When To Go

Fun fact: Did you know that years in Japan are counted according to how long the current Emperor has been ruling? For example, I was born in “Showa 61”, which was 1986. And I moved to Japan in “Heisei 23”, or 2011. The current year, 2018, is “Heisei 30”. Emperor Akihito will abdicate in 2019, so it’ll be back to year 1 soon!

Each year, Japan has 16 national holidays (Spring Equinox, Mountain Day, Respect for the Aged Day, etc.), many national celebrations (Girls’ Day, 7-5-3 Day, Tanabata, etc.) and countless festivals and events (fireworks festivals, summer street festivals, etc.). Life is certainly never dull!

When travelling around Japan, I always suggest looking into what’s happening when you’ll be in a certain place. Participating in, or even just seeing, one of these events can make your experience of a town or city completely different. Festivals reveal another side to the people and show the amazing history of this country. They are a great way to observe and appreciate Japan’s culture.

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Here, I’ve listed some of the fun, annual events and season-specific activities you can do across Japan. Click on the links to see what I’ve written about them.

Let me know in the comments below what events you’ve enjoyed (or want to) in Japan.

Happy travels!

MARCH	APRIL	MAY
Hinamatsuri Girls Day Cherry blossoms: – Kawazu – Himeji – Nara – Kyoto – Mt Matsuda	Cherry blossoms: – Tokyo 2018, ’17, ’15 – Tokyo day trips – Nagoya Castle – Miharu ancient tree Tachikawa Tulip Festival Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival Kameido Tenjin Wisteria Festival Hiking South Takao	Children’s Day Hitachi Nemophila Festival Tateyama Snow Wall Sanja Festival Hiking Miura Peninsula

JUNE	JULY	AUGUST
Hydrangeas in Kamakura Hydrangeas in Chiba Watch baseball	Tanabata Star Festival Kagurazaka Awa Odori Shinjuku Eisa Festival Adachi Fireworks Festival Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival Kyoto Gion Festival	Climb Mt Fuji Edogawa Fireworks Festival Fuji Rock Music Festival Okutama rafting Koenji Awa Odori Shimokita Bon Odori Kiyose Sunflower Festival

SEPTEMBER	OCTOBER	NOVEMBER
Kinchakuda Spider Lilies Festival Hiking Kiso Valley	Kawagoe Festival Kanda Book Fair Ikegami Honmonji Oeshiki Festival Hitachi Kochia Festival Hiking Nokogiri	7-5-3 Festival Autumn leaves: – Tokyo day trips – Karuizawa – Kurobe Valley – Kyoto – Gunma – Shirakawago

DECEMBER	JANUARY	FEBRUARY
Boro Ichi market Christmas markets Winter illuminations: Tokyo 2016, ’14	New Year’s Day Coming-of-Age Day Onsen in snow	Sapporo Snow Festival Snow monkeys Tokamachi Snow Festival Some no Komichi fabric dyeing event