Festivals and Events for May 2014 in Japan
May 2014 sees quite a few traditional cultural festivals and events happening around Japan. Spring has moved into full swing and the weather gets a lot warmer. It is also the Golden Week period which is a collection of four national holidays in the space of seven days.
3 May 2014
Event: Kenpou Kinenbi (Constitution Memorial Day)
National Holiday
The second national holiday of Golden Week is Kenpou Kinenbi or Constitution Memorial Day. The new Japanese constitution was put into effect on May 3, 1947.
4 May 2014
Event: Midori no Hi (Greenery Day)
National Holiday
May 4 is called Midori no Hi or Greenery Day, during which we show appreciation for the environment and nature.
5 May 2014
Event: Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day)
National Holiday
The last holiday of Golden Week is Kodomo no Hi or Children’s Day on May 5. It’s a Japanese Boy’s festival and is a day to pray for healthy growth of boys. It’s a Japanese tradition for families with boys to hang up carp streamers (koinobori) outside their houses around this holiday. Carps are believed to symbolize successes in children’s lives. Also, samurai dolls called gogatsu ningyo (May Dolls) are displayed in their houses.
11 May to 15 October 2014
Event: Gifu Ukai (Cormorant Fishing)
Location: Nagara River in Gifu City
Time: Starts from 7:30 pm
Price of Admission: A fee applies for the viewing boats
Cormorant Fishing or ukai in Japanese is a major summer attraction on the Nagara River in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Ukai is a traditional fishing method that uses trained cormorants to catch river fish. The art has been practiced along the Nagara River in Gifu for more than 1,300 years. It has a very long history in Japan and is mentioned in many ancient chronicles.
11 May 2014
Event: Sumo Natsu Basho (Summer Tournament)
Location: Tokyo Kokugikan
The Summer sumo tournament starts in Tokyo and will see the debut of Kakuryu as the 71st Yokozuna. Interest will once again be on great Japanese hope Endo and how he performs as the East Maegashira #4.
Sumo Japan’s Traditional Sport
15 May 2014
Event: Aoi Matsuri
Location: Kyoto
Time: Procession leaves Kyoto Imperial Palace at 10:30 am
Price of Admission: FREE
The Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto is a festival full of elegance and tradition that dates from the 6th century. It is one of Kyoto’s three most famous festivals and features over 500 people wearing magnificent ancient costumes and traditional make-up from the Heian Period. The participants parade through the main streets of Kyoto. It is a festival of the two kamo shrines in the north of Kyoto, Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine.
16-18 May 2014
Event: Sanja Matsuri
Location: Asakusa, Tokyo
Time: Times vary according to the event
Price of Admission: FREE
The Sanja Matsuri is one of the three great Shinto festivals of Tokyo. The name “Sanja Matsuri” literally means “Three Shrine Festival” and it features hundreds of portable shrines (mikoshi) which are paraded through Asakusa. The festival is held in honor of the three fisherman who established and founded the famous Sensoji Temple.
17-18 May 2014
Event: Kanda Matsuri
Location: Tokyo
Time: Times vary according to the event
Price of Admission: FREE
The Kanda Matsuri is one of the most famous festivals in Tokyo and one of the three largest festivals in Japan. The main attraction is a parade of over 300 people and 100 portable shrines through the streets of central Tokyo. The festival started in the early 17th century as a celebration of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s decisive victory at the greatest samurai battle in history at Sekigahara.
John Asano is a blogger, travel writer and travel advisor living in Gifu, Japan. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, he has lived in Japan now for over 15 years. John loves nothing better than picking up his camera and exploring all the amazing sights and attractions that Japan has to offer. He writes about the must see sights and attractions in Japan at Japan Travel Advice, as well as about Japanese culture and modern life on his blog Japan Australia. You can read more of his work at http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/
