Although Summer in Japan can be hot and humid, what better way to enjoy the warm weather and beautiful scenery than to watch or even participate in one of Japan's lively festivals? Summer months (July to August) are filled with celebrations, with includes parades, fireworks and many folks dancing along the streets.
Here are some of Japan’s most famous festivals and celebrations in summer:
Awa Odori
The Awa Dance Festival (阿波踊り, Awa Odori) is the largest and most famous dance festival
held across Japan during the Obon Season. "Awa" is the former name for Tokushima
Prefecture while "Odori" means dance. Between August 12th and 15th, spectators and
dancers come to Tokushima in the thousands to see this "Fool's Dance" whose origins date
back 400 years. This nickname comes from the lyrics to a common dance song, which
translates as follows: "Fools dance and fools watch, if both are fools, you might as well
dance".
Gion Festival
Gion Festival is a festival held annually at Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine in the entire month of
July. It takes its name from Kyoto’s Gion district. The highlight of this festival is the splendid
pageant of some 30 floats called Yamaboko proceeding along the main streets of Kyoto
on the 17th. Each float, two-storied and about 6 meters tall, is topped with a long pole
shaped like a spear. They are sometimes even described as 'mobile art museums’ due to its
exquisic craftsmanship.
“Yoiyama”
The Yoiyama festival is held at night preceding the main attraction on the 17th. Floats
displayed in the town are lit up with dozens of lights, and the festive music known as Gion-
bayashi can be heard almost everywhere in the town streets.
Fireworks Display (花火大会)
Summer can never be completed without fireworks display. Almost every night, communities around Japan stage lively firework displays colourfully enlivening the night skies. The biggest of these is the display over the Sumida River which is a major event on the cultural calendar of Tokyo, with spectacular multicoloured layers that blossom into the night sky to awe the millions of spectators gathered along the banks or in boats on the river.
