The highlight of Gion Matsuri festival is the “Yamaboko Junko” parade. Massive floats are pulled through the narrow, winding streets of Kyoto. See the schedule.
New year’s eve Temple bell ceremony
Temple bell rings 108 times on December 31st, “Joya-no-kane” event is held at temples all over Japan. It has existed in Japan since ancient times.
Aoi Matsuri Festival/ Kyoto
Aoi Matsuri Festival is the most important annual rituals. The highlight is the parade with 500 people wearing splendid ancient costumes and traditional make-up.
Nipponbashi Street Festa/ The biggest cosplay event
Nipponbashi Street Festa is every Otaku’s dream of cosplay and anime, a colourful festival featuring cosplayers, robot performances, live music and much more.
Instant Ramen Noodles Specialty Shop/ Den-den Town
Yakan-tei Sakura is located in Den-den town, Nipponbashi, Osaka. More than 250 kind of local instant Ramen noodles can be purchased here.
Omamori / Japanese Amulets keep you safe!
Omamori, “amulets” are imbued with Fuku (Good Luck, protective power, blessings). They grew to be popular both Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.
Let’s enjoy and relax at Sento, A Public Bath house
Sento is a facility for taking a bath. This Japanese-style public bath house also functions as a social hub in its neighboring community.
Capsule hotel/ Unique accommodation found only in Japan
You can find capsule hotels all over Japan, and they range from plastic capsules in a sci-fi setting to comfortable sleeping mini-rooms with a window and a view.
Draw an Omikuji fortune!
“Omikuji” are small pieces of paper on which your fortune is written. Many people draw an omikuji when they go to worship at Shrines and Temples in Japan.
Pokemon Center in Kansai
The Pokémon Center Osaka is a special store selling the wide range of original Pokémon Center goods, Pokemon toys, clothing, accessories, statues.
Goshuin-chou / A special stamp collecting book
Goshuin “the honorable red stamp” has become popular among young people who seek out rare stamps and calligraphy from Japanese shrines and temples.
The Holy land of Manga / Kyoto International Manga Museum
The first manga museum in Japan, the Kyoto International Manga Museum has 300,000 items. In the “Manga Expo” section, you can read translated popular manga.