Great so now it’s time for my annual Festival Preview! The problem is that there is still some disagreement about exactly what festivals will be held when. Because of the problems in the Tohoku area, some festivals may have been canceled or are in limbo at the moment. I can report that while many foreigners are declining to come to Japan, a great many locals have decided to visit their country and so we might see quite a few reschedules happening.
I am expecting a larger turnout than ever before and as a result I predict there will ultimately be as many festivals as there ever was, but we will have to wait and see. About 27 major firewords festivals are normally scheduled for the Kansai area and the main ones are booked as ususal.
I’ll need a little more time to get all of the info as several of the lesser known festival dates are undecided but so far I can report the following nine major events:
Yodogawa Aug 6
Kobe Minato Aug 6
Ashiya Summer Carnival July 23
Otsu Biwako Daihanabi Taikai Aug 8
Tenjin Matsuri July 25
Daimonji Aug 16
Takarazuka Aug 5 and 6
Uji-gawa Aug 10
and of course PL which is always on Aug 1.
These are all going to be very crowded and the weather very hot so don’t drive, bring lots of water and try to cover up from the harsh sun if possible.
Martin Werner Zander, Partner in the Smith’s School Co.
マーティン・ワーナー・ザンダー
Owner, Smith’s School in Kotoen
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