Momote-sai
Ritual firing of the first arrow at Omote Shrine on Miyajima is held on January 20 every year.
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New Year
New Year rituals at Itsukushima Shrine
Traditional New Year rituals at Itsukushima Shine on Miyajima that date from over 1000 years ago.
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Chinkasai Fire Festival
Living in wooden houses, closely clustered together along narrow streets, for centuries, fear of calamitous fires is deeply ingrained in
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New Year at Gokoku Shrine
New Year rituals at Gokoku Shrine, next to Hiroshima Castle.
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Kintai Bridge Tondo Festival
The tondo New Year bonfire festival held on the banks of the river next to Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni is very accessible and visitors are made to feel very welcome.
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Dezomeshiki Firefighters Expo [CANCELED]
Watch the firefighters display their skill, see their fire engines and helicopters in action.
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Tondo Matsuri
Huge bonfires snap, crackle and pop around Hiroshima in the middle of January, sending the hope and dreams embodied in the past year’s votive goods and new year decorations up to the heavens.
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Hiroshima Prepares For New Year Under Pandemic Shadow
After gaining a degree of control over the spread of COVID-19 in the autumn, December 2020 has seen a resurgence
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Setsubun at Gokoku Shrine 2020: Photo and Video
“Oni wa Soto, Fuku wa Uchi” – images from a spectacle of demons and lucky beans at Hiroshima’s Gokoku-jinja.
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New Year In Hiroshima
See out the old, ring in the new; Hiroshima style.
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All You Need to Know About Miyajima at New Year
A few tidbits of info that we hope will make your New Year jaunt to Miyajima a memorable one.
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Firewalking ritual at Saikoku-ji Temple, Onomichi
Goma Ritual burning of cedar sticks followed by fire walking. Members of the public set themselves up for a fortuitous
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Nanakusa-no-sekku
“The feast of seven herbs” is a day on which people in Japan customarily eat a healthy seven-herb rice porridge to ensure give the stomach a break from the indulgences of New Year.
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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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2016 winter holiday movies
Rediscover the magic of the cinema this holiday season.
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Bihoku Hillside Park Winter Illuminations
With a total of around 700,000 colorful LEDs lighting up the natural setting of the expansive Bihoku Hillside Park in
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New Year’s Trains and Ferries to Miyajima
Thousands of people visit Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima during the New Year holiday, and many don’t waste any time and
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New Year Kagura
Two days of kagura dance performances by 6 local troupes. Doors open at 11:00 Performances start at 12:00
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Miyajima Tondo Festival
The mound of New Year decorations and previous year’s good luck amulets to be set aflame at Miyajima’s seaside Tondo
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Momote-sai Festival
The ritual firing of the first arrow of the year takes place at Ōmoto Shrine on Miyajima every year on
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Photos: Tondo Matsuri at Waseda-jinja
Just got back from tondo matsuri at our local shrine. It’s quite a local affair, and the old guys let
Read morePhotos: Dezome-shiki New Year Firefighter’s Parade
It was a chilly morning, but the snow had melted by the time we got to Chuo-koen and we captured
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Dezome-shiki New Year Firefighter’s Parade
Firefighter parades are held all over Japan at the beginning of January. The purpose is to pray for a fire
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Ikari-jina lit on New Year holiday night
I passed by Ikari-jinja in Hakushima last night and took some shots of the lanterns and the peaceful precinct of
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Chinkasai Fire Festival
Miyajima’s chinkasai is an impressive fire appeasing festival held on New Year’s Eve. From midnight on December 31st, through the
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Hiroshima Dreamination
Kiddie and couples’ delight or a triumph of tack over taste? Join the crowds and you be the judge.
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