If you’re planning a summer trip to Japan, one of the most spectacular events you won’t want to miss is Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka. This lively festival, held every year on July 24th and 25th, is considered one of Japan’s top three festivals, alongside Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri and Tokyo’s Kanda Matsuri. It’s a wonderful celebration full of tradition, energy, and dazzling sights that truly capture the spirit of Japanese summer.

With the World Expo currently being held in Osaka, many of us are curious about expos.  What is a World Expo?  What is the purpose behind it?  With this article, I hope to answer most, if not all, of those questions.

Osaka’s Aizen Festival, also known as the Yukata Festival, is an event that marks the beginning of summer.  One of Osaka’s 3 main summer festivals and Japan’s oldest summer festival, the Aizen Festival has a rich history that dates back to the Asuka period (538-710).  Since 2015, the Aizen Festival has been recognized as an intangible folk cultural property by the city of Osaka.  Every year at Tennoji’s Aizendo Shomanin Temple on June 30th until July 2nd, the streets are fill

Mie Prefecture is home to the most famous shrine in Japan, Ise Jingu, also known as the Ise Grand Shrine.  Ise Jingu has 125 betsugu (separate, detached shrines), which include Shima’s Izawanomiya Shrine.  According to the Japan Royal Service, Izawanomiya shrine has a special status among the betsugu under Ise Jingu’s Naiku.  Every June 24th, Izawanomiya Shrine holds the Izawanomiya Omita Ceremony, a rice planting ceremony known as Isobe no Omita. 

While people of all gender identities whole-heartedly believe year-round in the truth that love is love, the month of June in particular is when people and communities around the globe celebrate this irrefutable fact and take enormous pride in themselves for who they are and for who they wish for others to recognize them to be. Hence the name of the month-long celebration PRIDE.

Peace is a concept that we are all familiar with in varying capacities.  To the fortunate, it is a part of their everyday life.  To others, it is a hope for the future.  There will always be people who crave chaos and seek to sow it into the world, but where there is darkness, there will always be light.  That light can be seen in people who strive to promote peace with their actions and words.  A beacon of that peace can be seen in the peacekeepers stationed throughout the w

From early June to mid-July, Japan enters its tsuyu, or rainy season. The days become warm and humid, and sudden downpours are common. But amid the misty evenings and damp air, a beautiful seasonal event begins—the arrival of fireflies. Known in Japanese as hotaru, these glowing insects have long been symbols of summer, nostalgia, and the quiet magic of nature.

If you’re looking for a fun, heartwarming, and unforgettable cultural experience in Japan this spring, make sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, May 18, 2025. That’s when the Kobe Festival, the city’s biggest annual event, will light up the streets with music, dance, parades, and community spirit!