About Japanese national holidays and other annual events.

About the Japanese new year (shogatsu).

SETSUBUN (the Coming of Spring) February 3 and 4 Setsubun - Spring Devil Banishing Ceremony Setsubun refers to the division between winter and spring. The term originally referred to the eve of the first day of any of the 24 divisions of the solar year known as Setsu. Later, it came to be applied more specifically to the last day of the Setsu called Daikan (great cold), which corresponded to the ...

About the Golden Week in Japan.

Japan Setsubun Festival ...

Return to Main Page Children's Day, A Japanese Holiday: A Multicultural Unit that Introduces Primary Students to the Customs and Traditions of Japan By Lisa Ganguin Literature Writing Social Studies Science A Carp for Kimiko by Virginia Kroll This Place is Crowded by Vicki Cobb A to Zen: A Book of Japanese Culture by Ruth Wells/Yoshi Create a class book on multicultural holidays. Journal writing.

Festivals & Holidays Brief History of Bon Festival July 15 (Lunar calendar), or August 15 (Solar calendar) is celebrated in Japan as Bon or Urabon, The Feast of Lanterns, especially by the Japanese Buddhists. It is said that during the year, on this day only, the iron pot in hell is opened for the deceased. Buddhist services are held at temples and private houses for ancestors, relatives and ...

FESTIVALS & HOLIDAYS Boy' Festival Ancient Customs Observed May brings the reminder that in Japan, as in the United States, one of a nation's greatest assets is her children. May 5 is Children's Day in Japan, the day to stress the importance of respecting the character of children and promoting their health and happiness. It is also the day for children to express their gratitude for the tender ...

About the Japanese national holiday Coming of Age (Seijin no hi).

July the 7th is a festival day called Tanabata (Seven Evenings). This is the very day when Orihime and Hikoboshi meet each other just once a year across the Milky Way. Orihime(Vega, left) weaves cloths and Hikoboshi(Altair, right) breeds cattle in the heaven. On this memorial day we celebrate, from the ground, their rendezvous with the offerings of livestock miniatures made of the first harvested ...

FESTIVALS & HOLIDAYS JAPAN'S THREE-DAY NEW YEAR HOLIDAY Celebration marked by rituals and greetings The three-day New Year holiday is a very special time in Japan, a time of solemn prayers and joyous greetings. While New Year's Day is a holiday in many parts of the world, the occastion has a unique significance to the Japanese, who take the opportunity to begin anew many aspects of their lives.

What is Obon OBON is an abbreviation of urabon, the Japanese transliteration of the Sanskrit word Ullambana which literally means to hang upside down. This word implies the unbearable suffering that ones has to bear, whether spiritual or physical, when being hung upside down. The ritual of obon is conducted according to the teaching of Sakyamuni Buddha as preached by him in the Urabon Sutra.

Coming of Age Day Seijin no Hi By: Billy Hammond January 15th is a Japanese national holiday which honors young people who have reached, or who will reach, the age of 20 during the current year. Twenty is the age of majority in Japan, and people who have reached this age are subject to adult laws and gain the right to vote in elections as well as to drink. Local governments usually have a ...

FESTIVVALS AND HOLIDAYS February 3 - Oniwa-soto, Fukuwa-uchi (Devils outside, good luck inside) Loud shouting followed by merry laughter is heard from every house on the-evening of February the 3rd, the day on which Setsubun, change of season falls. Observing the old custom of driving out evil and sickness is still an important evening in Japanese households. The master of the house undertakes ...

Personal Photo Gallery Tanabata Festival at Shonan Hiratsuka city (1996 July) Snaps of 46th Tanabata Festival at my home town Hiratsuka Tanabata Fest. 1 Tanabata Fest. 2 Tanabata Fest. 3 Tanabata Fest. 4 Tanabata Fest. 5 Tanabata Fest. 6 Tanabata Fest. 7 Tanabata Fest. 8 By N.Shinozuka M.D. using Kodak DC-50 digital camera (7/7/96) Return ...