Festivals

The list below is taken from the Japan National Tourism Organization.  Click on the individual event for information.  It’s estimated that 25% of the population partake in a local festival, and with each shrine holding an annual event Japan must count amongst the most festival-loving people on earth.  The typical pattern is for a religious ritual to be performed prior to the festivities, then a parade of the kami around the community with pauses for entertainment of some kind, and then return to the shrine where the closing ritual is held.