Japanese Summer Festivals in August
Japan is a very popular travel destination this year! Many foreigners are making their way to Japan. One of the most popular attractions during the Summer is the Matsuri (festival). Here are two famous Japanese festivals that you can still visit if you hurry!
Tanabata Festival 2024 in Sendai: August 6 - 8. Tanabata Festival in Miyagi Prefecture. One of the three major festivals in Tohoku, it is said to have been established using the middle calendar of the new and old calendar, and is the most elegant paper and bamboo festival in the world, held for three days starting on August 6.
The most distinctive feature of this festival is the gorgeous bamboo decorations. The decorations are handmade and prepared several months in advance. The price of a single bamboo grass decoration is said to range from several hundred thousand to several million yen ($1,000 to $10,000+), and the decorations are ranked in order of splendor, with gold, silver, and bronze prizes awarded. The spectacle of the magnificent sasakazari fluttering in the air is truly spectacular! The seven decorations, or “seven ornaments,” are an indispensable part of the Tanabata Festival.
Tanzaku - to wish for improvement in your studies and calligraphy
Kamiko - to ward off illness and misfortune, and improving in sewing
Folded Cranes - to wish for family safety, health and longevity
Kinchaku(drawstring pouch) - to wish for prosperous business
Casting Nets - to wish for good catch and good harvest
Scrap Bins - to maintain cleanliness and efficiency through riddance of complexity
Windsock - representing the threads of Orihime
See how many of these you can find in the pictures!
Awa-odori
Tokushima City August 12 - 15, 2024
This is a summer tradition in Tokushima Prefecture with a history of more than 400 years. About 100,000 dancers perform to the rhythm "Odoru ahou nimiru ahou, onaji ahou nara odoranya son son", attracting more than a million tourists to Tokushima every year.
The highlight of the Awa Odori dance performed by many dancers is the difference in the dance of each “ren” group. There is no official way of dancing in Awa Odori, and each of the 1,000 or so groups, called ren, has its own slightly different way of dancing. People enjoy the subtle or not so subtle differences between the different groups. On the day of the festival, only groups that have registered and practiced in advance are allowed to dance at the venue, and tourists are not allowed to dance.
If you really want to dance, join a group called “Niwaka-ren. Niwaka-ren is a group that anyone can join, regardless of nationality. Visitors to Japan can also dance the Awa Odori!
If you want to participate, please join the dances at 6:30pm and 8:30pm at Honmachi Odori Hiroba and City Hall Square.
The average temperature in Tokushima in August is about 28 degrees Celsius, often reaching 30 degrees Celsius during the day, so you need to be prepared for the heat. Remember to wear comfortable walking clothes and drink plenty of water!
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