Find Some Great Festivals In Japan During The Month Of April
Asia is a great time for the spring renewals to happen, but also a great time for you to enjoy the different festivals that happen during this awakening time period. However, what you need to realize is one place there always seems to be a festival happening is Japan. The problem is it can be hard to find all the festivals and know which are going to be a good festival to attend and which of them are going to leave you feeling like you are left out. Thankfully we have done our work and have found a list of the festivals that happen in April and have included them here so you can know which of the festivals are worth attending and which one you should skip out on while you are traveling around Japan and enjoying the beautiful country that is often overlooked as a tourist destination.
Is This List Of April Festivals In Japan A Complete List?
The short answer is no. This list is not going to be a complete list and it is a list that is constantly going to be building. However, we are trying to highlight some of the best festivals that you should try to make it to, even if you are their symbolically and do not understand the significance of what you are seeing. Doing this will allow you to know you are attending something special and that you are seeing something that you normally would have overlooked because of the way your schedule is crammed already on vacation.
Miyako Odori
This is a festival that happens each April in the Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre, which is located in Kyoto. However, what you need to realize is this is a festival that is different than what you may be thinking when you think about a party or other gathering. In fact, this is more of a festival that is going to be involving the [popup_product]geishas[/popup_product] that are well known throughout Japan and provide you with the entertainment that you need to have while you are in Japan. The best part is this is a festival that has a tendency to run the entire month of April.
What is really nice about the Miyako Odori is the fact this is a rare chance to see these artist perform. This is going to make it easier for you to have a chance to see this art form and know that you are going to see something that is not commonly seen in public. So if you have a chance to go out and see this dance and if you are in Japan in April then this should be a must stop for your enjoyment!
Obasama Festival
This is a festival that takes place on the first Sunday in April. However, this is a festival that seems to have more of a religious undertone and holding on to the traditional Japanese beliefs as this is a festival that is held at the Hakusan Shrine. This shrine is often seen as the place that is enshrined as the head of the [popup_product]Sanbaku[/popup_product]. What the festival is going to help ensure is a good harvest in the spring and this is going to be a factor that a lot of people are going to enjoy, because even with the region not being a place that is commonly toured, the festival is a very strong one for the Japanese people and it is definitely something they are going to place a strong belief in.
What is very important if you are able to make it to the Obasama Festival is the Obasama in Ennen dance. This is a dance that is been dated back quite a ways and is one of the most culturally important dances for the people to know and learn. This dance is very beautiful and in the YouTube video that is below it is a dance that you can enjoy, even if you are not aware of the culture that it represents.
Tonbansan Matsuri Festival
If you have been to Japan or watched some of the festival from Japan on television then you have probably seen the guys dancing down the streets with their faces all painted white. That is because a lot of times they are going to participate in the Tonbansan Matsuri festival. This is a festival that takes place mainly in the Nagasaki region, but it is not restricted to this area as it does happen in other regions of Japan as well. The timing of this festival make even happen during the first weekend of April.
As you can tell from the video below a lot of fireworks are used to help celebrate this festival, but it also has the comical looking people along with the omikoshi portable shrine. This festival also comes with a beautiful lion dance that people are going to like, but also comes along with the folk dancing and drumming. What is really nice is this festival is going to be dedicated to the Kotohira Shrine. The shrine that is present here is dedicated to the safety of the sailors that are out on the sea and to help ensure their is a large haul from the seas for the fishermen.
Saga Dai Nenbutsu Kyogen
Have you ever wondered what the ancient Japanese culture was like? Outside of what you know how it was impacted by the way the life was changed and how the life was going to be changed with the religion? If you have then you will want to make it to the Saga Dai Nenbutsu Kyogen. This is an ancient festival that is going to be full of the silent plays being told by the monks.The festival is limited on the days that it runs, so you need to make sure you are able to make it when this festival is running so you can make the days and times. If you can go to these plays you will have a great trip and one that is full of culture.
The festivals location is actually in one of the temples and that is going to make a difference as well. So not only are you going to get the cultural experience you want to have, but you will also have a chance to get the time to see one of the most beautiful temples as well. The temple that is being used for this is the Seiryo-ji Temple and even if this was not on the list of places that you would want to travel to, it should be because you will see the trip is going to be well worth the trip that you are taking.
Beppu Hot Spring Festival
The hot springs are something that is very famous in and outside of Japan. What a lot of people do not know is in April their is a festival in Beppu that is dedicated to the hot springs and the crowds they are often going to draw. With that being the case, you will like the festival and know that it is a week long celebration of the springs. What is really nice for the week long celebration outside of the beauty of the parades that are going to be going on in the region is the fact that quite a few of the hot springs are free for admission during the week.
With these being free it will make it easier for you to get to the area and be able to enjoy them without having to pay a high cost that you normally would have had to pay. With the Beppu Hot Spring festival you will notice they do have mikoshi portable shrines that are able for you to get the right trip and know that it will allow you time to experience the Japanese culture even deeper. At the festival you will also find they have a large Tengu that is drawn through the streets.
Kanamara Festival
Now you will notice this is a festival that is going to be quite a bit different than what you have seen before with the festivals that you are looking towards in Japan. This is a festival that has a tendency to take and talk more about the prayers that are present for safe child birth, conception and even for having a happy marriage. The main point that you will find quite humorous about the festival is that being paraded through the street is going to be a 2 meter tall pink penis. This is often referred to as the Iron Phallus and that is definitely going to be something the festival should be well known for.
The key point that you will like is the origins of this festival actually came from the end of the Edo Period. It was during this time that people were starting to recognize the prominence of sexually transmitted diseases. So the prostitutes that were in the area started to pray for the help of the spirits to help protect them from these diseases and keep them safe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjUePDILL3A
Shinkosai
This is a festival that anyone who drinks Sake is going to love. This festival is dedicated to the people who have been brewing and towards the brewing of the Sake. However, what you need to realize is this is a festival that a lot of people are going to love because it is going to have a lot of the features that people are going to love. So you will like the fact this is going to make it easier for you to have a great trip and know you are finally able to pay respects to the brewing process of Sake.
The festival does have mikoshi procession that people will enjoy seeing. However, people will like the fact this is a festival that will make it easier for people to have a good trip because they can see these and even observe the procession that is going on and know what it means now. What else is really cool about this procession is the people are going to hold up long sticks with the deity on them. Throw in the fact this festival dates back over a thousand years and you will see this is a festival that you are going to fall in love with.
Hirosaki Sakura Matsuri
This is a festival that takes place on the grounds of the Hirosaki castle. This castle is well known for the cherry trees that are on the grounds and guess what this festival celebrates? The festival is going to celebrate the blooming of the cherry trees that are on the grounds. So this will make it easier for you to be able to get the celebration that you want to have and a chance to see the beautiful site of the trees blooming and having the cherry trees looking great.
What is really cool about this festival is the fact that during the daytime it is going to have some of the traditional events that you would have seen a long time ago. However, at night time you would think the festival would end, but it does not. In fact at night time you will find the festival is going to have a new twist that you will love and that is the fact that they are going to have some of the beautiful illuminations that are going to be present at night on the grounds.
Nagasaki Tall Ships Festival
Japan is an island and that is very obvious as you will see that no land connects it to another place. However, the Japanese definitely take pride in this fact as they have quite a few festivals that are going to help you see the ships and the dedication they have to the ships. One of those festivals is the Nagasaki Tall Ships Festival. If you are around for this festival, which usually happens in the latter part of April, we highly recommend you catch this festival as it will provide you with quite a bit of entertainment.
In the harbor you will see ships from all different types of countries that are going to participate in this festival. The festival will have ships that are going to come from Japan, but also from Europe and China as well. So it is easy to see a variety of ships that are going to provide you with the entertainment that you want to have and know the festival will provide you with all the entertainment you want to have.
Is This All The Festivals?
This is a good question, but we have to limit ourselves to the festivals that we really love. Since that is the case, we did not list all the festivals with a full descriptions. However, we are going to have a list of the festivals that we could not list and have them on this page because it would literally push this article to over 5000 words and we would have the start of a book. We hope you did enjoy the festivals that we have looked into and over time we do plan on trying to revisit each festival and providing more in depth information on each. So hopefully you are going to enjoy the list and they can help you better plan any of the trips you are taking to Japan.
Additional Festivals In Japan In April We Did Not List Here
Arita Ceramics Festival
Uesugi Matsuri
Kyokusui-no-utage
Kamikochi Opening Festival
Hidaka Hibue Matsuri
Hoenya Matsuri
Mibu Kyogen
Annual Spring Festival
Renge-Mai
Ningen Shogi
Oiran Dochu
Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri
Takayama Spring Festival
Yasurai Matsuri
Shingenko Matsuri
Inuyama Matsuri
Would you like to learn more about Japan? Visit our Japan travel page.
Want to cover Asia instead? Find our Asia travel page helpful.