page_title: Japanese festivals
section_title: Local festivals (matsuri)
hierarchical_section_title: Japanese festivals / Local festivals (matsuri)
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 三木大宮八幡宮宮入り
context_page_description: Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals centuries ago, but have undergone great changes as they mixed with local customs.
  Some are so different that they do not even remotely resemble the original festival despite sharing the same name and date. There are also various local festivals that are mostly unknown outside a given prefecture.
  Unlike most people in East Asia, Japanese people generally do not celebrate Lunar New Year; although many Chinese residents in Japan, as well as some shrines and temples for religious purposes, still celebrate Lunar New Year in parallel with the Western New Year. In Yokohama Chinatown, Japan's biggest Chinatown, tourists from all over Japan come to enjoy the festival. Similar for Nagasaki's Lantern Festival that is based in Nagasaki Chinatown.
context_section_description: Matsuri (祭) is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple, though they can be secular.
  There are no specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, usually related to the paddy harvest.
  Notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organized at the level of neighborhoods, or machi. Prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets.
  One can always find in the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, and games, such as Goldfish scooping. Karaoke contests, sumo matches, and other forms of entertainment are often organized in conjunction with matsuri. If the festival is next to a lake, renting a boat is also an attraction.
  Favorite elements of the most popular matsuri, such as the Nada no Kenka Matsuri of Himeji or the Neputa Matsuri of Hirosaki, are often broadcast on television for the entire nation to enjoy.
caption: Big Mikoshi "Yatai" Parade on Miki Autumn Harvest Festival In Miki, Hyogo
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