51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Tag - matsuri

 
Menu
Search
 
July 24, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

MATSURI

On July 17, Jiyugaoka in western Tokyo held its summer Bon Odori Festival for the first time in four years. While the pandemic spelled the end of the road for some longstanding local events, others weathered the storm.
CULTURE / Longform
Jul 24, 2023
Fate of the fete: Japan¡¯s matsuri fight to survive
While COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many of the country¡¯s smaller festivals, others have clung on and are making a determined comeback this year.
A man stands atop a float holding a portable shrine at this year¡¯s Sanja Festival in Tokyo.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 20, 2023
Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan¡¯s iconic summer festivals
As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 7, 2023
Summer festivals like Tanabata are back in full force (yay!), and so is heatstroke (boo!)
Get to know the vocabulary surrounding symptoms of heatstroke, heat exhaustion and how to ask someone if they need help.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 19, 2023
Pokemon fan events level up Yokohama¡¯s 2023 world championships
Japan will finally host the iconic franchise¡¯s premier esports competition ¡ª alongside a slate of stage shows, musical performances and Pikachu parades.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 30, 2022
Riding logs and tempting fate at the Onbashira festival
After deaths in 2010 and 2016, who would volunteer for the Onbashira festival? The locals.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 8, 2018
Kosuke Kurotaki: The ¡®festival guy¡¯ who just wants everyone to have fun
Whether he¡¯s serving you drinks, playing you records or carrying a festival float, Wokini bar owner Kurotaki is detrmined to entertain you.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 5, 2018
Annual festival sees cows under the hammer for a cool ?25 million
In Mie Prefecture, the city of Matsusaka celebrates its animal husbandry with a cattle auction each November.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / PHOTO ESSAY
Jan 21, 2017
Purified by the water and fire of Japan in Wakayama
On the polished stones of Ojigahama Beach in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, a group of men stand in the February cold. Dressed in long athletic coats they look like a marooned football team. They¡¯ve come for shiogori, a saltwater baptism to cleanse body and mind and the first act of one of Japan¡¯s two...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Nov 21, 2016
Scenes from the Tohoku Rokkon Festival Parade in Tokyo Shintora Matsuri
Sunday¡¯s Tohoku Rokkon Festival Parade was the climax of the Tokyo Shintora Matsuri, which was held this weekend in Toranomon. Close to 300 performers, a handful of cute mascots and one giant float offered up a lively sampler of Tohoku¡¯s biggest festivals.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 23, 2016
In search of Japan¡¯s essential summer festivals
With July just around the corner, Japan is gearing up for another sultry summer. Since the sizzling-hot days only last until early September, people make the most of the season by getting outside ¡ª that includes going to film festivals, art and fashion events or outdoor musical gatherings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 30, 2016
Bringing Japanese folk dance into focus
As with many cultures, before modernization the Japanese people relied heavily on agriculture, holding a spiritual affinity with and respecting the power of nature. Bountiful harvests were celebrated in festivities that played a significant role in community activities, and the distinctive folk rituals...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 18, 2015
A festival for every weekend of your summer
Festivals (matsuri) of all kinds are a staple of Japanese culture and summer is the premier season to experience them. In recent years, the country has seen a bit of a boom in cultural festivals, to the point that it¡¯s possible to book every weekend of your summer around them. We¡¯re here to help by highlighting...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Aug 26, 2014
[VIDEO] Street dancing at Super Yosakoi 2014
This year, the Super Yosakoi event attracted 98 dance teams from all across Japan. Over the weekend of Aug .23-24, approximately 6,000 team members of all ages strutted their stuff on stages and boulevards in Tokyo¡¯s Harajuku and Omotesando area. Here are highlights from the festival¡¯s climax: a continuous four-hour parade of dance, song and smiles.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 24, 2014
Sakaiminato ¡ª the city of fish and festivities
Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture is a city that is ideal for tourists. It¡¯s one of the biggest fishing towns in Japan, and as the hometown of Mizuki Shigeru, author of the y¨­kai (Japanese folklore monsters and ghouls) manga series ¡°GeGeGe no Kitaro,¡± it¡¯s known as the birthplace of some of the country¡¯s...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 2, 2014
Battle it out in Shinshiro
During the Sengoku period (1482-1573), the Takeda family was one of the strongest clans in Japan, known in particular for its successful cavalry charges. Yet in 1575, it found itself up against something that rendered it powerless ¡ª the new western technology of firearms.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 26, 2014
Osaka¡¯s Aizen Festival begins
Even though it is mid-rainy season, the Aizen Festival anticipates the hot summer ahead with a parade of women wearing cool and attractive yukata (light kimono). As Osaka¡¯s first summer festival of the year, this is held from June 30 to July 2 at Shoman-in, also known as Aizendou, a 1,400 year-old temple...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Japan Pulse
Jun 28, 2012
Today¡¯s J-blip: Bang a paper drum
Yumiko Matsui¡¯s intricately crafted depictions of life in Japan look great on paper.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER