+By article
+By author
+By issue
+By language
+By location
+By topic
+By year
+Photos
+Random article
+What links here
+Search
+Mind the Gap
+Portable Alien
+TsukuBlog
+City Hall
+Tsukuba Map
+Tsukuba Orientation
+Tsukuba Wiki
+Advertise on AT
+Buy AT stuff
+Donate to AT
+Submit an article
+Take a survey
+Volunteer
Author: Melanie Hartman, Issue: July 2006, Topic: Events
Summer is festival season in Japan. You can attend a festival every weekend and many weekdays somewhere in Japan. Many are only small, local festivals but they are still worth experiencing at least once while you are here. Summer festivals are also one of the best places to see many people dressed in traditional Japanese yukatas and getas. All festivals feature seasonal/local food stalls and many also have fireworks displays. The festivals listed below are some of the regionally famous Gion and Obon festivals. For a comprehensive list visit http://www.nibh.jp/~takahashi/tradevents/index_e.cgi (Please note that some ceremonies are closed to the public.)
Gion Festivals originated as part of a purification ritual to free people from plagues and pestilence. Young men, some with wooden floats, paraded through the streets to ask for divine intervention. The plague ended and the festival continued. Some of the floats used in Gion parades are spectacular.
Obon is a Budhhist holiday to honor the departed spirits of one's ancestors. It has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people from the big cities return to their home towns to visit and clean their ancestors' graves. On the last day of the festival, paper lanterns (chouchin) are floated down a river as a way to guide the spirits of the departed back to the other world.
<< Science Tour Bus | Master Index | Summer Open House 2006: National Institute for Environmental Studies >>
The advertisements that appear on paper and online versions of The Alien Times do not necessarily represent the views of the Alien Times. The Alien Times takes no responsibility for any transactions that occur between advertisers and readers.
The authors of articles that appear in Alien Times reserve the right to copyright their work. Please DO NOT copy any articles that appear in Alien Times without first receiving permission from the author of the article (when known) or the Alien Times Editor.
Funded by the Tsukuba Expo'85 Memorial Foundation, Printed by Isebu