Festivals in Japan

Japan has a variety of festivals all over the country - usually Shinto or Buddhist - that beseech different gods for protection against a number of things. So far whilst I've been in Japan, I've been to two festivals - Osaka's Danjiri Matsuri and Kyoto's fire festival.

A shrine going past at Danjiri Matsuri in Osaka

The Danjiri festival is known for being quite dangerous and I didn't really fully understand until I saw one of the shrines being slung around a corner.  Every place in Japan has its own Danjiri Matsuri, the size of which is dependant on the size of the place, and how many towns want to represent themselves with a shrine of their own. The atmosphere was great, and even though you could see that the people pulling the shrines were tired, they always had good spirits, laughing and joking with each other and with you, too.

Some friends we made when they were taking a break from the festival

Everyone taking part was running and dragging shrines all day in the burning heat

Kyoto's fire festival was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. In England, there's a yearly tradition of lighting bonfires and burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes on the 5th November, but that doesn't even come close. Massive, burning, wooden torches were carried up the mountain to be put into one giant bonfire that then had shines pass over it. It's dangerous not only for the people carrying the torches, but for the spectators as well. It's a massive celebration, for locals and the many Japanese and foreign people that travel to Kyoto just for this event.

The torches just before being thrown onto the bonfire

The fire just as a new Torch was added

The people that lived nearby had the best seats in the house

Firefighters took over after the bonfire had dwindled and the festival moved elsewhere