Japanese summer festivals

[Tenshi no Ai]

Is it just me or do these look like fun? ^^ Just finished watching the Azumanga ep where they go to one, and there's been so many anime I've seen involving the characters go to a summer festival. That would be so fun to have one of them here... snacks... games like netting goldfish... fireworks... kinda like fairs here I guess, except you get all dressed up in your summer kimono for it, and well, knowing these take place at shrines all the time I take it that it's to celebrate some kind of Shinto festival, not sure what though. Still, I'd want to go so for the fun and excitement^^
Now that I think about it, Japanese celebrate almost every holiday we do, except they've also got ones like Dolls, Boys, and Children's Day.
Anyone else think the same way?

[Lynx]

totally! i've seen that episode of azumanga, and i thought the same thing when i saw it. it made me wanna go dress up in a kimono and play games or something. i've always wanted to go to japan during the cherry blossom festival, i thought that one would be a really fun one too!

[Tenshi no Ai]

i've always wanted to go to japan during the cherry blossom festival, i thought that one would be a really fun one too!

That reminds me of the Sailor Moon ep... picnicking under the pretty pink falling petals^^
Yeah tons of amusing holidays.... I wonder why we don't have White Day here though :/

[The Last Bard]

I also thought the same thing! And I've too have really wanted to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival. Let's go someday! hehe

[Kawaiikneko]

white day is a hallmark holiday that was made up to go with Valentines day. Its just caught on more in Japan than it has here. It does exist in America though.

Japanese people don't celebrate Thanksgiving or 4th of July. We've got two up on them there. Go us...

[GhostontheNet]

I may be really screwing up in my understanding of the various Matsuri, but it's best for Christians to abstain from taking part in festivals dedicated to the kami/gods for the same reasons our brothers and sisters of Roman days abstained from taking part of the festivals dedicated to the gods even if they ended up with a false reputation of a being misanthrops - that is, because there is only one true God, worshipping others in the act of festivity dedicated to them is disloyalty, a public denial of the faith.

[TrigunX89]

Indeed. I don't want to celebrate foreign gods...

But summer celebrations in general really do look fun! Summer doesn't seem like as big of a deal here in the States as it does in Japan. (according to what I've read) Watching the J-drama "Stand Up!!" made me think, "Why aren't my summers like this?" But I guess that's because it's a tv show lol. I had a good summer last year though, so I'm really not complaining.

I was going to post an interesting little paragraph about summer in Japan from a website, but it seems it has been taken down.

[GhostontheNet]

Indeed. I don't want to celebrate foreign gods...

But summer celebrations in general really do look fun! Summer doesn't seem like as big of a deal here in the States as it does in Japan. (according to what I've read) Watching the J-drama "Stand Up!!" made me think, "Why aren't my summers like this?" But I guess that's because it's a tv show lol. I had a good summer last year though, so I'm really not complaining.

I was going to post an interesting little paragraph about summer in Japan from a website, but it seems it has been taken down.

That's a matter of opinion of course, needless to say around here people get really pumped up for July 4th, purchasing illegal fireworks (because much of Colorado is like a tinderbox it can be dry enough for plants) and setting them off in the late hours of the night even before the day, and afterwards too.

[Aka-chan]

Mmm...wearing a yukata is super comfortable. And, yeah, those festivals are LOADS of fun, though I did avoid the shrine visit when I attended.

Oh, yeah, and the food is KILLER awesome.

[Tenshi no Ai]

Japanese people don't celebrate Thanksgiving or 4th of July. We've got two up on them there. Go us...

Well, then again even I don't celebrate the 4th of July... I celebrate the first^^ And even then, not so much :/ Meh when I go to my youth camps they do have their own Canada Days for fun^^

And yeah as I said before, to me they more look like a general fun fair like ones we have here^^ And when Japanese schools (also shown in many anime) have "cultural festivals" it looks even more like a general school fair where each class does somethign different, and sort of like the ones I remember doing in Elementary school.

I may be really screwing up in my understanding of the various Matsuri, but it's best for Christians to abstain from taking part in festivals dedicated to the kami/gods for the same reasons our brothers and sisters of Roman days abstained from taking part of the festivals dedicated to the gods even if they ended up with a false reputation of a being misanthrops - that is, because there is only one true God, worshipping others in the act of festivity dedicated to them is disloyalty, a public denial of the faith.

Kinda reminds me of Easter/Christmas nowadays :/

[Sephiroth]

yeah, they look lotsa fun.

[Ingemar]

Kinda reminds me of Easter/Christmas nowadays :/

Except Easter and Christmas can be celebrated without recourse to any ancient pagan holidays. I once heard that some Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas in late spring. Furthermore, the way we (our family) celebrates Christmas, there is no reference to that excrable Easter Bunny. From my early childhood, I knew that the Easter Bunny had to be a farce.

[Kawaiikneko]

Well, then again even I don't celebrate the 4th of July... I celebrate the first^^ And even then, not so much :/ Meh when I go to my youth camps they do have their own Canada Days for fun^^

Canadians are awesome *parades you around the room*

ahem... Yes, the Japanese summer festivals sound fun ^^ A Christian Japanese couple came to our church once and taught us a summer festival dance because some festival was going on in japan at the time. I think I'd like to wear a Yakuta and go to one sometime.

[mitsuki lover]

There's a school for Japanese girls in the Spokane area where they go to better their English and get some feel of American culture and it's sponsoring the Annual
Girl's Festival this month.