Dressing the oxen at the Mibu-no-hanadue ritual rice planting festival
The Mibu-no-hanadaue ritual rice planting festival in Chiyoda, Kita-hiroshima, is the largest and most spectacular of many similar festivals held
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Festivals
Onomichi Akari Matsuri
On an autumn evening every October, people flock to Onomichi to wander its picturesque streets decorated with thousands of candles.
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New Year In Hiroshima
New Year is undoubtedly Japan’s most important – and longest – festival. However, in most of the country, you’ll disappointed
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Winter Illuminations in Hiroshima
Large scale illuminations have become a new winter tradition in Japan. Held all over the country, they certainly brighten up
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Directors Talk Teaching, Collaboration & Inspiration
Stand-out films at the festival for me were the ones with original techniques and story-lines, ones that would stay with
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Pirate night on Innoshima: The Suigun Fire Festival
Finish of your summer at a spectacular celebration of samurai pirate culture on the beach.
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Animation as Lesson in Patience, Focus & Dedication
Another amazing day of insights from artists, directors and story-tellers on how they pursue and find inspiration to create their
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Summer Fireworks Festival Guide
The summer is long, hot and usually pretty sticky. Beat (or at least embrace) the heat in the way that
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Flower Festival Yosakoi Dance Parade 2018
It was beautiful weather for the Yosakoi dance parade on Children’s Day – May 5th. As always, it was an
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The Saigoku Kaido in Shareo
The Saigoku Kaido (Saigoku Route/Way/Road), was the main overland thoroughfare between Kyushu and Kyoto between from the 8th century up
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Setsubun: demons, beans, fish heads, sushi and screaming children
Although temperatures in early February may make it hard to believe, Setsubun marks the coming of spring. On February 3,
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Oyster Festivals 2019
Yes, the New Year holidays are done and that time of year is now upon us. Yes, it’s oyster season! From
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Tondo Matsuri
Ever wonder what everyone does with all those New Year arrows, rakes, daruma and that they buy at shrines every
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Nanakusa-no-sekku
Nanakusa-no-sekku [七草の節句] or the “the feast of seven herbs” is a day on which people in Japan customarily eat a
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Ebisu Taisai Festival
Just before winter takes hold, Hiroshima’s city center is taken over by one more colorful festival, all about good fortune,
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Autumn moon-viewing at Shukkei-en Garden
Scenes from the annual celebratory kangetsu-sai autumn moon-viewing tea ceremonies at Hiroshima’s Shukkei-en Garden.
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Live music, handicrafts and cows!
Steve Jarvis introduces a different kind of countryside fair in eastern Hiroshima prefecture.
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2017 Miyajima Fireworks Festival
Some of our favorite captures of the 2017 Miyajima Fireworks Festival.
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Views of the Miyoshi Fireworks
A compilation of some of the Instagrams of the 2017 Miyoshi City Fireworks display held on August 19 that caught
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August 6, 2017 Hiroshima Day
72 years ago today, US forces dropped a nuclear bomb on the people living, working and studying in Hiroshima. The
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Ji-no-hi Matsuri Giant Umbrella Festival in Ohnan
The main event of this two day festival is groups of locals charging up and down a narrow street with
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750,000 tulips at Sera Kogen Farm
The tulip fileds at Sera Kogen Farm are currently at their best. Many people took advantage of the good weather
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Ujina Port Minato Festa
This annual festival in the park in front of Hiroshima Port in Ujina is held early in March over two
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Snowy Tondo Festival at Gokoku Shrine
Gokoku Shrine’s annual tondo bonfire festival coincided with the biggest snowfall to hit the city in a generation.
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Sorasaya Shrine Tondo Festival
This tondo festival in Honkawa is a nice mix of shrine rite and neighborhood event.
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Christmas Illuminations at Hiroshima Botanical Gardens
The annual “Flower and Light Pageant” illuminations at Hiroshima City Botanical Gardens are some the most Christmassy in the area.
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Yokogawa Zombie Night
Zombie fun in Yokogawa at the second Zombie Night via he wonder of Instagram. The horror continues from 12 noon
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Kirikushi Okangensan
There are several local festivals linked to Itsukushima’s annual Kangensai rituals. One of these is the Kirikushi Okangensan festival. Kirikushi
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Tanabata Illuminations at Shukkei-en
For a week up until the annual tanabata star festival on July 7, Shukkei-en Garden created a blue milky way out
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Yukata de Bon Dance
Although the focus of Hiroshima city’s most festive festival, the 3-day Tōkasan “Yukata” Festival, is ostensibly Enruji Temple, aka Tōkasan,
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