Waraji Festival 2022
Fukushima Waraji festival is one of the biggest summer festivals in Tohoku region, and also the largest Waraji (straw sandal) festival in Japan as well. The festival is held in the center of Fukushima city, featuring gigantic straw sandals with 12-meter long and weight almost 2 tons carried by 100 men and paraded around the festival area. Moreover, there are a lot of dance performances, both traditional and contemporary, at the festival to enjoy as well. Here is the atmosphere of this year's festival. Please come to watch it with your own eyes next time! The festival is held annually on the first weekend in August.
Morioka Sansa Odori
Summer in Japan has many interesting festivals where you can enjoy various styles and cultures in each region. In the Tohoku region, there are many festivals where you can enjoy the culture with local people.
Sansa Odori is one of the most famous 5 summer festivals in the Tohoku region.
Over 10000 taiko drummers and dancers parade around the Morioka City of Iwate prefecture
There are a lot of interesting things to see in this festival. You can enjoy a big parade of Sansa Odori dancers and the Sansa Taiko group. In addition, there are traditional special performances from different districts that have unique styles. Moreover, you can join some of the parades too. This all-in-one festival like this can be found only here, Sansa Odori Festival.
Address: Morioka city, Iwate Prefecture
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/ZCx6A7hK2tWYyrDV9
English Website: http://www.sansaodori.jp/foreign/english.php
Aomori Nebuta Festival
Aomori Nebuta Festival: Overflowing with energy, a festival that can energize you from the sight of it. It is the Aomori Nebuta Festival. Accompanying the nebuta is the band, shouts of "Rassera!" and sounds of bells, with a great number of 'haneto' dancers. You can even join in the parade after getting yourself fitted out in the festival clothes, as I did. It was incredibly fun!
The elaborate design and delicate coloring of the nebuta are handmade by the craftsmen, with some reaching 5 m tall. The craftsmen pour their efforts into making the nebuta for a whole year for the sake of this annual festival. A new one will be crafted for the next year.
The amount of effort they put in for this event is amazing! This festival brimming with energy and the passion of the craftsmen will fascinate you!
Nebuta Matsuri is summer festival that held every August every year, one of the biggest festival in Tohoku region, it estimated that 3 millions people flocked the city to witness the magnificent giant, main attraction of this Festival is to showcase the giant lit up paper lantern floats (Nebuta) in a parade. The floats made based on Kabuki story and many Japanese companies made their own Nebuta, hoping that their Nebuta could win an awards.
A Power Spot for Your Mind: Hydrangea Temple
If you want to enjoy Hydrangea in Sendai, what's about going to Shifukuji?
There are around 1200 bushes of Hydrangea blooming in the temple, so this place is famous for it.
On the way going uphill to Yama-mon, you can also enjoy Hydrangea there. You will of arrive at the temple area without noticing!
The temple is wrapped in greenery, like being isolated from the outer world. Your mind will be refreshed by the beautiful Hydrangea that is cheerfully blooming and greeting you even under the cloudy sky, which is common in this season. This will brighten up your mind as well.
There are several colors and petal shapes for Hydrangea! You can find blue, violet, white, pink, and so on. There are so many of them that I'm sure you will find your favorite color.
Let's look for your favorite scenery and take pictures of it!!
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/VMoqqHr5ZznvFgmHA
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Hanagasa Festival in Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Hanagasa Festival is a dancing parade held on a midsummer evening, lasting three days and involving more than 10,000 dancers, this festival is held in the center of the city center making Yamagata city bustling and full of joy.
Each group wore traditional clothes in beautiful colors, while waving hats decorated with orange Safflower, there was not only a dance but also a traditional music parade, such as taiko (Japanese drums), flute and so on.
There are three different types of dances, which will be performed by dancers, male, female, old, young, and even children. You can learn this dance very quickly and easily.
The hanagasa festival always manages to attract attention and become a spectacle for Japanese citizens and citizens of the world.
Don't miss the excitement of the summer festival in the Yamagata Tohoku region of Japan.
Visit the website for more information, you can also learn 3 types of hanagas dance through this website
https://www.hanagasa.jp/_lang/en/
Akita Kanto Festival
Kanto festival is one of the most famous summer festivals of the Tohoku region.
It is held in Akita city every year in August.
The festival will be in the evening of festival period.
A number of people will gather to watch the stunning performance from the local people,
who show the ability of carrying “Kanto” or a long pole with many lanterns hanging on it.
The pole can have length up to 12 meter and weight up to 50 kilogram,
and the performer will carry them on their forehead or lower back! Even it looks like the pole will collapse or trip over any time,
The performer will observe the wind by looking at the paper called Gohei that is attached to the top of the pole and adjust their move according to it to balance the pole on their body.
The parade also includes traditional Japanese bands that make the atmosphere become more fun and cheerful.
website: http://www.kantou.gr.jp/index.htm
Winter in Tohoku
When winter comes, it will turn Tohoku’s nature to the most romantic sceneries with white magic!
If you want to enjoy the snow closely in Miyagi, Sumikawa Snow Park provide both ski facilities and snow shoes experience for you. Come to the downtown Sendai to enjoy the winter illumination “Pageant of Starlight”. Visit the cute and fluffy foxes at Zao Fox Village.
Go back in time in Fukushima prefecture at Tsurugajo castle and Ouchijuku to feel the atmosphere of Japan in the past. Immerse yourself in one of the most beautiful onsen in Japan at Ginzan onsen in Yamagata prefecture.
You can also enjoy the view of snowy mountains and river at Akita Nairiku Line before enjoy the warm heaven at Nyuto onsen. Then move to Iwate prefecture to ride a boat through Geibikei gorge that is covered in snow. Appi Kogen Ski Resort is another great place for people who love ski and snowboard, or you can go to Hakkoda mountain in Aomori prefecture to watch the snow monsters as well. Don’t forget to take a photo of Hirosaki castle with the iconic Iwaki mountain in the background too.
There are a lot of places and activities to go and enjoy in winter. Don’t miss your chance and go before the snow is gone!
Sendai Royal Park Hotel Garden Illuminations 2021-2022
When winter comes, the Sendai royal park hotel is changing into a fantasy world.
Apart from the “Sendai Pageant of Starlight” festival held in downtown Sendai, don't miss the illumination show held at the Sendai Royal Park hotel.
Sendai royal park hotel is one of the luxury resorts in the city of Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. This hotel, which has a luxurious interior and exterior design, holds an illumination festival every winter.
The trees in the hotel's garden are decorated with light bulbs totaling 65,000 light bulbs that adorn all the trees and gardens, there are also 400 lanterns that bring the garden atmosphere to be very romantic.
The pool area in the middle of the garden makes the atmosphere very beautiful. The reflection of lights and lanterns reflected from the pool is a favorite spot to take selfies and capture the beauty here.
This event will take place from 1 November 2021- 31 March 2022
Time : 16:30-23:00 (1 November 2021 - 31 January 2022),
17:00-23:00 (1 February 2022 - 31 March 2022 )
So don't forget to visit and enjoy the beauty of the illumination at the Sendai royal park hotel.
Google map : https://goo.gl/maps/mqNq6DQvDKW44LpL7
Website : https://www.srph.co.jp/
Autumn in Chusonji, Iwate Prefecture
Chusonji is a very large complex of Buddhist temples located in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, which has existed since 850.
This temple holds many historical artifacts.One of the notable places to visit in Chusonji is the golden hall. This temple was designated as a national treasure of Japan and in June 2011 Chusonji listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a part of the "Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi.”
Chusonji is very beautiful to visit in all seasons, but if you visit Chusonji in autumn, The colorful autumn colors beautify the temple with an amazing contrast.
You will be amazed to see firsthand the beauty of autumn here. So please come to chusonji and have an amazing autumn experience at chusonji temple
Address : 202 Koromonoseki, Hiraizumi, Iwate 029-4102
Admission fees : Adult 800 yen, Elementary 200 yen
Google map : https://goo.gl/maps/rntJNspS6pj1u9RHA
Beautiful Cosmos Garden in Osaki City
Cosmos flowers have various types and colors. At Osaki City Cosmos Park, Miyagi prefecture, you can enjoy those variations and colors, the flowers blooming in pink, orange, purple, white colors, and many others.
The Park is located up on the hill, making the garden view so contrasting in harmony with the blue sky, the soft pink color gradation with the bright blue sky, you can also enjoy the beauty of Matsuyamamachi town from this garden.
In addition, there is also a small train that moves around the garden (for now it is not operating due to prevention of the spread of covid 19). and in the middle of the cosmos flower garden, there is a gazebo so you can rest while enjoying the beauty of cosmos flowers.
You can also go up to the observatory deck to see the entire cosmos flower garden or capture it with your camera.
On the east side of the park, there is a cosmos flower garden with bright yellow and orange colors. The natural scenery from the top of this hill is truly extraordinary.
Google Maps : https://goo.gl/maps/tRYVkp4odPbTbLVm9
Acces : For access, get off at Matsuyama Machi station, take a taxi from the station (around 5minutes), walking is a bit hard since the location is bit uphill, walking from station can take up to 30 minutes
L'albero vegetarian restaurant in Akiu, Japan
Vegetarian friendly Italian restaurant uses plenty of freshly picked local and seasonal vegetables. As the season changes, so do the veggies used for the menu, you won't get bored no matter how many times you go to this restaurant. Our recommendation to try from L'Albero is the vegetarian pizza which has a deep flavor with only vegetables, without using meat or fish, and the flavor and texture of fresh vegetables are exquisite not to mention that the chewy texture of the Pizza is irresistible. Of course, you should also try their pasta and dessert too, they are all delicious and healthy.
The antique-style interior has a good and relaxing atmosphere, they even have a tree inside their store which is pretty amazing (For decorative purpose, not real). They also have a beautiful terrace facing the street. It's a good restaurant to visit with family or friends, please note that on the weekend usually people line up to try their hearty and healthy cuisine. A MUST TRY
Address : 23-1 Kamiayashi Shirasawa, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
Map : https://goo.gl/maps/4XzH9PW2v5PXxZxcA
Access : Around 30 minutes from Sendai station by car, you can also take a bus no 844 from Sendai Station and get off at Kamiayashi Syogakko Mae and walk for 1 minute from the bus stop
Website : http://p-v-albero.jugem.jp/?pid=1
Vegan cafe Vegeto Liko in Sendai City, Japan
Vegeto Liko is a fashionable vegan-owned cafe and restaurant located in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture. The shop is renowned for its delicious 100% vegan dishes made with carefully selected vegetables and uses domestically grown and organically grown ingredients as much as possible.
Address・住所: 〒980-0811 宮城県仙台市青葉区一番町2丁目6−16 シントウビル 2階 別館 Miyagi, Sendai, Ichibancho 2-6-16 Sintou building 2nd floor
Map・グーグルマップ: https://goo.gl/maps/yLacNAR4kMwTHXky5
Access・アクセス: 3-minute walk from Aobadori-Ichibancho Station
Website・サイト: https://www.instagram.com/vegeto.liko/?hl=ja