Autumnal Equinox Day

Autumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日, Shūbun no Hi) is a public holiday in Japan that usually occurs on September 22 or 23, the date of Southward equinox in Japan Standard Time (autumnal more…

Mountain Day in Japan

Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirō no Hi) is a Japanese designated public holiday celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens. It started in 1966 as a national holiday and was held on every September 15 more…

Mountain Day in Japan

In May 2014, it was announced that Mountain Day will be celebrated as a public holiday every August 11, beginning in 2016. Supporters of the holiday included legislator Seishiro Eto and the Japanese Alpine Club. They honor the mountains every more…

Hiroshima Memorial Day

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is an annual Japanese vigil. Every August 6, “A-Bomb Day”, the city of Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony to console the victims of the atomic bombs and to pray for the realization of lasting more…

August Weather in Japan

City Average Daytime High Average Nighttime Low Rainy/Snowy Days Early Month Late Month Sunny Days Early Month Late Month Sapporo 26 C (79 F) 19 C (66 F) 25% 30% 50% 50% Tokyo 31 C (88 F) 24 C (75 F) 25% 25% 55% 50% Takayama 31 C (88 F) 20 C (68 F) 35% 35% 60% 60% Osaka 33 C (91 F) 25 C (77 F) 20% 25% 70% 70% Fukuoka 32 C (90 F) 25 C (77 F) more…

Sea Day (Uni No Hi)

Marine Day (海の日, Umi no Hi), also known as “Ocean Day” or “Sea Day”, is a Japanese national holiday usually celebrated on the third Monday in July. In 2020, the holiday will be observed on Thursday, July 23. The purpose of the holiday is to give thanks to the ocean’s bounty and to consider the importance of the ocean to Japan as an island more…

Japan Sports Day

Health and Sports Day (体育の日, Taiiku no hi), also known as Health-Sports Day or Sports Day, is a national holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday in October. It commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, and exists to promote sports and an active lifestyle more…

Star Festival (Tanabata)

Tanabata (Japanese: たなばた or 七夕, meaning “Evening of the seventh”), also known as the Star Festival (星祭り Hoshi matsuri), is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively) more…

July Weather in Japan

City Average Daytime High Average Nighttime Low Rainy/Snowy Days Early Month Late Month Sunny Days Early Month Late Month Sapporo 25 C (77 F) 17 C (63 F) 25% 25% 40% 45% Tokyo 29 C (84 F) 23 C (73 F) 35% 30% 30% 40% Takayama 29 C (84 F) 19 C (66 F) 55% 40% 35% 50% Osaka 31 C (88 F) 24 C (75 F) more…

Torigoe Matsuri

The Torigoe Matsuri is an annual festival in Tokyo known for being loud, lively, and intense. The main event that most people look forward to is when the more…

Yosakoi Soran Festival

Started in 1992, the Yosako Soran Festival in Sapporo is a popular event filled with dancing. The event originally featured 10 teams of dancers, but now attracts 30,000 dancers on top of 200 million visitors! People can watch parades of dancers as well as dancers up on more…

June Weather in Japan

June is the start of summer in Japan. Average temperatures are high, and so are humidity levels, although not as intense as they’ll become in July and August. Average highs across most of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku sit in the high 70s and low 80s more…

Hakata Dontaku Festival (博多どんたく)

Hakata Dontaku Festival (博多どんたく) is one of the largest citizens’ festivals in Japan, held in the biggest city of Kushu region, Fukuoka City since 1962. The festival takes 2 days on 3rd and 4th May, during Golden Week holiday every year, attracting over 2 million more…

Takayama Festival (高山祭)

Takayama Festival (高山祭) is held at the popular historic town in Japan Alps, Takayama city, Gifu Prefecture. It’s considered one of the three most beautiful festivals in Japan along with Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri and the Saitama’s Chichibu Yomatsuri more…

Inuyana Matsuri (犬山祭)

Inuyama Festival (犬山祭) is held on the first weekend of April every year since 1635 at Inuyama city, Aichi prefecture. The highlight of this festival is the parade across the city by 13 gigantic, three-storied floats with the sound of Japanese flutes and drums more…

Cherry Blossom in Japan

The cherry blossom (sakura) has been celebrated in Japan for many centuries and holds a very particular place in Japanese culture. Although there are many varieties of cherry trees in Japan, most bloom for just a couple of days in spring more…

Japanese Winter Food

Shabu-shabu is a Japanese nabemono hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived more…

Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early saints named more…

Japan Upcoming Events (February 2020)

JAN 25 – FEB 1 Kayabuki no Sato Snow Lantern Festival Time: 3:00pm – 8:00pm, Location: Kyoto JAN 31 – FEB 2 Zao Snow Monster Festival Location: Yamagata MON FEB 3 Dojima Yakushido Setsubun Omizukumi more…

Sapporo Snow Festival 2020

Dates: Tue, 4 Feb 2020 – Tue, 11 Feb 2020 The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place every year for a week in February across three main sites: Odori Park, Tsudome and Susukino. As the name implies, this festival more…

 Japan National Foundation Day

National Foundation Day is a national holiday in Japan celebrated annually on February 11, celebrating the mythological foundation of Japan and the accession of its first emperor, Emperor Jimmu at Kashihara gū on 11 February more…

Best Places in Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the second largest main island of Japan and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu. It was formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso more…

Chinese New Year 2020 – Year of the Rat

The Chinese New Year of 2020 falls on January 25th (Saturday), and the festival will last to February 8th, about 15 days in total. 2020 is a Year of the Rat according to Chinese zodiac. As an official public holiday more…

New Year in Japan

New Year’s is celebrated in numerous ways by people living in different countries all around the world, and Japan is no exception. Within Japan itself, there are traditional and modern ways to ring in the new more…

Start of Winter Season in Japan

Japan’s winter season is December through February. Depending on what part of Japan you are traveling to, winter in Japan can be vastly different. Big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka generally more…

Visa Violators Face Severe Penalties in Japan

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration yesterday warned Filipino workers of the severe penalties foreigners may face for violating Japan’s law on the proper use of visa or residence status more…

November is the Best Time to Visit Tokyo

November is a turning point in the autumn season when the trees are stunning shades of orange, yellow, and red. The weather has a slight chill, making it the perfect temperature for outdoor activities more…

November Upcoming Festivals/Events in Japan

Nigohachi Festival Date: Early Nov Event Schedule: 9:00am – 3:00pm Admission: Free Location: Shiga Hi-Watari Festival Date: November 3, 2019 Event Schedule: 1:00pm – 4:00pm Admission more…

Famous Japanese Food You Must Try

When most of us think about Japanese food, we automatically think about sushi or ramen. However, the truth is that Japan has an amazing, unique and varied cuisine that goes beyond just fish more…

Autumn in Japan (September to November)

The tradition of momijigari has been popular since the Heian period (794-1195) and it has had a profound influence on Japanese culture. For Buddhists, it’s a moment that is important both spiritually more…

Events in Japan during September

1. Kinchakuda Higabana Field
2. Ultra Japan
3. Rugby Work Cup 2019
4. First Autumn Leaves
5. Sumo Tokyo Basho more…

Season in Japan

As Japan is a long collection of islands stretching out over thousands of kilometers, the climate varies considerably from the northern island of Hokkaido (summer mild and short; winters long with heavy snowfall) to the southern subtropical island of Okinawa. more…

Japanese Culture

The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country’s prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia, Europe, and North America. more…

PH-Japan Labor Cooperation Pact Signed

The governments of the Philippines and Japan on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) providing better protection on the recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers to be hired more…