Start here · Essential guide
Japanese Festivals and the Yearly Calendar
A plain-language tour of how the Japanese year is marked by seasonal events, from New Year and Setsubun through Obon to fall leaves and the year's end.
Seasons and Celebrations
Festivals and Seasons
The yearly calendar, seasonal words and community festivals.
Hanami: The Custom of Viewing Blossoms
How hanami, the custom of gathering to view flowering trees, grew from court poetry into a spring picnic tradition shared by people across Japanese society.
Kigo: The Seasonal Words of Japanese Poetry
Kigo are words that signal a season in Japanese poetry. Learn how they work, how saijiki almanacs organize them, and why the old calendar still shapes them.
Matsuri: Community Festivals, Floats and Portable Shrines
What happens at a typical Japanese matsuri, from purification and portable shrines to festival floats, music and food stalls, and the roles people play.
Momiji and Fall Leaf Viewing
How red maple leaves became fall's answer to cherry blossoms in Japan, from Heian poetry to temple gardens, leaf-hunting trips and seasonal sweets.
Obon: Remembering Ancestors in Summer
Obon is the Japanese summer observance for welcoming ancestral spirits home. Learn about its origins, lanterns, offerings, bon dances and regional dates.
Oshogatsu: How the New Year Is Welcomed
Oshogatsu is Japan's most important family holiday. Learn about year-end cleaning, osechi foods, bell ringing, the first shrine visit and other New Year customs.
Setsubun, Shichi-Go-San and Other Rites of Passage Days
A guide to family-centered Japanese observances, from bean-throwing at Setsubun and the dolls' festival to Shichi-Go-San, Children's Day and coming-of-age ceremonies.
Tanabata and the Star Festival Legend
The legend of the weaver and the cowherd behind Tanabata, how it reached Japan, and why people hang wishes on bamboo in early summer.
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