Calendar of Events January 2020 Notes: 1. Published by Tourist Information Center of Japan National Tourism Organization and all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. ©2020 Japan National Tourism Organization 2. Dates, times and functions are subject to change without notice. Especially schedule of outdoor events and flower festival may change due to the weather. Be sure to check the latest information in advance. 3. The access shows only major route. Please refer to following URL for alternative transportation from the station where you want to start. http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ 4. Japanese words appearing in the column provide the name of the event, the place and access for you to point out to Japanese passerby when you need help. 5. Please refer to URL (basically in Japanese) for each event. If you have further questions, please call TIC, JNTO at following number. TIC, JNTO Tel : (03)-3201-3331 from overseas +81 3 3201 3331 Shogatsu 正月 Shogatsu is 正月the biggest annual event in Japan. The streets Special Remarks: areShogatsu adorned is the with biggest New Year'sannual decorations event in Japan. of pine The and streets plum are adorned with New Year's decorations of pine and plum Glossary︓ Dates and Times are shown as follows which is common in Japan. branches, bamboo stalks and ropes with paper festoons. branches, bamboo stalks and ropes with paper festoons. Matsuri Festival, Event Dates : M/D April 3 ⇒ 4/3 People pay homage to shrines and temples, and visit friends Geisha/Geigi Professional female entertainers andPeople relatives pay homage to exchange to shrines greetings. and temples, There are and also visit customs Time : 24 hours system 8:00am ⇒ 8:00 suchfriends as andeating relatives Osechi-ryori to exchange - New New Year'sgreetings. special There dishes,dis arehes, also and 8:00pm ⇒ 20:00 givingcustoms children such as Otoshidama eating Osechi-ryori - New Year's - New money Year's gift. spe cialOn New Year'sdishes, Day, and Nengajogiving children - New YearOtoshidama greeting - cards, New Year's arrivarrivee in the mail.money gift. On New Year's Day, Nengajo - New Year Region Dates Pref. City Venue Event Summary Access URL Summary: Ice Festival. Many ice sculptures exhibited on the shore are lit up. Some more events are scheduled during the festival period. Chitose-Shikotsuko From Shin-Chitose http://www.1 Hokkaido Hokkaido Chitose Lake Shikotsu Hyoto Matsuri Airport, take bus to 新千歳空港よりバスで55分 000sai- 1/24 〜 2/16 Schedule & Key events: 北海道 北海道 千歳市 支笏湖 千歳・支笏湖 Shikotsuko Bus Stop (55 支笏湖下⾞ chitose.or.jp/i 氷濤まつり ●daily min.) cefes.html 16:30-22:00 Ice sculptures lighting up ●Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays 18:30- Fireworks display ©2020 Japan National Tourism Organization 1/12 Region Dates Pref. City Venue Event Summary Access URL JR Yamagata Summary: Shinkansen Line to along Zao Ropeway Yamagata Sta., and Festival featuring the lighting up Juhyo , known as "Ice Monster", trees JR山形新幹線山形駅より Sancho Line, then take bus to Zao http://zaorop covered with frost. バスで45分蔵王温泉下 Tohoku Yamagata Yamagata around Jizo Sancho Zao Juhyo Light-up Onsen Bus Stop (45 eway.co.jp/za 12/28 〜 2/29 ⾞、徒歩15分の蔵王山麓 東北 山形県 山形市 Sta. 蔵王樹氷ライトアップ min.) From there, walk o/winter/light 駅よりロープウェイで17分地 蔵王ロープウェイ山頂線 Schedule & Key events: to Zao Sanroku Sta. (15 up.html 蔵山頂駅下⾞ 沿線および地蔵山頂駅 ●12/28-1/5, 10-12, 17-19, 1/24-2/29 (except Tue.) min.), and then take 周辺 17:00-21:00 Juhyo lighting up ropeway to Jizo Sancho Sta. (17 min.) Summary: Ancient court dance with music, dedicated to the shrine. This Bugaku with JR Tohoku Shinkansen Line to Morioka Sta. a 1,300-year history is handed down through generations in the village JR東北新幹線盛岡駅より http://dainichi Ohirume muchi- From there, take IGR Tohoku Akita Kazuno Dainichido Bugaku and is designated as one of the National Important Intangible Folk Cultural IGRいわて銀河鉄道線でJR do.p1.bindsite 1/2 jinja Shrine Iwate Ginga Tetsudo 東北 秋田県 ⿅角市 大日堂舞楽 Properties. 花輪線経由⼋幡平駅下 .jp/bugaku/in 大日霊貴神社 Line to Hachimantai Sta. ⾞、徒歩1分 dex.html via JR Hanawa Line, and Schedule & Key events: then walk 1 min. 8:00-12:00 Summary: Bonfire Festival with a 300-year history, to conclude New Year's season. New Year's decorations are burnt in holy fire in prayer for prosperity and JR Tohoku Shinkansen http://www.o Osaki Hachiman-gu Matsutaki Matsuri Line to Sendai Sta. JR東北新幹線仙台駅より osaki- Tohoku Miyagi Sendai good health, following the ritual. The similar festivals of this kind are 1/14 Shrine (Dondo-yaki) From there, take bus to バスで20分大崎⼋幡宮前 hachiman.or.j 東北 宮城県 仙台市 usually held around 1/14 at many other shrines throughout Japan. 大崎⼋幡宮 松焚祭 (どんど焼き) Osaki Hachimangu-mae 下⾞ p/festival/mat Bus Stop (20 min.) sutaki/ Schedule & Key events: 16:00- ©2020 Japan National Tourism Organization 2/12 Region Dates Pref. City Venue Event Summary Access URL JR Tohoku Shinkansen Line to Morioka Sta. From there, (1) Kyojo-ji Temple︓ take bus to Morioka JR東北新幹線盛岡駅より Shikaku-shien Gakko- Kyojo-ji Temple, (1) 教浄寺︓ Summary: mae Bus Stop, and then Morioka Hachiman- バスで盛岡視覚支援学校 Hadaka-mairi , shrine homage paid by partly attired youths. walk 5 min. gu Shrine, 前下⾞、徒歩５分 (2) Morioka Hachiman- http://www.o Tohoku 1/14, Iwate Morioka Sakurayama-jinja Hadaka-mairi (2) 盛岡⼋幡宮︓ & 1/26 Schedule & Key events: gu Shrine︓ dette.or.jp/?p 東北 1/15 岩手県 盛岡市 Shrine 裸参り バス茶畑⾏で15分⼋幡宮 take bus (for =1166 教浄寺、 ●1/14 17:30- Hadaka-mairi at Kyojo-ji Temple 前下⾞ Chabatake) to 盛岡⼋幡宮、 ●1/15 16:30- Hadaka-mairi at Morioka Hachiman-gu Shrine (3) 桜山神社︓ Hachimangu-mae Bus 桜山神社 ●1/26 16:30- Hadaka-mairi at Sakurayama-jinja Shrine バスで盛岡城跡公園下⾞、 Stop (15 min.) 徒歩３分 (3) Sakurayama-jinja Shrine︓ take bus to Moriokajo- ato Koen Bus Stop, and then walk 3 min. Summary: Festival featuring Bonden , votive offering for good harvest and prosperity JR Akita Shinkansen made of bamboo baskets covered with brightly colored cloth and Line to Akita Sta. From http://www. Miyoshi-jinja Shrine streamers, being carried by villagers to the shrine. Highlight comes when there, take bus (for JR秋田新幹線秋田駅より Tohoku Akita Akita Miyoshi Bonden-sai miyoshi.or.jp/ 1/17 and others about 80 groups of local young men carrying their own Bonden , compete Taihei) to Miyoshi Jinja- バス太平⾏で10分三吉神 東北 秋田県 秋田市 三吉梵天祭 festival/bonde 三吉神社ほか Iriguchi Bus Stop (10 社⼊⼝下⾞、徒歩2分 with one another to be the first in dedicating Bonden to the shrine. nsai.html min.), and then walk 2 Schedule & Key events: min. 10:30-12:00 Summary: Shrine homage paid by half-naked youths. After being purified by cold JR Uetsu Honsen Line to water, about 300 local young men who carry the offerings on their https://www. Shinzan-jinja Ugo-Honjo Sta. From JR羽越本線羽後本荘駅よ Tohoku Akita Yurihonjo Hadaka-mairi shoulders, dash up the 2-km approach with 103 steps to the shrine on Mt. akitafan.com/ 1/19 Shrine there, take bus to りバスで三軒町下⾞、徒歩 東北 秋田県 由利本荘市 裸まいり Higashiyama. archive/event 新山神社 Sangencho Bus Stop, 25分 s/27792 and then walk 25 min. Schedule & Key events: 9:00-11:00 ©2020 Japan National Tourism Organization 3/12 Region Dates Pref. City Venue Event Summary Access URL Summary: Night Festival featuring a parade of worshippers holding torchlights in their JR Tohoku Shinkansen Motsu-ji Temple, hands and Ennen-no-mai (an ancient dance with music for longevity), Line to Ichinoseki Sta. http://www. Hiraizumi- Hiraizumi Sta. designated as one of the National Important Intangible Folk Cultural JR東北新幹線⼀ノ関駅より Tohoku Iwate Hatsuka-ya-sai From there, take JR motsuji.or.jp/ 1/20 cho and others Properties. JR東北本線で平泉駅下 東北 岩手県 二十日夜祭 Tohoku Honsen Line to news/article.p 平泉町 毛越寺、 ⾞、徒歩7分 Hiraizumi Sta., and then hp?p=87 平泉駅ほか Schedule & Key events: walk 7 min. 19:20- Parade from Hiraizumi Sta. to the temple 21:00- Ennen-no-mai performance Summary: Festival featuring Ennen-no-mai (ancient dance with music, which is JR Takayama Honsen designated as one of the National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Line to Mino-Ota Sta. Muika Matsuri http://shiroto Shirotori- Nagataki Hakusan- Properties) performance and Hana-bai in which youths scramble to grab From there, take JR高山本線美濃太田駅よ Chubu Gifu (Hana-bai Matsuri) ri- 1/6 cho, Gujo jinja Shrine five big artificial flowers hung from the ceiling (6 meters in height) of the Nagaragawa Tetsudo り⻑良川鉄道線で白山⻑ 中部 岐阜県 六日祭り gujo.com/htm 郡上市白鳥町 ⻑滝白山神社 Line to Hakusan- 滝駅下⾞、徒歩5分 (花奪いまつり) main hall of the shrine. l/6maturi.htm Nagataki Sta., and then Schedule & Key events: walk 5 min. 13:00- (1) JR Ito Line to Summary: Kinomiya Sta., and then Japanese Apricot Festival. There are about 470 Japanese apricot trees of walk 10 min. (1) JR伊東線来宮駅より 60 species in the garden and they begin to bloom usually from the middle (2) JR Tokaido Atami Baien Atami Baien Ume 徒歩10分 https://www. Chubu Shizuoka Atami of January. Various entertainments are scheduled during the festival Shinkansen Line to 1/11 〜 3/8 Garden Matsuri (2) JR東海道新幹線熱海 ataminews.gr. 中部 静岡県 熱海市 period. Admission is 300JPY. Atami Sta. From there, 熱海梅園 熱海梅園梅まつり 駅よりバス相ノ原団地⾏⼜ jp/event/355/ take bus (for Ainohara- は梅園⾏で15分梅園下⾞ Schedule & Key events: Danchi or Baien) to Baien Bus Stop (15 ●daily 8:30-16:00 min.) ©2020 Japan National Tourism Organization 4/12 Region Dates Pref. City Venue Event Summary Access URL Summary: JR Hokuriku Shinkansen Annual New Year's demonstration of the first exercise of Kanazawa City https://www. Line to Kanazawa Sta. Fire Department at the Shin-maru Hiroba grounds in Kanazawa-jo Park.