Japan Festivals - September

September Japan Festivals ９月の祭り

Gotsu Kagura Festival, Shimane Prefecture

Hassaku Oshi-tsuki

September 1

Tsuma, Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture

Traditional bull fighting (bull sumo) in which two bulls lock horns and fight to push each other out of the ring. The bulls do not 'fight' in the Latin sense and no blood is shed.

Kaze no Bon

September 1-3

Yatsuo-cho, Toyama

Houses throughout the town are decorated with paper lanterns and hundreds dance the graceful Owara-odori (a form of bon odori) well into the night to the strains of Chinese fiddles.

Hassaku-sai

Early September

Matsuo-taisha Shrine, Kyoto

A day of rituals, sumo wrestling and Buddhist dance to petition the gods for mild weather, good harvests and safety in the home at Matsuo-taisha Shrine in Kyoto.

Kitazawa Hachiman Festival

First Weekend of September

Kitazawa Hachiman, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

The shrine grounds are full of stalls, there are events, both religious and otherwise, happening, ornate portable shrines are carried boisterously around the neighborhood, and the whole of Shimokitazawa comes out to celebrate.

Karasu-zumo

September 9

Kamigamo-jinja Shrine, Kyoto

A very distinctive festival at Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto in which Shinto priests perform rituals in which they hop from side to side, 'cawing' like crows (karasu). These observances are followed by a sumo competition for local boys.

Choyo no Sechi-e Festival

September 9

Kokuzo Horinji Temple, Arashiyama, Kyoto

Traditional song and dance in celebration of the chrysanthemum. Bus #28 to Arashiyama Koen.

Danjiri Festival, Kishiwada

Seto Festival

Second Weekend of September

Seto-shi, Aichi Prefecture

Seto city is famous for its ceramics and the second weekend of September sees hundreds of pop-up stalls selling cut-price pottery and maneki neko good luck cats. There's also a procession of participants in period costume during the day around Owari Seto Station on the Meitetsu Line and a fireworks display on the Saturday night. Around half a million people attend what is Japan's largest ceramics festival.

Manto Festival

September 14

Hirano Shrine, Kyoto

Lantern festival with over 800 illuminated lanterns plus traditional Noh, poetry reading and dance at Hirano Shrine in north west Kyoto. City bus #50 to Kinugasko-mae.

Ukai Comorant Fishing

Until September 15

Arashiyama, Kyoto

Traditional ukai cormorant fishing on the Oi River in Arashiyama, western Kyoto. Boats leave at 6.30 pm & 7.30 pm. City bus #28.

O Sannomiya Autumn Festival

September 14-15

Hie Shrine, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

Mikoshi, large and small, parade both days to and from Hie Shrine in Yokohama and the Matsuzakaya department store and many entertainments are held at the shrine itself.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Festival

September 14-16

Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine's Reitaisai festival in Kamakura features displays of yabusame - Japanese archery on horseback - and draws large crowds.

Tono Matsuri

September 14-15

Tonogo-hachimangu Shrine, Tono-shi, Iwate

Held every year to pray for a good harvest, this is the largest annual festival held in the garden city of Tono. Shishi-odori (lion dances), Taue-odori (rice-planting dances) and kagura are performed along with yabusame and festival music. Always draws large crowds.

Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

Mid-September

Kishiwada, Osaka

Over thirty 4m-tall floats (mikoshi), carried by their bearers at top speed, rampage around the streets of Kishiwada followed by a stampede of festival-goers, hundreds strong. Not for the faint-hearted but compulsive viewing. The Danjiri Festival is one of the most spectacular (and often dangerous) festivals in Japan with hundreds of thousands of people turning up to watch in Kishiwada in Osaka.

Tsurugaoka-hachimangu Reitasai

September 14-16

Tsurugaoka-hachimangu Shrine, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa

Tsurugaoka-hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura is the spiritual home of yabusame, the ancient art of horseback archery. On the 16th, you can see horsemen dressed in the hunting costumes of feudal times compete in a yabusame competition. Arrive early for a good view.

Yachi Donga Festival

September 14-17

Hachiman-gu Shrine, Yachi, Yamagata Prefecture

Festival showcasing the Hayashi-ke Bugaku, the style of court dance that remains truest to the oldest forms of Japanese dance, showing many influences from as far West as Ancient Greece.

Yoshitsune Festival

September 15

Kurama Temple, Kurama, Kyoto

Memorial ceremony to honor the spirit of the legendary warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune with a martial arts display. Eizan Railway to Kurama.

Seiryu-e Festival

September 15-17

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

Blue dragon dance in the grounds of the popular Kiyomizudera in eastern Kyoto.

Hagi Festival

September 17-19

Nashinoki Shrine, Kyoto

Participants write poems and attach them to the shrine's flowering bush clover. Also kyogen, dance and koto performances at Nashinoki Shrine on the eastern side of the Imperial Palace (Gosho).

Toyokuni Shrine Festival

September 18-19

Toyokuni Shrine, Kyoto

Festival honoring the spirit of warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) with traditional music and dance and a tea ceremony on the 19th.

Furusato Hyappei Festival

mid-September

Iwamizawa, Hokkaido

Recent festival dating from 1983 to pray for harvest fertility in the locality. A 200kg pestle, hoisted 13m in the air, is used to pound 60kg of glutinuous rice in a 4-ton, 2.4m wide mortar.

Okuma-kabuto Festival

September 20

Nakajima, Ishikawa Prefecture

The Noto Peninsula's top autumn festival. Mikoshi from 19 shrines in the surrounding area converge on Nakajima and form a day long parade of flag-bearers, musicians and dancers led by a dancing goblin.

Seimei Festival

September 22-23

Seimei Shrine, Kyoto

Festival dedicated to Abe no Seimei a Heian Period astrologer and cosmologist. There is a procession, kagura dancing and traditional music. Take city bus #9 to Ichijo Modoribashi stop near the Nishijin Textile Center and walk a short distance to Seimei Shrine.

Aizu Byakko Matsuri

September 22-24

Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Fukushima

Festival recreating the march to war of troops who fought in the battle of Boshin no Eki in 1868, a major battle between Imperial and bakufu (shogunate) troops during the Meiji revolution. Features a parade of 700 warriors in full period dress.

Sendai Great Tug-of-War

Eve of the autumnal equinox (usually September 23)

Sendai, Kagoshima Prefecture

Dates back 400 years to a time a feudal lord wanted to raise morale after many local people had been sent to war. 3,000 men, young and old, form teams at each end of a 365 meter rope and pull against each other with thousands of spectators cheering them on in Sendai in Tohoku.

Fukuro Matsuri

September 25-26

Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Commercially sponsored festival to promote tourism but fun nonetheless. Foreigners who apply in advance can carry mikoshi through the streets of Ikebukuro. Other events include taiko drumming, folk dancing and a karate demonstration.

Comb Festival

Shubun no Hi (Autumn Equinox) Public Holiday on a Monday in late September

Yasui Konpira Shrine, Gion, Kyoto

Festival at Yasui Konpira Shrine in Gion dedicated to women's hair and hair ornaments. From 1 pm traditionally dressed women with hair styles representing the various periods of Japanese history parade near the shrine. Take city bus #206 to Hagashiyama Yasui stop.

Tokyo Detention House Festival

Weekend day in late September

Tokyo Detention House

Near Kosuge Station

Tokyo

More a fair selling goods made by the inmates of Japan's prisons plus a chance to sample "Prison Curry" and Prison Bread."

Read more about the Tokyo Detention House Festival

Kokkeisetsu

September 30 - October 1

Chinatown, Yokohama

Celebrating Chinese National Foundation Day in the largest Chinatown in Japan in Yokohama. Lion dances, parades and firecrackers add extra color to the already vibrant streets and a giant 'moon cake' is divided up amongst 300 lucky visitors.

DISCLAIMER Festivals may be cancelled or postponed without much warning. Check with your local tourist office for confirmation.

Brazilian Festival, Yoyogi Park, Tokyo

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