Edogawa Goldfish Festival The most delightful summer festival in all of Japan You might remember from a previous Japanagram that one traditional way of beating the Japanese summer heat is to gaze at goldfish swimming in their cool, watery world. Goldfish are so synonymous with summer in Japan that you’ll see them gracing everything fromContinueContinue reading “Goldfish, goldfish, everywhere”
Tag Archives: Festival
40,000 dolls dressed in Imperial court robes? Yes, please!
Katsuura Doll Festival in Katsuura, Chiba Every year, the town of Katsuura puts on a Girls’ Day Doll Festival to end all doll festivals. Nearly 40,000 magnificently attired hina-sama suddenly appear all over town, in displays that are truly jaw-dropping. Just for comparison, here’s a typical Girls’ Day set, displayed on the traditional red steps.ContinueContinue reading “40,000 dolls dressed in Imperial court robes? Yes, please!”
Nothing is weirder than Xmas in Japan
Santa blasphemy, blue poinsettias and Xmas hats from hell The first Christmas I spent in Japan, my head whipped around in a doubletake at the Santa with reindeer right next to a Godzilla made of white fairy lights. I stopped in my tracks when I heard churchy religious carols being played right alongside Jingle BellsContinueContinue reading “Nothing is weirder than Xmas in Japan”
Let’s see thousands of fish flags fluttering over a river
This month’s destination: Tatebayashi, in Gunma Prefecture Here’s something you won’t see anywhere else in the world: over four thousand colorful fish flags swimming over a river, just an easy day trip from Tokyo! The Tatebayashi koi nobori festival goes on for a nice long time – from late March to early May – soContinueContinue reading “Let’s see thousands of fish flags fluttering over a river”
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