Hiroshima Days - Be a local

Do you think you missed the best season of cherry blossom in Japan? It's too early to get depressed. You may still make it in time! For "Hanami", which is indispensable in spring in Japan, people often enjoy a very popular kind of cherry tree called “Somei Yoshino (Yoshino cherry)”. But here we introduce about viewing “Yae-zakura”, one of the cherry blossom kinds, which blooms a little later than Yoshino cherry. Yae-zakura, in Kanji, it is written as "Eight-overlapping cherry blossoms", and the petals are piled up in multiple layers, making it a more gorgeous variety than Yoshino cherry. Here are about about 60 varieties, 220 in total of Yae-zakura trees, and it's just a sight to see. Well, where do you think the venue is? This is at Hiroshima Branch of Japan Mint, an Incorporated Administrative Agency of the Japanese government and is responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The Japanese coins in your wallet may have been produced ...

The way to enjoy seasons in Japan is to see fireworks in the summer as mentioned earlier, but when it comes to the winter, illumination it is. Various illumination events are held in the places over Japan in winter; in Hiroshima, "Hiroshima Dreamination" is held from mid-November through early January. What good point about this Dreamination in Hiroshima is that it is held in downtown, which makes it easy for you to stop by, on your way from/ to the hotels and the restaurants. Without being worried about transportations at night, enjoy a leisurely stroll around. Peace Boulevard, a major road running from east to west through downtown Hiroshima City, and area around it, are going to be decorated with approximately 1.4 million of LED light bulbs. Hiroshima Dreamination will light up the winter nights of Hiroshima with warm illuminations. Needless to say, it is for free to enjoy. It may be during a busy journey, but we would recommend that you take a leisurely ...

Speaking of Japanese Summer, “Hanabi -fireworks- “it is. Not only for fun, but it also contains the purpose of cooling the hot summer and/or memorial service, Japanese people have a custom to watch fireworks in summer. This “Hiroshima Yume Minato Fireworks Display” is one of the biggest fireworks festivals in Hiroshima area. *We are very sorry to inform you that this event for 2021 has been cancelled. Every year on the 4th Saturday of July, for an hour between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM, variety of fireworks are launched. The most representative one is “KIKU- Chrysanthemum-” fireworks. Launched up to the night sky highly and blooms a huge round flower. Each layer fires beautiful color of light and decorate the dark sky so brightly. Many different shapes of fireworks can be seen as well; such as birds, butterflies, and animation characters. What kind of fireworks can be seen at the next fireworks festival? It is for sure that you shall get satisfied at the end. After the ...

Even if you don't know the name of Kintaikyo Bridge, you may have seen a picture of a wooden bridge that consists of five arches. That is the Kintaikyo Bridge. -History -Festival -Access The history of the bridge In 1601, when the lord of the domain, Hiroie Kikkawa, was given the territory of Iwakuni area where current Kintaikyo Bridge is located, he immediately started developing the castle town. Since it was right after a long war, he put more weight on defense; he built a castle on the mountain as a fort and a dwelling at the foot, and he formed the city with a 200-meter-wide Nishiki river as a moat. The lower-class samurai who lived outside of the moat had to across the Nishiki River on a daily basis, but they often faced the problem of the bridge being washed away; therefore, he tried to build a bridge that imitates the bridge descried in the book about West Lake in Hangzhou, China. After rep...

** Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ritual on the sea has been canceled 2021; only the Shinto Ritual in  main building of  Itsukushima Shrine is going to be held. Kangen-sai is a festival that is belong to Itsukushima Shrine, held on June 17 of the old lunar calendar (now it is around the beginning of August) at a nearly full moon evening through night, and is taken as one of Japan's three biggest Boat Shinto Rituals. Now, what is Boat Shinto Ritual? Shinto ritual is a sacred event that enshrines God. You may have heard the word " Matsuri -festival-"; if that Matsuri is an event related to Shrine(God), then that Matsuri also is one of the Shinto rituals. When you hear about  Matsuri , most of you would imagine Mikoshi and the people who carry it. Then, what is  Mikoshi ? Mikoshi  is a place where the god who usually stays in shrines temporarily move in to go around the area during the festival. Writing in kanji, it becomes 神の( Mi : Gods...

Events that announce the summer in Hiroshima, "Toukasan" and "Yukata-de-Kinsai" Festival. The official name of “Toukasan” is called “Toukasan Taisai”. "Toukasan" is the "Touka Daimyojin -great shining deity-" that protects Enryuji Temple, and "Taisai" stands for a big festival held once a year. This “Taisai” has said to start in 1620, and since then, it has been very familiar to those in Hiroshima for 400 years. This festival is also known as the "The beginning of Yukata season" Festival. Yukata is an outfit similar to what you imagine as Kimono, and is more a casual one made of cotton or other materials which are suitable for use in hot humid summer. And many people recognize this festival as the beginning of Yukata season of the year. “Toukasan” is held for three consecutive days from the first Friday of June every year. And here, many people wear Yukata for the first time of the year. During the same perio...

The Hiroshima Castle Chrysanthemum Exhibition is held from late October through early November.  *Admission free There, you can see various types of chrysanthemums, such as large, round flowers that bloom in large numbers of layers, and small chrysanthemums that densely cover the walls. Also, a chrysanthemum flower bed that resembles the cityscape of Hiroshima is built in the area just passed the gate of Hiroshima Castle every year. It is for sure that you will enjoy it! By the way, do you know the reason why chrysanthemum flower is featured here? The reason is that chrysanthemum is one of the traditional festival flowers in Japan. In Japan, we have a custom called "GO(five)-SEKKU -five seasonal festivals-" that came from China around 7th-8th century and had become the most important seasonal rites performed at the Imperial Court. And the festivals were held on the dates that consist of the same odd numerals, since the odd numerals were thought as auspicious. (*Januar...

A big festival called “Hiroshima Flower Festival” is held every year from May 3rd through May 5th in Hiroshima. In Japan, April 29th and May 3rd through 5th are national holidays, and many Japanese people combine the weekends before and after the national holidays together into one long vacation.  It is so-called "Golden week", during which variety of events are held over Japan. Due to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) in 2020, Flower Festival was canceled for the first time since 1977 when this festival started. This festival is completely different from the "Shinto" festival, the one of the Japanese religions. This is a festival where many people including locals enjoy the performances, foods, and drinks provided by the locals. During this festival, the main street called the Peace Boulevard, which across through downtown Hiroshima from east to west, is closed to traffic; instead, there are about 30 performance stages, local product exhibitions, and food/drink s...

Lantern-floating Ceremony ** Following the last year, this event scheduled for Aug.6, 2021 is cancelled. Only the ceremony of memorial lantern is going to be carried from 6PM by those involved in this event’s executive committee. **Please also check the Online Lantern Floating event 2021 . Anyone in the world can join and send a message for peace. It is said that the lantern-floating ceremony had begun when those who lost their relatives and friends on August 6th started to float lanterns made by hand on the river to pray for the departed lives, a few years after the World War II. At the beginning, people used to write the name of the people lost on the paper lantern. But for these years, more of those who come from out-of-Hiroshima write the messages of peace and place it in the river; in other words, the lantern-floating ceremony has meaning of message of peace, as well as praying for the departed souls. Even nowadays, the embers from the dropped atomic bomb is used to lighten ...

Peace Memorial Ceremony **Following the last year, this event is going to be held on a smaller scale for 2021 to prevent spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Only invited people can participate and general public are not allowed this time. **The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony 2021 will be live streamed on August 6 from 6:50 AM to 8:50 AM (JST) Click the link below to watch the live broadcast of the Peace Memorial Ceremony (English) https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/english/175828.html quoted from the City of Hiroshima Every year, the City of Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony to console the souls of those who were lost due to the atomic bombing, as well as pray for the realization of everlasting world peace. This ceremony, which is attended by many citizens, including those who lost family members in hte bombing, is held in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims(Momument for Hiroshima, City of Peace). The Peace Declaration, which is delivered by the Mayor of ...

Ebisu-Kou festival -officially called “Ebisu Taisai” (“Taisai” is a big festival annually held)- is a festival of Ebisu shrine in Hiroshima. It is held from November 18th through 20th every year, and also known that it tells the winter has come. This annual festival has been held for more than 400 years, and even in 1945, only 3 months after the atomic bomb was dropped, people somehow held this festival. Through these three days, the surrounding department stores and shops hold a huge bargain, and large number of people come around. What do you think “Ebisu” is by the way? Try to search “Shichifukujin” images on the internet. You will see many pictures that show seven gods. Out of them, the one holding a fishing rod and a fish, is the Ebisu god. It used to be a god of fishery, but nowadays, it is known as a god of success in business. At this Ebisu-kou festival, you will see a very unique thing in different sizes being sold everywhere. It is actually called “Komazarae”...