Japan Fanfare

The Nebuta Festival (ねぶた祭, Nebuta-matsuri) is held in early August in the cities of Aomori and Hirosaki in northern Japan. Huge illuminated floats of monstrous dummies (nebuta) are paraded through the cities at night, with spectators from all over Japan watching. The festival is a lively demonstration of folk traditions and art based on a legendary battle.

Often called O-Bon and written (盆) or 盂蘭盆 (Urabon), this is a Buddhist festival to honor the spirits of ancestors. Families reunite in their hometowns to enjoy time together and visit ancestral graves to celebrate this 500-year-old event. O-Bon was once observed on the 15th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. In modern Japan it is held on August 13 through 15 in many regions, because this period is close to the traditional dating. However, other regions of Japan still celebrate the holiday in July. Bon is not a national holiday or an official vacation day, though many people get time off.

A typhoon (台風, taifū) is a tropical cyclone that forms in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. In Japan, typhoons are hurricane-like storms that occur during typhoon season, from July through October. Although Japan routinely gets hit by weaker typhoon, stronger storms do strike the country's coastal areas, causing flooding, mudslides, power outages, and other damage. The best way to stay safe during a typhoon is to stay indoors. The Japanese take typhoons very seriously and even practice for them on Disaster Prevention Day.

The Tanabata (七夕) Festival is held on 7 July every year. Also called the Star Festival, it used to be held on the seventh night of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, but was transposed to the Gregorian calendar for convenience. Though not a national holiday marking a vacation day, Tanabata is celebrated across Japan, with Sendai (仙台) being particularly famous for its festivities. Tanabata is seen as a festival primarily for children and younger people.

The third Monday in July is Marine Day, called Umi no Hi (海の日) in Japanese, set aside so that people can express their thanks for the bounty of the sea and pray for Japan’s prosperity as an island nation. The day is also called Ocean Day. Marine Day used to be held on July 20, but starting in 2003, the date was moved to the third Monday of July to create a three day weekend, part of the “Happy Monday” system recently instituted in Japan to have more long weekends on the calendar.

The Gion Matsuri (祇園祭) is Kyoto’s most famous festival, and certainly one of the most famous festival in all of Japan. It takes place throughout the month of July, with the peak coming on 17 July with the parade known as the Yama-boko Junkō (山鉾巡行), which goes through much of downtown Kyoto.The pagentry of the massive floats pulled down the streets of the city is impressive, and the floats themselves, are spectacular.

Osaka holds its annual Tenjin Matsuri (天神祭) on 24 and 25 July. The Tenjin Matsuri is among the most spectacular in all of Japan. The festival has two parts: the land procession and the boat procession. The former takes place during the daytime, and the latter takes place in the evening, making for a tremendously fun and rewarding day.