Jake Davis has posted a wonderful visual record here of a festival on the small Inland Sea island of Iwaishima. Like many others, I’m a great fan of the Inland Sea and have tried to visit as many of the … Read the rest
Category: Festivals (Page 22 of 26)
Kansai Scene this month reports a rare opportunity for foreigners to take part in a Shinto festival….
“Nishinomiya International Association is looking for volunteers to help carry omikoshi, portable shrines, in the city’s annual festival on Sunday September … Read the rest
Thanks to Green Shinto friend, Mark Schumacher (dictionary of Japanese religion), for pointing out this Japan Times article on a phenomenon that I have come across at a few places around Japan. It might not be politically correct … Read the rest
Anyone who has been to a festival at a large shrine will be familiar with the lines of colourful stalls that line the approach. These have a traditional feel, and their links with yakuza are well-known. Now however, Japan … Read the rest
The Nagatoro Funadama Festival was held on the Arakawa River in Saitama Prefecture this week, reports Japan Today. It is a traditional event staged in Nagatoro, a town famous for whitewater boating, and the origin lies in requesting that … Read the rest
Ties and knots
On my final day in Glastonbury, the annual Goddess Festival took place to coincide with ancient Lammas. It allows me to tie up some loose ends, beginning, suitably enough, with knots. It’s said that ties in the … Read the rest
One of the key points of Shinto is the notion of renewal, in tune with the perennial ability of nature to renew itself. Here Kevin Short, naturalist and cultural anthropologist, writes of his visit to Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo. (… Read the rest