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 1st
New Year's Day is the festival of the festivals for the Japanese and is
celebrated throughout the country. People in traditional Kimono costume pay
homage at nearby shrines, offering visitors a good shutter chance. It is
primarily an occasion for family reunions just like Christmas in Western
countries.
6th
Dezomeshiki or the New Year's Parade of Firemen in Tokyo is a dazzling
spectacle of agile firemen in traditional uniforms performing acrobatic stunts
on top of tall bamboo ladders.
7th
Usokae, the Bullfinch Exchange Festival of Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine, Dazaifu,
Fukuoka Pref.
9th - 11th
Toka Ebisu Festival of Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, Osaka. People pray for a
successful New Year’s business; Ebisu is the patron deity of business and good
fortune. The festival features a procession of women in colorful kimono,
carried in palanquins, through the main streets.
Day before Coming-of-Age Day
Grass Fire Ceremony on Mt. Wakakusayama in Nara.
17th
Bonten Matsuri Festival of Miyoshi Shrine, Akita.
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