Matsuri: Japanese festivals I’d like to take part in

Image Source: tumblr.com

With the celebration of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, my thoughts took a momentary detour through some of my travel plans. I’ve been to many countries in Asia, and Japan continues to entice me to visit and revisit many of its attractions. Unfortunately, the cost of visiting Japan tends to be higher than that of the other Asian destinations so a lot of planning is required to make the most out of every trip. At least I think that’s the way to go.

Image Source: nihongonews.wordpress.com

People have all sorts of motivations for wanting to pay this country a visit. I believe that Japan has an allure of refined beauty that is seen in its cuisine, its buildings (both old and new), and in its culture. As for me, I’d like to fully experience what celebrations in Japan are like through the various festivals.

The local festivals in Japan are called matsuri, and there are a lot of them because almost every shrine has its own celebration. Frankly, it seems to me that a person can go anytime in a year and still expect to encounter at least one celebration. It should be better to time the trip properly if you have a specific festival in mind, however..

Image Source: worldfestivaldirectory.com

As for me, I’m aiming to experience the Asakusa Sanja Matsuri, or literally the “Three Shrine Festival.” Held on the third weekend of May, it’s one of the largest and wildest celebrations. As you can see in the photos I linked above, it is flocked by thousands of people – both locals and tourists.

 

Image Source: flickr.com/ajpscs

I’m also interested in the fighting festivals like the Nada no Kenka Matsuri and the Imari Ton-Ten-Ton because of the intensity involved in the celebrations.

It may take me some time to properly prepare for these trips but hopefully someday, I’ll be able to go and experience these festivals in their full glory.

Image Source: zimbio.com

Find more links to stories of Louis Habash’s various excursions and other travelling topics on this Twitter page.