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Entertainment
what’s on
festivals
The Japan National Tourist
Organisation website lists main
events around the country by
month www.jnto.go.jp
Tourist desks are a good source
of information. The Japan Times
newspaper also has a good
events section.
Many festivals include parades
in which participants wear
traditional clothing. While some
festival dates are fixed, the
majority are fairly flexible so do
check.
Sapporo Snow festival Life-size
buildings are replicated in snow.
It is held mid-February every
year for one week.
Aomori Nebuta festival
Internally lit massive figures made
from translucent coloured paper
are paraded down the streets
nightly during the first week of
August.
Spring festival in Nikko
Toshogu Shrine in Tochigi
prefecture (May 17–18) and the
Hiyoshi Sanno festival, Shiga
prefecture (April12–15). Both
these celebrations feature very
opulent and elaborate period
costumes.
what to see and do
Theatre There are many styles
of Japanese theatre, but the
most widely known overseas are
Kabuki and Noh. The traditional
language in both is difficult to
understand even for the Japanese.
Headphones with translations into
modern Japanese, English and
other languages are provided at
some theatres.
Aquariums the sea life is varied
in Japanese waters. The three top
aquariums to visit are in Okinawa,
Osaka and Yokohama.
Karaoke is a popular pastime
with Japanese of all ages. Most
karaoke ‘boxes’ will have a book
of English songs to choose from.
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temples and
shrines
Climbing Mt. Fuji The official
climbing season is July to August.
It is recommended to set out mid
to late afternoon so you reach the
summit in time for the sunrise.
Water sports Equipment rental is
readily available. Any instruction
will most likely be in Japanese.
Baseball is very popular in
Japan. In Tokyo, a good place to
see a game is the Tokyo Dome
Stadium located at the Tokyo
Dome City Amusement Park
Sumo If you have the chance,
try to get to the afternoon of the
last day. Do reserve a ticket well
in advance from: www.sumo.
or.jp/eng
The difference between temples
and shrines is that the former
are Buddhist, and the latter are
Shinto. You remain outside a
shrine, but you can remove your
shoes and enter a temple. When
entering Shinto sites you should
purify yourself by washing your
hands and rinsing out your mouth.
There are usually fountains at the
entrance.
sports
Skiing is world class, Nagano
hosted the Winter Olympics in
1998. Hokkaido’s season usually
runs from the end of October
to the end of April. Spring and
summer see the defrosted slopes
open for nature walks and hikes.
children
All over Japan there are parks
called Kodomo no kuni
(children’s country). Although
facilities vary, they all have play
areas (both indoor and out).
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