Exploring the Spiritual Significance of Major Festivals in Japan
In Japan, various festivals are held throughout the year. These festivals range from large-scale ones that tourists can participate in to small, family-held events. This article briefly introduces the meaning behind these family festivals and provides suggestions for tourists and travelers to experience a part of them.
New Year’s Day (January 1)
For many Japanese people, New Year’s Day is very important. During the New Year holidays, which typically last from around December 30 to January 3, businesses close, and families gather to eat special traditional Japanese dishes called “osechi.” The origins of New Year’s Day lie in the belief that gods descended from high mountains to bring happiness to each household on New Year’s Day. “Osechi” meals are offerings to the gods, symbolizing prayers for a bountiful harvest, the prosperity of descendants, and the safety and health of the family. Additionally, decorations called “kadomatsu” are placed at the entrances of homes to guide the gods. These decorations, along with the “shimekazar” (a decorative rope) used during the New Year, signify sacred places, just like the “shimenawa” found at shrines and large trees in the forest.
Since New Year’s Day is a family event, tourists cannot typically participate, but if you visit Japan during this time, you can experience “Hatsumode” (the first shrine visit of the year) and “Hatsuhinode” (watching the first sunrise). During Hatsumode, people wear beautiful clothes, often traditional kimono, and visit shrines. Famous spots for Hatsuhinode include Mount Fuji, Kujukuri Beach in Chiba Prefecture, Jodo-ga-hama Beach in Iwate Prefecture, and Sokan Mountain in Miyagi Prefecture.
Little New Year (January 15)
On Little New Year, people eat porridge made from azuki beans to wish for good health. The red color of the azuki beans is believed to ward off evil spirits, and thus, even the torii gates at shrines are often painted red. On this day, “kadomatsu” and “shimenawa” are brought to shrines and temples, where they are burned in a bonfire known as “Dondo-yaki.” It is believed that the gods who visited households during the New Year return to the heavens with the smoke.
In some regions, Dondo-yaki is celebrated on a large scale, and tourists can witness this event.
Katsuyama Sagicho Festival (Fukui Prefecture, Katsuyama City)
Event Period: Last Saturday and Sunday of February
Website: https://www.city.katsuyama.fukui.jp/kankou/sagityo/
The “Sagicho” festival in Katsuyama City has a history of over 300 years. It was traditionally held on the 14th day of the lunar New Year, but now it takes place on the last weekend of February. The festival features 12 yagura (platforms) decorated by local communities, where participants dance to the lively sounds of shamisen, flute, and gong.
Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Festival (Nagano Prefecture, Nozawa Onsen Village)
Event Period: Around January 15
Website: https://nozawakanko.jp/
The Dosojin Festival in Nozawa Onsen is one of Japan’s three great fire festivals. It is famous for its large 18-meter-high shrine and the dramatic battle between young men who try to burn it and the men responsible for protecting it. Many tourists visit this festival every year.
Itsukushima Shrine Tondo Festival (Hiroshima Prefecture, Hatsukaichi City)
Event Period: Early January (Little New Year)
Website: https://www.miyajima.or.jp/
The Tondo Festival at Itsukushima Shrine involves burning New Year’s decorations and calligraphy to pray for good health. A large bonfire is lit on the shrine grounds, attracting many visitors.
Oiso Sagicho (Kanagawa Prefecture, Oiso Town)
Event Period: January 14 or 15
Website: https://www.town.oiso.kanagawa.jp/
Oiso Sagicho is a traditional event designated as an intangible folk cultural asset in Kanagawa Prefecture. At this fire festival on the beach, New Year’s decorations and calligraphy are burned to pray for good health and a bountiful harvest.
Setsubun (February 4)
Setsubun originally referred to the changing of the seasons, and there were four setsubun events each year. Today, Setsubun specifically refers to the event held in February. During Setsubun, people eat roasted soybeans, chanting “Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi” (Out with the demons, in with good fortune). It is believed that during seasonal transitions, evil spirits can enter, bringing misfortune or illness, so the ritual was created to drive these spirits away. Today, this ritual is especially popular in homes with strong faith, or among families with young children, and is also common in kindergartens.
Asakusa Temple Setsubun Festival (Tokyo, Taito Ward)
Event Period: February 2, 2025
The Setsubun Festival at Asakusa Temple features a ceremonial ritual for warding off evil spirits and inviting good fortune. The event includes the “Seven Gods of Fortune” dance and a procession around the temple grounds. Many famous entertainers and sports figures participate in the bean-throwing ceremony.
Fukagawa Shrine Setsubun Festival (Aichi Prefecture, Seto City)
Event Period: February 1 and 2, 2025
The Setsubun Festival at Fukagawa Shrine includes rituals for purging misfortune, and offerings are provided to attendees as part of the prayers for good fortune.
Hina Matsuri (March 3)
Hina Matsuri, also known as Doll Festival or Girls’ Day, celebrates the healthy growth of girls. Families display beautiful hina dolls, often received as gifts from the maternal grandparents. These dolls range from simple ones costing a few thousand yen to traditional handcrafted ones worth tens of thousands of yen. Families often gather for a meal of chirashi sushi and other delicacies.
The festival originates from a Shinto tradition where dolls made of grass or straw were used to carry away impurities and misfortunes by floating them down rivers or into the sea.
Tanabata (July 7)
Tanabata is a festival that originated in China and is based on the legend of the weaving princess (Orihime) and the cowherd (Hikoboshi). People write their wishes on small strips of paper, called tanzaku, and hang them on bamboo trees, believing their prayers will reach the heavens. This tradition is connected to Shinto beliefs that nature and celestial bodies are sacred.
Obon (August 15)
Obon, held in mid-August, is a time to honor the spirits of deceased ancestors. Families light lanterns, perform Bon dances to comfort the spirits, and guide them back to the other world. This festival blends Shinto ancestral worship with Buddhist concepts of karma and reincarnation.
