As many people live in heavy snowfall areas in Japan, there are many festivals during the winter season as well.
From festivals where people use snow to make snow sculptures and snow lanterns to enjoy the snowy world, to festivals where people get naked in the cold and push each other around to pray to the gods, there are many unique festivals.
Why not participate in these events created by the people who have lived in the deep snow of Japan?
Here are 14 of the most popular winter festivals held in Japan.
Hokkaido
The following is a list of winter festivals held in Hokkaido.
Sapporo Snow Festival
At the Sapporo Snow Festival, powerful snow and ice sculptures are lined up along a length of 1.5 kilometers, and projection mapping is also displayed to beautifully color the snow sculptures.
In addition to the snow sculptures, there will be a gourmet corner, a snow activity called "Tube Slider," an ice slide, and a snow raft that can be pulled by a snowmobile.
More information : https://www.snowfes.com/english/
Asahikawa Winter Festival
The large snow sculptures made at the Asahikawa Winter Festival are so large and powerful that they had been certified by Guinness World Records.
There will also be interactive events such as a giant maze made of snow and a giant slide.
At the 2018 event, a snow mosque was built for the first time ever and Halal food was served.
An international ice sculpture competition was held and beautiful ice sculptures was built.
More informatiion : https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&u=https://asahikawa-winterfes.jp/
About Competition : http://www.asahikawa-tourism.com/asahikawa/asahikawa_winter/winter_festival/ice_sculpture.html
Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival
Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival is an ice festival where ice objects of various shapes and sizes are lined up and illuminated by colorful lights at night, creating a fantastic world to see.
The ice sculptures are created using the water of Lake Shikotsu, creating a beautiful ice world along with the lake.
More information (Official site / Japanese only) : https://hyoutou-special.asia/
English : https://www.sapporo.travel/en/event/event-list/lake-shikotsu-ice-festival/
Otaru Snow Light Path Festival
A total of 120,000 candles will light up the night of Otaru during the event. The concept of the event is to cherish the things that remain unchanged even if the times change.
In contrast to the Sapporo Snow Festival, the event is built by the participants themselves.
The event is created by the hands of volunteer staff from neighborhood associations, citizen volunteers, and overseas volunteers.
More information : http://yukiakarinomichi.org/?page_id=2180
Aomori
The following is a list of winter festivals held in Aomori prefecture.
Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival
The festival is held in Hirosaki Park, and many snow sculptures and lanterns of various sizes and shapes are placed in the park.
The snow-covered castle tower and old pine trees are lit up, along with the lit snow sculptures and miniature kamakura, inviting participants into a fantastic world of snow.
In the snow, distinctive artworks called "Neputa-e" are also drawn, creating a unique atmosphere.
More information : https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1835/
Iwate
The following is a list of winter festivals held in Iwate prefecture.
Iwate Snow Festival
During the festival, a variety of events will be held every day, including snow sculptures, stage shows, and fireworks.
More information : https://visitiwate.com/article/4769
Akita
The following is a list of winter festivals held in Akita prefecture.
Namahage Sedo Festival
The Namahage Sedo Festival, known as one of the five major winter festivals in Tohoku, started in 1964 as a winter festival representing the winter of Oga, held at Shinzan Shrine in Kitaura, Oga City, Akita Prefecture.
For the people of Oga, Namahage is believed to warn against laziness and to bring good health, good harvest in the fields, and good harvest from the mountains and the sea.
In 1978, "Namahage of Oga" was designated as a national important intangible folk cultural asset, and it was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018.
More information : https://oganavi.com/sedo/en/
Kamihinokinai Paper Balloon Festival
Kami-Hinokinai paper Balloon Festival is a traditional event held every year in Kami Hinokinai, Nishiki-cho, Senboku City, Akita Prefecture.
Huge paper balloons with pictures of warriors and beautiful women, lit by lanterns, soar into the midwinter night sky.
There is no written record of the beginning of this event, but it is regarded as a heritage of folk belief.
It is designated as an intangible folk cultural asset of Senboku City as the paper balloon raising of Kami-Hinokiuchi.
More information : https://www.city.semboku.akita.jp/en/sightseeing/spot/06_kamifuusen.html
Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival
The Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival is a night time festival that utilizes snow and has a tradition of about 450 years.
Originally, the "Kamakura" in Yokote City was a symbol of the entrance to the "God of Water".
It started as an event to pray for safety in the home, prosperity in business, and a good harvest. but as time went by, it became a "snow festival (kamakura)" that attracted many visitors.
More information : https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.yokotekamakura.com
Fukushima
The following is a list of winter festivals held in Fukushima prefecture.
Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
Ouchi-juku was a bustling post station on the Aizu West Highway during the Edo period (1603-1868), and even today it is a precious area where thatched-roof houses line the highway and the scene of their construction still remains.
The area was designated as an Important Preservation District for Traditional Buildings in 1981.
During the Ouchi-juku Snow Festival, the snow lanterns along the road are lit and fireworks are set off in the winter night sky, creating a fantastic view.
There are also various events such as a soba-eating contest and a costume contest.
More information : https://www.tohokukanko.jp/en/attractions/detail_10056.html
Niigata
The following is a list of winter festivals held in Niigata prefecture.
Tokamachi Snow Festival
The Tokamachi Snow Festival was first held on February 4 and 5, 1950.
Tokamachi City is known as the "birthplace of modern snow festivals" because it was the first city in Japan where residents took the initiative to hold a snow festival.
This snow festival is now known as one of the best snow festivals in Japan.
More information :
Main site:https://snowfes.jp/hp/category/english/
Japan travel:https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1443/
Tsunan Snow Festival
At the Snow Festival in Tsunan, about 2,000 sky lanterns float in the night sky of the silver world, creating a beautiful space.
SNOW WAVE, one of the largest snowboard competitions in Japan during the day, will also be held.
More information : https://enjoyniigata.com/en/event/2094
Official site(Japanese only) : https://snowfes.info/
Naked Festival
This festival is held in Urasa, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, and has a long history of about 1200 years.
It is said that the festival was created when many people started to gather to worship Bishamonten( वैश्रवण, Vaiśravaṇa, the Buddhist deity) and push each other.
Nowadays, naked men push each other to worship Bishamonten, which is enshrined at a higher level, before anyone else and closer to the shrine.
In 2004, it was selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as an intangible folk cultural asset for which measures such as documentation should be taken. and was also mentioned in the best-selling book "Hokuetsu Seppu" of the Edo period(1603-1868).
More information : https://voide.tours/en/story/nakedfestival/
Nagano
Nozawa Fire Festival
Nozawa Fire Festival is one of the most wild and traditional Shinto events in the Hokuriku-Shinetsu region. The fire festival in Nozawa Onsen is a night of fierce clashes between men.
The festival is dedicated to pray for peace in the village, good fortune, healthy growth of children, and purification from bad luck, and it can be inferred that the festival was already held in a grand scale in the late Edo period(1603-1868).
The men who play an important role in this festival are 25 and 42 years old, which is an unlucky age in Japan. The festival is characterized by the fact that it involves a siege to set the shrine on fire.
A large number of villagers try to burn down the temporary shrine called "shaden" with torches, the 25-year-olds defend the shrine, the 42-year-olds sing, and the men clash with each other.
More information : https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/2218/
Find more unique Festivals in Japan
In addition to the festivals introduced here, there are many more winter festivals in Japan.
Why don't you go out and explore Japan's winter festivals?
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