Things to Do in Japan This July

The Gion Matsuri is one of the longest and most elaborate festivals that take place in Kyoto. It gets its name from the Gion district of Kyoto. During the festival, the streets are thronged with food stalls that offer you a taste of traditional Japanese cuisine.

The best part of the festival is the Yamaboko Junko, or the float parade, which take place on 17th and 24th July, where hundreds of people gather to be a part of the event. The floats weigh up to 12,000 kilograms, and have ornate decorations. You cannot afford to miss this spectacle.

The Tanabata Festival is the celebration of star-crossed lovers. It originated from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of two deities, who were separated by the Milky Way. According to legend, they are allowed to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Hence, it is held on 7th July.

In this celebration of love, people write their wishes on long colourful strips of paper that are hung from bamboo poles. The festival takes place all over Japan in July, but some regions celebrate it in August also.

The Sumo Nagoya Basho is one of the six grand championships (Honbasho) of sumo wrestling. The tradition of sumo wrestling has been in place since 1958. The Honbasho results play a crucial role in determining whether a Sumo is promoted, or relegated. Over the course of 15 days, the wrestlers ranked in the top two divisions, wrestle once a day

However, the lower division wrestlers have to compete seven times, once every alternate day. Witness this epic tournament this July and watch the Sumo wrestlers exhibit their power and prowess.

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a fifteen-day extravaganza, held in the town of Hakata, Fukuoka. The festivities are centred on the Shinto shrine, in Hakata, called Kushida-Jinja. The shrine is believed to have been founded in 757 AD, and the festival is over 700 years old.

At the culmination of the festival, is an early morning race that involves carrying huge floats through the streets of the town. All seven districts participate in the festival, and nearly the entire town of one million people attend it.

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and an active volcano, which erupted in the early 1700s. The mountain is a symbol of Japan and has inspired artists and poets for centuries. The climbing season at Mount Fuji begins in July after the monsoon clears. The opening date differs based on the weather.

The climb is a challenge, and amateurs might experience fatigue and nausea. There might even be some human-traffic en-route to the peak, but the sense of achievement is monumental.

Japan is a place where ancient traditions fuse with modern life as if they were naturally one. Plan a trip to Japan this July and indulge in an experience of a lifetime.