Kameido Tenjin Shrine Wisteria
Kameido Tenjin Shrine (亀戸天神社) is one of Tokyo’s most beloved Shinto shrines. It has pretty flowers, it’s photogenic, it’s historical, and it retains a local ambience. From late April to…
Koganji Temple (Togenuki Jizo) in Sugamo
by Philbert Ono, updated Feb. 10, 2023 On the northern and less crowded part of the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo is Sugamo Station. Sugamo is famous for the Jizo-Dori…
Awa Odori 2018 schedule in Tokyo-Kanto
This is the 2018 schedule of Awa Odori dance festivals to be held in the Tokyo/Kanto area (Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, and Chiba Prefectures) from June to October 2018. Nobody has…
Handa Dashi Matsuri 2017
The Handa Dashi Matsuri float festival (半田山車まつり) is held only once every 5 years in the city of Handa in Aichi Prefecture. The festival has a whopping 31 ornate wooden…
Lantern Floating and Fireworks in Tsuruga, Fukui
Tsuruga is a small coastal city (pop. 65,400) facing the Sea of Japan. Best known for nuclear power plants feeding power to Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, etc.), Hokuriku (Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama),…
Fuji Rock Festival 2017
Fuji Rock Festival at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata was held on July 28–30, 2017. Went for the first time on a rainy Sat. (July 29). Fuji Rock Festival is…
Halloween in Shibuya, Tokyo
Happy Halloween in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan’s massive costume street gathering on Oct. 31, 2016. Saw it for the first time from about 9 pm to 10:30 pm. Costumers and cosplayers…
Asakusa Samba Carnival 2016 photos
With the Rio Olympics in 2016, I thought seeing Asakusa Samba this year was a good idea. It was a cool day as well, not the usual summer heat. It…
Shiraume women taiko drummers at Yushima Tenjin 2016
Video link: https://youtu.be/eOeGMqopFVg All-female taiko drummers of the Shiraume (White plum blossom) taiko troupe at Yushima Tenjin Shrine’s Ume Matsuri plum blossom festival in Tokyo, Japan on Feb. 27, 2016.…
Asakusa Geisha Ozashiki Odori Dance
Asakusa geisha gave free performances for tourists at the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center on Saturdays from mid-Oct. to late Nov. 2015. The show I saw in this video featured…