Culture Oyumi Hajime Festival 2025 Kim Bergström Nara's Oyamato Shrine holds their annual Oyumi Hajime Festival on January 4th. The purpose of the festival is to pray for goo...
Culture Yamayaki Festival 2025 Japan Travel For over 250 years, people have gathered at the base of Mt. Wakakusa in Nara on the fourth Saturday in January to watch the m...
Culture Oni Fest on Mt. Yoshino 2025 Alena Eckelmann Embrace your demons on Yoshinoyama! The locals of this mountain welcome oni (demons) into their houses and inns ever since mo...
Culture Setsubun Mantoro 2025 Jessica Lin At the Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara, more than 3,000 lanterns in the precincts are lit up.
Culture Shimoichi Hatsuichi Festival 2025 Kim Bergström Supermarkets and convenience stores are modern-day conveniences, but historically, hatsuichi (first market) events were place...
Activities Plum Blossoms at Tsukigase Plum Grove 2025 Kim Bergström One of Nara's best plum blossom spots is the Tsukigase Plum Grove, where over 10,000 plum trees burst into bloom in shades of...
Culture Nyaramachi Neko Art Festival 2025 Mary Kawai Nyaramachi Neko Art Festival celebrates cats and cat-inspired artwork throughout June.
Activities Hydrangea Season at Yatadera Temple 2025 Kim Bergström From June 1st until July 10th each year, Nara's Yatadera Temple opens its hydrangea garden for the public to enjoy. The hydra...
Culture Swinging Taiko at the Tsuribashi Festival 2025 Bryan Baier Taiko drums on an Indy Jones-esque bridge!
