Matsuri
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Stalls selling food or toys are a familiar sight at festivals throughout Japan.
Matsuri (祭り, or sometimes just 祭) is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple, though they can be secular or Christian.
There are not specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, usually related to the rice harvest.
Notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organized at the level of neighborhoods, or machi. Prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets.
One can always find in the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, and games, such as snatching goldfish. Karaoke contests, sumo matches, and other forms of entertainment are often organized in conjunction with matsuri.
Favorite elements of the most popular matsuri, such as the Nada Kenka Matsuri of Himeji or the Neputa Matsuri of Hirosaki, are often broadcast on television for the entire nation to enjoy.
Some examples of famous matsuri are the Jidai, Aoi and Gion Matsuri held in Kyoto; the Isemachi Matsuri of Nakanojo, Gunma; and the Kanda, Sanno and Sanja Matsuri Matsuri of Tokyo.
List by season
- March 3rd - Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival/Girl's Day)
List by location
Jidai Matsuri, Aoi Matsuri, Gion Matsuri (Kyoto)Isemachi Matsuri (Nakanojo, Gunma)
Kanda, Sanno, Sanja Matsuri (Tokyo)
Okunchi Matsuri (Nagasaki)
Neputa or Nebuta Matsuri (Northern Tohoku)
Nada Kenka (Fighting Festival) (Himeji)
Handa Matsuri (Nagoya), Odawara Omatsuri
Neputa Matsuri of Hirosaki. Nada Kenka Matsuri of Himeji
External links
- Official sites
- *[web-japan.org::festivals::kyoto-jidai-matsuri]
- *[Japan National Tourist Organization] (photo library)
- Matsuri sites
- *[Matsuri Festival in Montreal]
- *[Matsuri Photos of Shinto Shrine](English version)
- Private initiative sites/galleries
- *[JCITI.COM] about Nagoya, see festivals section.
- *[Reggie.net] photographs of Neputa floats in Hirosaki.
- *[link] Photographs and description of the Odawara Omatsuri.
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