Japanese Festivals: From Anime to the Real World

Festivals are a very important part of both secular and religious culture in Japan and are frequent settings for the varied plotlines of anime and manga series. As many festivals are connected to religious observances, a local Shinto Shrine or Buddhist Temple sponsors many of them.

Often times, the sacred festivities are crowned with a procession featuring a Mikoshi. A Mikoshi is a shrine structure small enough to be carried by several human beings, and contains the local Kami, or divine spirit. Sometimes, a number of parade floats will accompany the Mikoshi.

Seasons are an important fixture in Japanese identity, and the blooming of the beautiful Sakura cherry blossoms are a time for much jubilation. The festivals are celebrated with food, fun, flower gazing, and the lighting of traditional lanterns.

The New Year’s Festival in Japan was changed from the traditional Chinese lunar date to the Western date of the first of January in 1873. Food, special postcards, rice cakes, and poetry are a few of the countless observances that a modern Japanese person might enjoy on this special date. Most importantly, of course, is to visit a Shrine or Temple and provide the year’s first prayers. This observance is known as the Hatsumode.

Many households will also put up a kadomatsu, or gate pine, to celebrate the New Year. This decoration is usually made of pine and bamboo, and provides a temporary home for the Kami to visit. After the middle of January, the kadomatsu are burned to release the Kami, and please them.

Lucky Star provides a glimpse into some of this celebration. The girls wear a form of traditional dress called Yukata to a summer festival. These are a form of summer kimono that is considered to be more casual than their fuller counterparts.

Goldfish scooping is a common attraction at many such summer festivals. While thought of as a carnival game in many cultures, goldfish scooping has a long tradition among the Japanese. In fact, there is a National Competition of Goldfish Scooping in that nation, and children and adults enjoy the game on equal levels.

Festival celebrations are very important to the Japanese way of life. In fact, some Shinto shrines have had millions of visitors during the Hatsumode observance. Due to this commonality among all walks of life in Japan, it’s easy to see why these celebrations provide such a ready place to set an anime or manga plotline.

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