Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival of Japan, is typically held on July 7, the seventh day of the seventh month. In some areas, where the lunar calendar is still used to calculate this holiday, it occurs on August 7. Our recent trip to Fussa showed the festival taking place on 7 – 10 August. The festival is based… Read More
Every third day of the third month of the year, Japan celebrates the Girl’s Festival, more popularly known as the Doll’s Festival. The general word for the girl’s day is hina, which can be combined to form the word tachibina (standing hina) or dairi-bina (the seated royal pair of dolls featured in many displays). In Japan, the Doll’s festival is… Read More
In the traditional lunisolar calendar, the National Foundation Day is celebrated on the New Year’s Day. National Foundation Day, also called as Kenkoku Kinen no Hi, is a national holiday in Japan which is held on the 11th day of February every year. This festivity aims at celebrating the foundation of Japan and the accession of its first emperor, Jimmu. In the Meiji period, the Japanese government… Read More