Traditional Japan

Traditional Japan

Big Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in Katsuura

Big Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in KatsuuraBig Doll Festival at Tomisaki Shrine in Katsuura

(All photos by Natsuki Sakai/AFLO) Approximately 1800 dolls decorate the 60 steps of Tomisaki Shrine in Katsuura, 50 miles southeast of Tokyo. The Pacific coastal fishing town in Chiba prefecture […]

Features, Traditional Japan

Fire festival at Toba Shinmeisha Shrine

Fire festival at Toba Shinmeisha Shrine

(All photos by Ben Weller/AFLO) Annual fire festival “Toba-no-Hi Matsuri” took place on February 11 at Toba Shinmeisha, a Shinto shrine in Nishio, Japan. The festival begins with men walking […]

Features, Traditional Japan

Hina dolls modeled after leaders and athletes

Hina dolls modeled after leaders and athletes

(All photos by Rodrigo Reyes Marin/AFLO) Japanese doll maker Kyugetsu Co. unveiled a set of hina dolls modeled after French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese figure skater […]

Features, Traditional Japan

Japanese New Year Ice Bath 2018

Japanese New Year Ice Bath 2018

(All photos by Rodrigo Reyes Marin/AFLO) Traditional New Year ice bath ceremony took place at Kanda Myojin Shrine on January 13 in Tokyo. This year, 44 participants braved the ice […]

Features, Traditional Japan

Asakusa Nakamise street with year-end shoppers

Asakusa Nakamise street with year-end shoppers

(All photos by Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO) Year-end shoppers and tourists gather in the Asakusa Nakamise street leading to the Sensoji temple. It is customary for the Japanese people to visit Shinto […]