A mikoshi parade
A mikoshi parade is a very familiar sight at any Japanese festival. A mikoshi is believed to be a vehicle for the gods, to move them from the main shrine to a temporary shrine during a festival. Some of the larger…
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Japanese street food
In Japanese culture, it is considered rude to “eat on the go”. You always eat at the restaurant or eat at your destination, never while walking around (yes, this includes your coffee). For this reason, Japanese street food is pretty…
My big, fat, cherry blossom blog!
Cherry blossom, or sakura, season in Japan is greatly celebrated, and unrivaled anywhere in the world. The importance of the cherry blossom, in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years, and signifies the beauty and impermanence of life. It is also…
Daruma Doll Festival- Haijimadaishi Temple
A visit to a shrine, within the first few days of the new year, is a very important aspect of Japanese culture, known as hatsumode. There are various celebrations held at these shrines, but we chose to attend the Daruma…
Shopping + Gambling = Fukubukuro
New Year’s Day is the most important Japanese holiday, where many “firsts” are celebrated. Some of these special firsts include; first prayer, first sunrise, and first …SALE! The Japanese phenomenon known as fukubukuro, (or “lucky/happy bag”), entails heading to a store…
Friendship Festival 2014, Yokota Air Base
We experienced our first Yokota Friendship Festival, earlier this month, and it was an amazing event! Every year the base opens the gates to our Japanese friends for a weekend, so they can experience the base and see the airplanes. Being…
Yosakoi Festival, Harajuku; 5,000 dancers= Awesome!
The Yosakoi Festival is a dance competition held every year in Harajuku, featuring over 5,000 dancers (about 100 teams) from all over Japan. 5,000 dancers? You know I’m there! Yosakoi dance originated in Kochi City, Japan, which still boasts the…
Hanano Miyako Koen- sunflowers, Mt. Fuji and a “swan lake”
We spent the day, with friends, at Hanano Miyako Koen, for the sunflower festival. And, we were finally able to get great pictures of Mt. Fuji as well! Maybe my curse with getting pictures of this mountain is finally over.…
Tanabata at Daijingu Shrine
Tanabata, or the Star Festival, is held on July 7th every year in Japan. Legend has it, that two stars were lovers and separated by the Milky Way. They are allowed to meet up once a year on the seventh day of…
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