Page 70 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

A YEAR IN

JAPAN

DISCOVER A Year in Japan

JANUARY FEBRUARY
△ Setsubun (Feb 3). To celebrate the start
△ New Year (Jan 1). At midnight, Buddhist of spring, beans are thrown to scare away
temples ring their bells a total of 108 times. evil and bring good fortune.
Nanokado Hadaka-mairi (Jan 7). Young men, Sapporo Snow Festival (early Feb). Large-
dressed only in loincloths, rush to climb a rope scale snow and ice sculptures take over the
to the ceiling of Nanokado temple in Yanaizu. city for one week.

JUNE
MAY
△ Rice-Planting Festival (Jun 14). Dressed in
Aoi Matsuri (May 15). Magnificent pageantry brightly colored traditional outfits, participants
takes place in Kyoto, as revelers process to the plant seedlings in the rice paddies of Sumiyoshi
Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrines. Ward, southern Osaka.
△ Sanja Matsuri (3rd weekend in May). Tokyo’s Chagu-chagu Umakko (2nd Sat in Jun). Decorated
wildest festival, featuring parades, dancing, horses parade to Hachiman-gu shrine in Morioka.
and traditional music.

OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER Nada Fighting Festival (Oct 14–15). At Matsubara
Shrine in Himeji, men carrying portable shrines
△ Hachiman-gu Festival (Sep 14–16). A compete to ring the lucky bell in the courtyard.
procession of floats and horseback archery Tosho-gu Fall Festival (Oct 17). Armor-clad
at the Hachiman-gu shrine in Kamakura samurai escort a portable shrine through Nikko.
draws a big crowd. △ Fire Festival (Oct 22). Enormous fires in the
Sumo Autumn Basho (mid-Sep). Tokyo hosts shape of Chinese characters are burned into the
a fortnight of professional competitions. hills that surround Kyoto.
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