Gion Festival (Kyouto Kyoto)


Kyouto, the nation's capital for many centuries, hosts a large number of traditional festivals, among them the Kamo no Kurabeuma and the Aoi Matsuri, but grandest of them all is the Gion Festival which begins on July 1 and lasts throughout the month. The highlight of the Gion Festival is on July 15 and 16, when floats with gion-bayashi musicians playing bells and other instruments light up the nighttime streets.

Hakata Dontaku (Fukuoka)

The Hakata Dontaku festival is held in Fukuoka on May 3 and 4 every year. Featuring singers beating rice paddles as well as a procession of numerous people wearing colorful costumes, Hakata Dontaku makes the whole city of Fukuoka come alive with merriment.
These major festivals draw millions of participants and spectators from all over the country--and increasingly large numbers of non-Japanese tourists as well.

Hakata Dontaku is the origin of Hakata Matsubayashi (Hakata Musical Accompaniment). Hakata Matsubayashi was originally created by the citizens for the lord of fief as the New Year celebration in late Heian period. Citizen developed this festival ever since then. At the festival, people are clapping rice scoops and parade around the city with various costumes. Today, 20 thousand people in Hakata participate in Dontaku parade and have 2 million visitors approximately every year. Hakata Dontaku is the largest festival in spring in Japan.

Wakakusa-Yama Yaki (Nara)


The fire of Wakakusa hill is one of the most famous spectacular views in the oldest city, Nara. The ceremony, called "Wakakusa-yama yaki" was originally held to celebrate the resolution of a boundary dispute between the temples Todaiji, Kasugataisha and Koufukuji. In the ceremony, the people costumed as warrior monks burn 33 hectares of Wakakusa hill. It is held on the 12th of January of every year.