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Lilah, our Japan Ambassador, takes us on a vibrant journey through some of the exciting festivals and events she’s experienced since moving to Japan. From antique markets to national holidays and surprise music festivals, Lilah shares her unique perspective on immersing in both modern and traditional Japanese culture. Join her as she explores the rich tapestry of celebrations that make Japan such a fascinating place to live and travel!
Hey! My name is Lilah and in this post, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite festivals & events that I have been lucky enough to attend during my time in Japan so far. Japanese culture is one that is rich in a variety of different holidays and traditional customs, and I am very lucky to have been able to experience them, even at the surface level that I have so far. I would say the events I have attended thus far lean more modern than traditional, but I am still grateful to have been there all the same, and I look forward to the many more ahead!
Discovering Japanese Antiques at the Oedo Flea Market
The very first time I came to Japan, there happened to be an antique market taking place on the final day of my trip. Since my family owns an antique store, secondhand shopping and thrifting have always been really important to me, and I was happy that I was able to find something similar in the country where I had one day hoped to live. The Oedo Flea Market is the perfect place to shop for Japanese antiques, traditional clothing, and vintage goods, all of which provide a small window into the past of both Japan as a country and a society.
On this visit, I found a purple beaded clutch that has become one of my favorite accessories, and I purchased a few traditional Japanese art-style prints that I gifted to my mom and now live on the walls of her office back home. Now that I have returned to Japan as a resident, I’m planning a return trip to the Oedo Flea Market to see what I can find next.
Experiencing Japan’s Golden Week in Osaka
One of the most well-known series of holidays in Japan is known as Golden Week. This year, Golden Week fell on a weekend, so it resulted in a four-day long weekend, which provided the perfect travel opportunity. Golden Week is comprised of the following holidays: Showa Day (the birthday of former Emperor Showa), Constitution Day (marking the implementation of the postwar constitution), Greenery Day (dedicated to the preservation of nature), and Children’s Day (praying for the health & success of sons in the family).
I decided to spend my Golden Week weekend traveling to Osaka, which is a popular destination for many locals around this time. It was my second time visiting the city, and I’m really glad that I got to revisit some of my favorite attractions in the area as well as some new sights, including the Kuromon Ichiba Market, the Umeda Sky Building, and Shinsekai.
Uncovering the Greenroom Festival in Yokohama
The final event that I want to highlight is the Greenroom Festival, which takes place at the Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama. I actually stumbled upon this event by accident – I had friends visiting for a few weekends in the month of May and I was taking them to the Red Brick Warehouse because I had gone there previously on my own, and was really impressed with the amount of food options and souvenir shops available inside. Upon arrival with my friends, we soon realized that a music and arts festival was taking place inside and surrounding the warehouse.
This was really cool because not only did we get to experience the regular offerings of the warehouse and its shopkeepers, but we also got to patronize the numerous food trucks, activity tents, and performers who were present for the festival. These types of pop-ups are common for foreigners to experience in Japan because it can often be difficult to discern when and which events are happening due to the language barrier, but I don’t mind the surprise.
I’m looking forward to stumbling into more pop-up festivals and citywide events in the following months of my Japanese residency, and look forward to observing more national traditional holidays as well.
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