Japanese festivals, or matsuri, are a very important part of the Japanese cultural calendar.
Some matsuri date back almost a thousand years, and months and months of preparation and hard work go into making them a success. Until recent times, participation has been restricted to locals, however times are definitely changing.
In Japan, festivals are usually organized by local shrines or temples but may also be secular. Unlike many East Asian peoples, the Japanese do not generally celebrate Chinese New Year. Various festivals exist throughout Japan, but three of the most famous are listed below.
The Nebuta festival is one of the most famous festivals in Japan, held in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan.
The festival is based on the Japanese July 7 Lantern Festival, in which distinctive portable shrines calld "Nebuta" in the shape of people or dragons are carried to pray for good health and good fortune.
Two million people visit every year over the five days to see this festival.
The Onbashira Festival is one of the three most bizarre festivals in Japan, held once every seven years in Nagano Prefecture, located in the center of Japan.
The history of this festival is deep, with origins dating back more than 1,200 years.
Since ancient times, Shintoists have believed that a deity resides in a tree, and at this festival, 14 trees are carried out from deep in the mountains by human hands to renew that sacred tree once every seven years.
Gion Festival is one of the three major festivals in Japan and is held in Kyoto every summer for one month.
About 1,100 years ago, an epidemic broke out in Kyoto, causing many illnesses and deaths among ordinary people. The festival is said to have originated as a ceremony to contain the outbreak.
This event was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1979 and was registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in 2009.