Kurokawa Noh Theater
Dates: February, March, May, and November (spring shrines) are the main ones, and are held 8 times a year.
Locations: Kasuga Shrine, Tamaguro Kuroyama Shrine, Shonai Shrine, etc.
Of these, the most important festival is the King's Dokuro Matsuri held in February. From early in the morning of February 1, people begin to welcome the arrival of the "King Doki" at the Shrine in spring. In the evening, children perform the "Earth Stomping" event to kick off the Kurokawa Energy Theater. After the "Sanban" dance (a dance performed by old men to symbolize the gods), which is the most important part of the ancient energy plays, five energy plays and four crazy stories are performed throughout the night, and on February 2, when the gods return to Kasuga-no-Mikoto Shrine, the energy plays are performed in front of the gods once again. In addition, various ceremonies honoring the gods will be held at the shrine well into the night.
On Lantern Festival
Date: February 6
Location: Shinkura Shrine, Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture
The Lantern Festival is a fire festival in the Yushino area that is full of masculinity, and it is listed as a World Heritage Site. The highlight of the Lantern Festival is when 2,000 white-clad men wrapped in thick grass ropes and carrying blazing torches race down the dazzlingly steep stone steps of Mt. Jinkura like a river of fire running down.
Sapporo Snow Festival
Date: The second week of February, lasting seven days.
Venues: Sapporo Daido Hall, Suno Hall and Sato Hall (Sapporo's Central and East wards)
Sapporo's three venues are covered in snow of all sizes, and are visited by 2 million people every year, including foreign tourists. One of the main venues, Daido Park, is located in the center of the city, and the 1.5-kilometer-long area resembles a museum of snow and ice. Ding Qi Yuan International Square No. 11 in Daido West is the venue for international snowfall competitions. Every year, more than a dozen groups from all over the world participate in the competition. Because the venue was originally a park, you can visit it for free at any time. At nightfall, snow falls against the backdrop of Chinese lanterns (until 22:00). The Hakono Hall, famous for its night view, exhibits ice and snow to give you a sense of wonder. Here, you can enjoy the whimsical creativity of Hokkaido specialties such as crab, cuttlefish, and salmon embedded in the igeku.
Setsubun Banzai Lantern Festival
Date: February 3
Location: Nara Kasuga Taisha Shrine (Kasugino Town, Nara Prefecture)
This festival means "festival of 10,000 lanterns" in Japanese and refers to the day before the start of spring. On this day and for three days, August 14 and 15, Nara's Spring Festival will light up more than 3,000 lanterns in the temple grounds from 18:30 to 21:00 hours. This event has been going on since 800 years ago. Some of the lanterns in the courtyard were used exclusively by military generals (samurai) during the Warring States period, and most of the rest came from ordinary citizens. The scene of flickering candlelight is mysterious as if you have gone back to a time when there was no electricity. The lanterns, the shadows reflected in the river and the red building of the shrine are full of harmony and beauty.
There are stone lanterns and hanging lanterns in the hallways. The stone lanterns are pasted with paper with prayers written on them, and the participants light their own candles; the lanterns hanging on the corridors are of different shapes and variations. It seems that there are as many lanterns as there are wishes. It's emotional to think of the past when these lanterns were lit up every night.
Yokote Yukiya Festival
Date: February 15-16
Location: Road park in front of Yokota City Hall in Akita and other places.
Houses dug out of mountains of snow are called "yukiya" (or "kamakura" in Japanese). In Yokosuka City, more than 100 "snow houses" and countless "miniature snow houses" are built every year. It is really fun to see the little lights in the snowy houses flickering in the silence of the night. It is said that the festival originated from the ritual of burning decorations to the gods and Buddha in the first month of the year and the ritual of children chasing away the crows that destroyed the fields. It has a history of 400 years. Inside the igloo there is an altar where children offer wine and rice cakes to the god of water so that he will give them good water to drink. Inside the igloos, children greet passers-by in the Akita dialect, saying, "Please come into the igloo," and "Please try the sweet bar," and when they enter the igloo, they enjoy chatting and eating rice cakes and snacks. That's why "igloos" were first used to invite people in, and now there are countless small "igloos" with lights on in the city's Yokote Minami Elementary School campus, which is also very romantic.
Nishidaiji Keiyo Naked Festival
Date: The third Saturday in February
Location: Nishidaio City, Okayama City
The Nishidaiji Keiyo Naked Festival is an exciting and strange festival that takes place at midnight, with naked men competing for the luck of the draw.
One of three strange festivals in Japan, 9,000 bare-chested men (wearing nothing but a pair of crotchcloths) battle it out for two lucky objects called "hoki," 4 centimeters in diameter and 20 centimeters in length, which the abbot throws out a 4-meter-high window. If anyone is lucky enough to grab the "precious wood", inserted in the rice bowl full of rice, he is the year's "lucky man", can get a year of happiness. Another lucky item is a bundle of willow sticks, which are thrown out in groups of 100. Even so, it's not easy to grab.
The festival is said to have begun 500 years ago when worshippers snatched a paper amulet called "Ox King" that the abbot distributed to pilgrims. The paper amulet was proof that the abbot had finished his practice from the first month of the year. More and more people want to get it because the person who gets it has a lot of good luck. But the paper could be torn easily, so it was later changed to wood shavings.
Hachinohe Harvest Festival
Date: February 1720
Place: Huba City, Aomori Prefecture
The Hachinohe Harvest Festival was a time when people danced around the city to wish for a good harvest. A kind of dance announcing the arrival of spring in the northern part of the country, it shows scenes of agricultural production.
The dancers, known as tai-fu, form a group of 1,030 people, including bagpipers, drummers, gongs and singers, and parade through the streets. Every year, more than 30 groups, including children's groups, participate in the parade in splendid costumes. In ancient times, during celebrations to pray for a good harvest, people danced with "Enburi," a farming tool, which is why Japanese people pronounce the word "Enburi" at harvest festivals.
What about these events? Any favorites? If so, plan a trip to Japan this spring. Not only will you be able to participate in these events, but you'll also be able to enjoy the cherry blossoms!