This representative Japanese summer festival originated 400 years ago in “Awa,” what is now Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It is also performed in Tokyo, and attracts as many as three million spectators. The dancers sing and prance, chanting “Odoru aho ni miru aho, onaji aho nara odoranya son-son” (Dancers and watches alike are fools, so why not dance?). Numerous groups engage competitions. I never get tired of festivals like this one.
In northern Japan, there is a lot of snow and winter events. The most famous one is Sapporo Snow Festival. This year too, it was a big event. However, some of them didn’t have much snow and big ones were not made. Even so, the buildings made of powerful snow attracted many people.
Kyoto is beautifully lit up at night. There are a lot of people, but our guide knows the out-of-the-way spots. Please let us know and contact us for more information.
There are many fancy cafes in Kyoto. Many old Japanese houses have been renovated into cafes, which have a different atmosphere from chain stores like Starbucks. However, foreign cafes are expanding into Kyoto. This Blue Bottle Coffee is one of them, and they are using their financial resources to renovate a big Kyoto Machiya and open a new store. Due to the coronavirus, there are few people in the city, but cafes are relatively busy.