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. 

This is a free cram school that provides learning support to children who, for various reasons, are unable to attend paid cram schools. We hope that students who are taught by all-volunteer instructors will grow to become people who can help others someday. We place great importance on being there for others.

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.

Since launching in April 2023, GivingTuesday Japan has been on a mission to highlight the country’s quiet but powerful culture of generosity. Led by Jasmine Tsunoda—a longtime nonprofit supporter and web designer who discovered GivingTuesday through a client—the small but ambitious team has worked to raise awareness, build trust, and spotlight what they call Japan’s “silent givers.”

Connecting the community with meaningful opportunities through various media sources. Edvard Vondra, a Croatian native, found adventure, family, and eventually a home here in Japan! We at Giving Tuesday Japan had the exclusive opportunity to interview him about why he came to Japan, what inspired him to join Go Connect, and what his future goals are.

LivEQuality HUB, a certified NPO, is an NPO that provides "housing and connections" to single mothers in Nagoya. Founded in January 2022, we have not only introduced more than 450 single mothers to places to connect, but also provided housing to 27 single mothers and their children. Even after they find a home, our housing support coordinators will continue to be there for them, just as family and friends would "care about them and call out to them," to prevent them from b

If you’re traveling in Japan in June and notice fancy cuts of beef, sleek sake bottles, and heartfelt greeting cards filling store displays, you’ve likely stumbled upon Father’s Day in Japan, known locally as 父の日 (Chichi no Hi). Celebrated on the third Sunday of June, this day is a special occasion to honor fathers and father figures across the country—with a uniquely Japanese twist.