Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, is a mystic land of culture as well as modernity. Despite being the most technologically advanced of states, Japan has not let go of its culture and heritage that date back to a time immemorial. There are a host of festivals in Japan which accustom both the traveler and the resident with the history of the island. The country's most celebrated holiday, the Japanese New Year is the time when debts are paid, and homes cleaned. Osechi (food in lacquered trays) is bought or prepared. These traditional foods are chosen for their shapes, lucky colors, or names for incurring good luck. Family gatherings, formal calls on relatives and friends and visits to temples or shrines are the order of the day.

Festivals in Japan like the Seijin No Hi - the Coming of Age Day - are celebrated on January 8th. It is meant for women who have just become 20 viz. legal adults. Most families buy a kimono for their daughter. On this day, the young lady will typically pray for money, health, and success in a Shinto shrine. This is also one of the few times you will see anyone in a kimono.

Valentine's Day is one of the other festivals in Japan too. It is the girls who give boys chocolate on February 14th. There is a uniquely Japanese feature of giving Giri Choko to the men. Giri means obligation, in the sense of long term commitment. Gifting is a custom in Japan and so confectionery companies celebrate White Day on March 14th, when the boys gift the girls in return.

The Hina Matsuri or Doll Festival on March 3rd goes back to China. This is one of the festivals in Japan which honors the Chinese custom of making a doll for transferring bad luck and impurities from the person. The doll is put in a river and thus one forever rids oneself of them. Like most festivals in Japan, this one evolved during the Edo Period (1603 -1867). It is still possible to buy Hina Matsuri dolls created during this era as well as the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Yoshimura and Yanagawa are two areas that have come alive with such displays and events. March 3rd is also Girls' Day in Japan. From mid to late February, families with daughters put out the dolls with the hope for their daughters to grow up healthy and happy.

Cherry Blossoms is among the festivals in Japan that is also one of the happiest events. It heralds the coming of spring after the spine-chilling winter. The blossoms also have a cultural connotation since they fall to the ground and disappear in a few weeks, which echo an ancient cultural belief in the transitory nature of youth and life itself. Every park with sakura trees are wedged with people.

The Shichi Go San Matsuri or 7-5-3 Festival is one of the most unique festivals in Japan. Boys aged from 3, 5 to 7 years are taken to a Shinto shrine, often in their first kimono. Here parents pray for their health and wealth since until the 20th century, Japan had a high child mortality rate. With inadequate medical facilities, parents often blamed evil spirits. Once the kids reached 3, 5 and 7 years, they were taken to the gods for thanking.

Other popular festivals in Japan include: the Tanabata, Lantern Floating, Chrysanthemum Festival and others.