
A crime of jealousy? Horrific scene emerges after cat attacks princess doll
- Meg Murphy
Feb 25, 2017
The house apparently wasn’t big enough for the both of ’em.
- Japan
- (cats • funny • hina matsuri • Japanese festivals • pets • twitter)
Final Fantasy VII projection mapping is dazzling guests at Sapporo’s Snow Festival【Video】
- Meg Murphy
Feb 7, 2017
Cloud’s snowy face-off against Sephiroth just got much more intense!
Japan’s Kodo taiko group creates awesome new performance with 3D sound technology
- Oona McGee
Sep 30, 2016
The stunning sound and visuals in this new clip are designed to transport viewers to a Japanese festival as part of a new website for foreign tourists.
- Japan
- (ANA • awesome • cool • culture • drumming • drums • festivals • Japanese festivals • Kodo • Matsuri • music • performance • sound • stage • taiko • tradition • wow)
We take a close-up look at some Japanese street food found at summer festivals【Photos】
- Meg Murphy
Aug 17, 2016
From fried noodles to “octopus balls”, what you’ll find at a festival food stall is probably nothing like you imagined Japanese food to be.
How to wear Japanese geta the correct way and avoid blisters at the summer festival
- Oona McGee
Aug 8, 2016
Do you know the real Japanese technique to wearing traditional footwear?
- Japan
- (festivals • geta • Japanese festivals • Japanese summer festival • kimono • summer • summer festivals • yukata • zori)
Cats appear at Japan’s famous Tanabata Festival in Sendai this summer
- Oona McGee
Jul 6, 2016
The huge streamer decorations that draw crowds from all around Japan will now feature adorable cat characters created by an anime artist.
- Japan
- (animals • cats • cute • cute pets • festivals • Japanese festivals • Matsuri • pets • Sendai • Sendai Tanabata Festival • Tanabata)
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Recent Posts
- Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
- 7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store drinks with new Grilled Corn Chilled Soup Smoothie
- Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
- Japanese convenience store Lawson now has stir-fried noodle-cooking robot chefs
- Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
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MOST POPULAR
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Today
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Japanese convenience store Lawson now has stir-fried noodle-cooking robot chefs
Kochia calling: Right now is a great off-season season to visit this beautiful Japanese park
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
Over 400 titles of free translated manga from publisher Shueisha available for a limited time
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store drinks with new Grilled Corn Chilled Soup Smoothie
Pokémon comes to McDonald’s Japan for new Happy Meals toys, brings every generation’s starters
Resident Evil’s terrifying Licker becomes a bag in Japan that wants to feed you
Weekly
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?
Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box
Starbucks Japan opens new store inside historic seaside quarantine station near Tokyo
Live-action Princess Mononoke is coming to streaming as a live event, previews look amazing [Video]
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Pokémon comes to McDonald’s Japan for new Happy Meals toys, brings every generation’s starters
Monthly
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
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RECOMMENDED STORIES
Over 400 titles of free translated manga from publisher Shueisha available for a limited time
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store drinks with new Grilled Corn Chilled Soup Smoothie
Pokémon comes to McDonald’s Japan for new Happy Meals toys, brings every generation’s starters
Resident Evil’s terrifying Licker becomes a bag in Japan that wants to feed you
Akita Kanto Festival, one of Japan’s most spectacular summer festivals, gets an anime twist this year
Starbucks Japan to open Shinkansen platform stores at Kyoto and Nagoya stations
Japan’s largest online flea market reminds users that selling used school swimsuits is prohibited
Coco’s Japan is very confident in their chilled ramen, but should they be? [Taste test]
Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store sandwiches with a wild new choc-mint variety
Aichi city throws year-long 20th birthday bash for giant beckoning cat statue, Hello Kitty invited
Japanese online flea market app bans the sale of ultrasound photos
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
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