Japan's National Festivals (from January to May)

New Year (Shogatsu) [January 1-3]

The top event in Japan with families decorating homes, gathering to visit shrines, dropping into their relatives and friends.

Sansha-mairi is a tradition to visit 3 Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines. In the Imperial Palace at the year's 1st dawn, the emperor does shihohai (worship of the 4 quarters), reverencing to various shrines or imperial tombs and praying for the national well-being. Only on January, 2 and December, 23 (the emperor's birthday) can the public be let into the inner palace.

Doll Festival [March 3]

Families pray for the happiness, prosperity, health and beauty of their girls. It's celebrated indoors and at the seashore to ward off evil spirits. Young girls visit friends in their best kimonos. Families set up tiered platforms for hina ningyo (a set of hina dolls representing the ancient court) and eat hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (rice malt with sake).

Also known as: Sangatsu Sekku (3rd month Festival), Momo Sekku (Peach Festival), Joshi no Sekku (Girls' Festival)

Cherry Blossom Festival (Hanami) [April]

In April, Shinto shrines hold popular flower festivals with excursions and picnics to enjoy flowers (particularly cherry blossoms). Somewhere flower-viewing parties happen on traditionally fixed dates.

Boy's Day (Kodomo no Hi) [May 5]

During the Iris Festival in May, many families with male children fly koinobori (carp streamers, a symbol of success), display warrior dolls (musha ningyo) indoors and eat chimaki (rice cakes wrapped in cogan grass or bamboo leaves) and kashiwamochi (rice cakes filled with bean paste and wrapped in oak leaves).

Also known as: Iris Festival (Shobu no Sekku), Tango Festival (Tango no Sekku)

Japan's National Festivals (from July to December)