Japan Travel Mate » Cherry Blossom festival

When to travel to Japan?

JTM — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 06:17:05 +0000

Before the first time I travelled to Japan, I never asked myself the question ‘When to travel to Japan?‘ or ‘What is the best time of year to travel to Japan?‘. I was lucky enough to have come here in the spring, and see the gorgeous cherry blossoms and the festivals that go with it.

This article has an overview, from my perspective (i.e. an Australian who likes more temperate weather) about the best time when to travel to Japan.

Spring is the best time to travel to Japan

Spring in Japan is from March to May.

The best time to come to Japan is in the spring. The first 3 weeks of March and then the last 3 weeks of April every year are specifically the best times to travel to Japan. This is when the students are at school finishing up the school year, and most other people are at work. The Japanese school year starts in April and finishes in March, so they have a 2 week break at the end of the school year.

Depending on where you travel to in Japan, during spring you will usually be able to see the cherry blossoms in bloom and perhaps attend a cherry blossom festival. The weather is great, however if the winter tends to drag on then the nights can be a bit cold.

Summer is probably the worst time to travel to Japan

The summer months in Japan are June to August.

First, there is the humidity, it is regularly above 80% almost all the time. I’ve never sweated from my shins (except for during Bikram Yoga) until I had experienced Japan’s summer. There aren’t many good places to swim either. The beaches aren’t great and good rivers to swim in are off the usual tourist track.

The biggest factor here though is that the school summer holidays generally run from mid-July and finish at the end of August. The Japanese like to travel, and during the summer holidays it seems as though everyone is out travelling! You’ll pay peak prices for hotels and many other attractions.

One of the good things about Japan in the summer is that there are many festivals.

If you really like the heat or just want to come to Japan in the summer, try early July.

Autumn is the next best time to travel to Japan

Autumn is September to November in Japan.

Autumn in Japan is from September to November. Everyone is back to school and work usually from the 1st of September. The temperature is nice, the humidity has dropped, and major tourist attractions, especially Kyoto, are turning that classic golden/red/brown colour as the trees prepare for winter.

There are a few national holidays: 2 in September; 1 in October; 2 in November. So you may be surprised here and there by the huge amount of people travelling around.

Winter is 50/50…

The cold, snowy winter months in Japan are December to February.

If you love the snow and are wanting to ski and snowboard during your holiday, then Japan is the right place to come. It snows everywhere in Japan, except for Okinawa and the snow fields are known as some of the best in the world… hence why the 1998 Winter Olympics were held in Japan. Hokaiddo is well known for great snow fields, but any mountain area in Japan is awesome.

One thing I love about Japan in winter is that in ryokans and other places, you will find a kotatsu. This is a low table that has a heater underneath, you put your legs underneath it and a blanket to keep warm, very cosy.

But if you don’t like the cold then don’t travel in winter, it does snow and it is very very cold.

When it really comes down to it, your personal choice of climate will dictate when you want to come. For example, I find winter in Australia to be cold enough, so Japan’s winter is almost unbearable for me!

{lang: 'en-GB'}

Why go to Japan?

JTM — Sun, 15 May 2011 01:57:33 +0000

Where to visit and what to do in Japan, the new top reasons list

If you are looking for reasons to travel to Japan, then look no further then this highly refined article from a foreigner who has holidayed in Japan and now lives in Japan. When I first started this blog, the very first post was about reasons to visit Japan. Since then, I have discovered more of its hidden culture and surprises. A revision to the original list was needed, so here is the new Why go to Japan post.

The thing I have come to find most interesting about Japan, is how the country can be so ultra-modern technologically, while juxtaposed with tradition and culture. This is the thing Japan does best of all and tops this revised list of reasons in this Why go to Japan post.

Why go to Japan? Reason #1: Japanese culture

As a tourist, it’s all about Japanese culture. From the castles, temples and shrines, the authentic restaurants and festivals, experiencing Japanese culture is the number 1 reason for coming to Japan.

Sanjuusangendou temple in Kyoto, a view from the temple gardens.

A visit to Kyoto is a must. If you don’t go to Kyoto, and for example, only visit Osaka then do check out Osaka Castle, or whatever the major castle of the area or city is.
Temples and shrines are everywhere and are never far off the main tourist track.
If you travel to Japan in their spring (around April) then you must see the cherry blossoms, or go to a cherry blossom festival. If you do not travel to Japan in spring, then find out what festivals are on and go see them, you will experience great local Japanese food and culture.

This is the famous (and huge!) Osaka Castle, surrounded by moat walls and cherry blossoms. Most cities and towns have a castle.

Why go to Japan? Reason #2: Technology

Along with a rich tradition, Japan is the birthplace of many technologies, from the Toyota Prius (check out the interactive 3D experience of the new Toyota Prius Alpha, just press the CLICK HERE button when you are on the site) to the famous electronic “washlet toilet“, to perhaps the even more famous bullet train (Shinkansen, the newest E5 Hayabusa started service in March 2011, the E6 Hayabusa bullet train is about 1-2 years away).

Japan also has, on average, the fastest internet speed in the world. I guess this is because it is geographically a small country, and the penetration of fiber optic is very high.

For the traveller, everyday you will experience this technology. It could be a ride on the bullet train, it could be the fancy touch screen pad or “dumb waiter” used to order your sushi (which arrives at your table on a mini-bullet train), the automatic bath (which fills itself and keeps warm) or any other number of hidden technologies that just make travelling so convenient!

Why go to Japan? Reason #3: Food and drink

Japan’s unique cuisine is world famous, especially sushi. Some of my favourite Japanese’s foods (which are extremely difficult to find outside the country) are Okonomiyaki (often referred to as Japanese pizza), Hiyashi Chuka (a cold noodle dish that is great summer) and Miso Ramen (Japan’s version of the famous chinese noodle).

To accompany your meal, try a Chu-Hai (fruit flavoured carbonated drink) or Umeshu (fruit liquer) or one of the good nama (draft) beers such as Asahi Super Dry or Yebisu Premium Gold.

This is one of the reasons that has been identified since living in Japan. I’m pretty sure that the concept of all you can drink would be illegal in Australia. Best experienced at either an Izakaya (traditional Japanese drinking establishment, which serves food and drink) or at a Yakiniku (which means grilled beef in Japanese). Here you can have all you can eat, called tabehodai (Kanji = 食べ放題, hiragana = たべほうだい, romaji = tabehōdai) and all you can drink, called nomihodai (Kanji = 飲み放題, hiragana = のみほうだい, romaji = nomihōdai).

You might get about 3-5 small pieces of meat per serving, so make sure you keep the orders coming...

After getting a table, order some nice beef. It will be served raw at your table, and it’s over to you to do the grilling. It isn’t just limited to beef though, there is some amazing chicken, pork, seafood and vegetables.

Yakiniku - a table full of beers and food, with beef grilling in process.

In no time at all you will have a table full of delicious food and drink. Make sure you keep the orders coming, as the servings are small.

The revised list of Why go to Japan wouldn’t be complete…

…without adding that Japan needs tourism now more than ever. In my opinion, some of the mainstream media has been overly sensationalist when reporting on the nuclear disaster. However the radiation risks are limited to a 20-30km radius around Fukushima in the north of Japan. A long way south of that is Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and many of the best places to visit.

So come visit Japan, and decide for yourself the best things about this wonderful country!

{lang: 'en-GB'}

Cherry Blossom Festival and Iyeyasu Samurai Parade in Okazaki

JTM — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:14:44 +0000

The cherry blossoms (sakura in Japanese) bloom in spring in Japan, and every prefecture has their own festival (omatsuri in Japanese) to celebrate this special time. It is so special because the cherry blossoms are in bloom for only a few weeks, requiring a special climate in order to show their full colours.

This article is of our day trip to Okazaki in Aichi prefecture. It is close to Toyota city and Nagoya, about 3 hours drive from Tokyo. Okazaki has the Iyeyasu Samurai parade every year, famous for the historical?samurai?battle reenactments.

Cherry blossom lined street with lanterns in Okazaki, the start of the walk to Okazaki castle.

Getting off the train at Naka-Okazaki station, we followed the lantern and cherry blossom lined streets toward Okazaki-jo (Okazaki castle).

Cherry blossom (sakura) tree closeup, at the river near Okazaki castle.

Approaching Okazaki castle was the main area to view the cherry blossoms.

Ohanami (Cherry blossom viewing) by the river at the Iyeyasu festival.

Cherry blossom viewing is known as “ohanami” in Japanese. It is very popular, groups of people get out their blue mats, mini-BBQs and beer cans, to sit under the cherry blossom trees and enjoy the spring day.

Lanterns line a red bridge leading to Okazaki castle and more cherry blossom trees

A moat surrounds Okazaki castle, and crossing a red bridge you leave the main area with many people and many food stalls, to the outer castle area with more people and more food stalls.

Iyeyasu's Well outside Okazaki castle

The festival celebrates the cherry blossoms, but also the famous samurai Iyeyasu Tokugawa. He was a famous samurai, known to be a brilliant?tactician who fought and won many great battles for the emperor.

Ninja and Samurai clash in a memorial battle at Okazaki's Iyeyasu Festival

A reenactment of a battle is in full swing, showing a ninja clan attempting to storm the castle. Iyeyasu and his samurai warriors repel the attack.

Samurai lined up and prepared to fire.

Before the Ninja vs. Samurai battle above, a parade of samurai departed the main “battlefield” for a parade around Okazaki. They return for yet another, and very amazing reenactment.

Fireworks signal the end of the Iyeyasu battle, seen from under the Cherry Blossom trees

The samurai lined up and fired replica guns (video coming soon). The battle ended with fireworks… in the daytime!

The crowd viewed the battle and parade from under the Sakura (cherry blossom) trees

We viewed the battle from under the cherry blossom trees, enjoying some snacks and Yebisu beer.

This post shows just one of many times I have enjoyed the cherry blossom season, look at the cherry blossom category page for more posts.

{lang: 'en-GB'}

Japanese cherry blossom festival

JTM — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:44:34 +0000

In Okayama every year (mid April) there is a sakura (Japanese for cherry blossom) festival. These cherry blossom trees are against the river which runs past Okayama castle. Here is a panorama I made from the festival.

Panorama of the Okayama cherry blossom festival. Click the image above to view a larger high quality photo.

Depending on the location in Japan, the best time to see the cherry blossom trees and attend a Japanese cherry blossom festival is the Japanese spring. This can be from late March through April in most places.

Related post: ‘Japanese cherry blossom – photos and info‘ for more photos of the cherry blossom.

{lang: 'en-GB'}

Japanese cherry blossom – photos and info

JTM — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:21:05 +0000

Japan, famous for the cherry blossom (sakura 桜 in Japanese)

In Japanese, cherry blossom is ‘sakura’ (most commonly used kanji is 桜 which means ‘spring flower’). In Japan, sakura are not only nice to look at, they are renowned around the world and steeped in tradition within Japan. There many annual festivals. We went to a festival in April in Okayama and saw Japan’s beautiful cherry blossoms from Fukuoka to Tokyo.

Below are my photos of Japan’s cherry blossom, from all over the country.

Photo of Japanese cherry blossom (sakura) at a Kyoto temple. Me in front of the sakura and Sanjūsangendō (三十三間堂 in Japanese, which means 33 bay hall, as 33 is a sacred number in Buddhism) in Kyoto.

Cherry blossom trees surround a Japanese Edo period water garden.

More Japanese cherry blossom trees (sakura) in the temple gardens.

High resolution photo of the Japanese cherry blossom. View the close-up of the cherry blossom tree by clicking the image above to view a higher resolution photo.

To see the Japanese cherry blossom, the best time to travel to Japan is their spring in late March and throughout April. There are many festivals throughout the entire country, especially at the many temples, like the one below at Kyoto.

Japanese cherry blossom motif on the ticket for Kiyomizu temple in the mountains of Kyoto.

Looking through the cherry blossoms at a shrine in Kiyomizu?temple, Kyoto, Japan.

Looking at Okayama Castle (a 400 year old castle named 烏城 'u-jo' in Japanese) through the cherry blossoms.

Sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom.

Related post: A panorama of a Japanese cherry blossom festival at Okayama.

{lang: 'en-GB'}