J-LEARN - FESTIVALS

The 10th Jr. Japan Bowl will be on April 24, 2026. Study Guide will be published on November 1, 2025.

J2B 2025 PHOTOS

KANDA MATSURI-神田祭り・かんだまつり

Kanda Matsuri is the most famous festival in Tokyo. It is a celebration for the wealth and good fortune of the people. It takes place in mid-May in odd numbered years.

Kanda Matsuri lasts about a week, but the main event usually occurs over the weekend closest to May 15. The highlights are a day-long procession through central Tokyo on Saturday and parades of Mikoshi by various neighborhood organizations on Sunday.

The festival started during the Edo period. At that time, the festival celebrated the victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara. he Shinto priests at Kanda DaiMyōjin shrine (かんだだいみょうじん) also prayed for prosperity under the new Tokugawa regime.

Kanda Matsuri is the festival of the Kanda Myōjin shrine (かんだみょうじん), which enshrines three deities: Daikokuten (だいこくてん), the god of good harvest and matrimony; Ebisuten (えびすてん), the god of fishermen and businessmen; and Taira-no-Masakado (たいらのまさかど), a feudal lord of the 10th century who was revered and later deified.

KANDA MATSURI by japan-guide.com

Kanda Myojin Shrine
かんだみょうじん
Image by GO TOKYO

WHAT'S KANDAMYOUJIN?

DAIKOKUTEN
だいこくてん
the god of good harvest
Image by KANDA MYOJIN

EBISU-SAMAえびすてん the god of fishermen and businessmen
Image by KANDA MYOJIN

TAIRA NO MASAKADO
たいらのまさかど
feudal lord of the 10th century
Image by KANDA MYOJIN

OSAKA TENJIN MATSURI-大阪天神祭・おおさかてんじんまつり

Osaka Tenjin Matsuri is the most noted festival in Osaka. The festival started in the 10th century (951AD) and has a history of over one thousand years. It is held on July 24 and 25 annually in Osaka. It is considered one of the largest water festivals.

The fireworks display at Tenjin Matsuri also is very popular.

During the festival, various traditional performances are presented, such as Kagura (かぐら), a specific type of Shinto dance, and Bunraku (ぶんらく), a traditional Japanese puppet show.

The main events of Tenjin Matsuri take place on July 25 and include a land procession and a river procession. During the land procession, around 3,000 people, wearing royal garments of the Nara Heian period, accompany the Mikoshi or portable shrine. Then 100 illuminated boats transport people to complete the river procession ritual.

Tenjin Matsuri by OSAKA TEMMANGU SHRINE

Fireworks at Tenjin Matsuri by SANKEI NEWS

The Matsuri is the festival of Osaka Tenmangū Shrine (おおさかてんまんぐう) and honors Sugawara no Michizane (すがわらのみちざね), who is regarded as the god of learning and who also is called Tenman-Tenjin (てんまんてんじん).

TENJIN FESTIVAL (TENJIN MATSURI) by japan-guide.com

Ｏsaka Temmangu Shrine
おおさかてんまんぐう
Image by OSAKA TEMMANGU

Sugawara no Michizane
すがわらのみちざね
Japan's god of learning
Image by JAPAN REFERENCE

Bunraku puppet
ぶんらく（さなだゆきむら）
Image by TENJIN MATSURI

Kagura dance
かぐら
starts at 3:44
by OSAKA TEMMANGU SHRINE

GION MATSURI-祇園祭・ぎおんまつり

Gion Matsuri (ぎおんまつり) takes place annually in Kyoto in July and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. The festival takes place at the Yasaka Shrine or Yasaka Jinjya (やさかじんじゃ). The festival gets its name from the Gion district of the city.

Gion Matsuri originated during the 869 AD epidemic as part of a ritual of purification and pacification of evil spirits that were thought to be causing disease.

Festive evenings leading up to Yamaboko Junkō are called Yoiyoiyoiyama (よいよいよいやま) on July 14; Yoiyoiyama (よいよいやま) on July 15; and Yoiyama (よいやま) on July 16.
The most popular moment of the festival is Yamaboko Junkō (やまぼこじゅんこう), a procession of floats called the Yama (やま) and Hoko (ほこ).