Tag - festivals

 
 

FESTIVALS

Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 25, 2016
Koenji's Awa Odori festival celebrates 60 years
For the past few weeks, visitors and residents in Koenji have been haunted by a song — a plaintive, pentatonic melody that seems to circle endlessly, never quite resolving. You can hear it playing over speakers on the station platform just before the train doors close. It's there again as you walk...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 23, 2016
In search of Japan's essential summer festivals
With July just around the corner, Japan is gearing up for another sultry summer. Since the sizzling-hot days only last until early September, people make the most of the season by getting outside — that includes going to film festivals, art and fashion events or outdoor musical gatherings.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2016
Norwegian woman picked to lead cherry blossom festival featuring Edo Period costumes
A 27-year-old Norwegian national has become the first Western female ever to be chosen to play a leading role at a cherry blossom festival in the city of Tsubame, Niigata Prefecture, which features women dressed as high-class Edo Period (1603-1868) courtesans.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 23, 2015
On a Christmas visit, expat thoughts turn to 'going home'
Reconnecting with home can be a cause for reflection: Where have I been, and where am I going? Is there another life to return to?
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Nov 9, 2015
Let's discuss Halloween in Japan
Retailers are hoping to further capitalize on an event that by one estimate will generate ¥122 billion in Japan.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Sep 28, 2015
Santa Claus is spared bankruptcy
Finland's Santa Claus Office avoided bankruptcy thanks to the help of a new owner.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 16, 2015
Weary of refugees, Munich to find release in Oktoberfest
Germany's decision to restore border controls to stem a tide of refugees may have stunned Europe but is being cheered in Munich as it gears up for a far bigger influx of 6 million beer-swigging visitors to the 182nd Oktoberfest.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2015
Annual Roppongi Hills Bon festival features original 'Ropponjin Ondo' music
The annual Roppongi Hills Bon-Odori kicked off Saturday, giving visitors to the festival a chance to experience a Japanese summer tradition.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 17, 2015
Farewell until next year, heat, humidity and o-haka-mairi
Summer is when the Japanese commune with family, ghosts and an ignoble wartime past.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Aug 10, 2015
Aomori is Japan's top tourist destination for festivals
Aomori in northeastern Japan is the most popular prefecture for festivals, surpassing Kyoto, a survey by a major travel agency showed.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Aug 10, 2015
Let's discuss 'Star Wars ' floats at the Aomori Nebuta festival
Organizers of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri will not allow much-awaited floats based on 'Star Wars' characters to parade on the city's streets.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 26, 2015
Rock in Japan focuses on the experience of an eternal afternoon
If the lackluster response to Fuji Rock Festival's lineup announcements and the closure of at least one of its stages suggests looming trouble for Japan's festival scene, there is one rival that has gone from strength to strength: the domestically focused Rock in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 26, 2015
Even the departed are abandoning Japan's countryside
At a time when Japan is trying to revitalize the countryside, the dead are being relocated to the big cities.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan