Culture Yamayaki Festival 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 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 Jessica Lin At the Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara, more than 3,000 lanterns in the precincts are lit up.
Culture Shimoichi Hatsuichi Festival Kim Supermarkets and convenience stores are modern-day conveniences, but historically, hatsuichi (first market) events were place...
Activities Plum Blossoms at Tsukigase Plum Grove Kim 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...