Summers in Japan are hot, like really hot – and the humidity makes things so difficult to function. Many will tell you to avoid traveling to Japan during the summer, but a Japanese summer comes with its own perks- omatsuri’s (festivals) and they’re one of the best things about this season!
From July to September, many omatsuri are held all across the country. From regional-specific celebrations, to obon odori and fireworks festivals there is so much to see. If you’re in the country, it’s something you have to experience at least once. There are games, traditional dancing, music, Omikoshi, taiko drum performances, and a lot of food stalls.
However, being vegan restricts you quite a bit on food you can have. So here’s everything you need to know about Omatsuri’s and what you’ll be able to eat!
Glossary
Omatsuri | お祭り
Japanese Festivals
Obon | お盆
A traditional Japanese holiday and an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one’s ancestors. It’s believed the ancestor’s spirits temporarily return to this world in order to visit their relatives during this time.
For those who celebrate this holiday, the family gather in their hometowns, visit the gravestones to pay their respects, and cleans the headstones, they perform rituals, food offerings are made at alters and temples, and they attend festivals. Finally, floating lanterns are put in the rivers at the end of Obon to guide the spirits back into their world. However, not all families follow the same customs.
Obon is one of the bigger holiday seasons in Japan (alongside New Year’s and Golden Week), where most people get a week off work to celebrate loved ones here and gone. Official dates are from the 13th to the 16th of August but in some regions can also be celebrated in mid-July.
Obon Odori | 盆踊り
A celebration through a type of folk art. A dance to the beat of taiko drums and traditional music that welcomes the spirits of ancestors. You’ll find many people in Yukata, dancing in a circle around a stage which is held in parks, temples and other public places. Anyone can join the dancing so why not take part?
Omikoshi | お神輿
One of the key features of any Japanese summer festival is an omikoshi: a portable shrine that gets carried and paraded through the town. It’s believed that the deity (a god) of the local shrine is carried in the portable shrine (which is a smaller replica of the main shrine) to bless the streets and the town.
You’ll hear “wasshoi” from those carrying the omikoshi and although there is no official meaning for it, it’s kind of like saying “heave-ho!” to gain strength and inspire the others in the group to keep going.
Japanese summer festivals
Natsu matsuri (夏祭り) or summer festivals are celebrations of religious occasions and a celebration of summer. Originally there were three main reasons for organising a natsu matsuri: praying for a good harvest, respecting and honouring spirits and gods and preventing disease.
Now there are many reasons besides those traditional ones for a Japanese festival. There are festivals that celebrate Mt.fuji, and summer flowers, but it’s all slightly different depending on which region in Japan you visit – no two are quite the same.
Many see it as a fun evening out to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere, the paper lanterns and statues, and the decorations as well as time to enjoy with their friends and family to eat street food. It’s definitely one of the few times you’ll see Japan at its liveliest!
Some popular festivals
Aomori Nebuta Festival: One of the most popular festivals in Japan, many people travel to Tohoku to see the Nebuta – large, elaborate and colourful paper marched floats of characters from myths and legends.
The intricate floats are a work of art with so much detail- each takes a year to construct for the six-day celebration. Amongst the floats, you will see traditional dancers as well as Nebuta Bayashi a music band consisting of drums, flutes and hand cymbals.
Tanabata Festival: known as the star festival with Chinese roots and a love story that tells of the annual reunion of two lovers in the Milkey Way. Tanabata is celebrated regionally on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar- it’s such a colourful celebration.
People write their wishes on bright-coloured pieces of paper which are hung on bamboo branches and the streets are filled with large and vibrant paper ornaments. The largest and most elaborate festival is probably the Sedai Tanabata Festival.
Sumida River Firework Festival: An annual event held in Tokyo that first started during the 18th century to pray for the end of famine and ward off evil spirits – it’s believed to be the oldest festival.
Tsukiji Hongwanji Bon Odori: One of the popular Bon Odori festivals, dance around the stand on the temple grounds and enjoy the taiko drums performance.
Niihama Taiko Festival: Located in Ehime, this celebration showcases a collection of huge, heavy and elaborate decorated floats that weigh 3 tonnes each and are carried by over 100 men as a celebration of a good harvest.
Kyoto Gion Maturi: An annual festival of Yasaka Shrine and one of the greatest and largest festivals in Japan. It’s held during the whole month of July with many festivities from floats that are paraded in the main streets, omikoshi, and much more.
The temperature during the festival season
Between July and September, the temperature can be anything from high 20°C to high 30°C. Looking at the weather for Tokyo, August’s temperature will be cooler than the temperatures we experienced in July – we had a lot of days when the temperature was anything from 35°C to 38°C and that was difficult because the added humidity made it feel even hotter!
During the day the sun is very strong so make sure you avoid direct sunlight, wear sunscreen, drink plenty of liquids, and have a vegan Japanese ice cream to cool off too!
Omatsuri’s tend to be held from late afternoon to evening which means the temperature will have dropped a little but it’s still very sticky and hot – so be prepared for being a sweaty puddle!
What to wear at an Omatsuri
There is no dress code to attend a festival, so you can wear casual clothes – but as it will be hot, lighter cooler materials will be best.
Traditional clothes at an omatsuri
At any omatsuri, you will see a lot of men and women dressed in a yukata, a lighter, casual, summer version of a kimono. I personally think yukata is a sign of Japanese summer, just like seeing kakigori (shaved ice), watermelon, and fireworks.
The yukata is a type of clothing made from cotton which wraps around the body and is tied with an obi. For women, the obi is tied around the waist with a bow at the back and for men, it sits on the hips and is tied with a knot. Another outfit option for men is a jinbei, a two-piece outfit with a wrap-around top like a yukata and loose-fitting shorts that are very comfortable.
It’s the ideal clothes which keep things cool and a great way to enjoy the festivities. It’s pretty awesome seeing the colours of this clothing. There are plenty of rental places if you want to try it out.
Where to buy a Yukata
If you want to purchase one as a keepsake to remember your trip, there are a few different ways to do so.
The prices vary depending on where you get it from but if you want to keep the price lower, you can get decent Yukata sets (which usually come with Obi belt and shoes) in department stores. If you set aside ¥4,000 – ¥10,000 you should be able to get something decent.
Or if you fancy something a bit more unique, go hunting around the many second-hand stores and markets and you should be able to get a very reasonably priced Yukata, Obi and maybe even some accessories.
I own a few different ones and I got my blue Yukata from a market seller in Yanaka Ginza for ¥500! What a bargain, I was very pleased with myself! Of course, shopping for a yukata online is also possible but I prefer to see it in person so I can see and feel the quality as well as check the length.
It is worth noting, if you’re under 170cm in height it’ll be much easier to shop for a yukata new or secondhand. But if you’re taller, it gets a little tricky. Many rental places are used to the taller travellers so will have a lot more choices on offer!
Tip: There is a proper way to wear a yukata, so if you decide to do it yourself, make sure to watch a YouTube video!
Food at Omatsuri
The street food at an omatsuri is very meat and fish-heavy – there are many stalls that line the streets making it easy for meat eaters to go from stall to stall eating sweet and savoury street food. On large hot plates, you can see things such as skewed meat to takoyaki (octopus balls) okonomiyaki, and yakisoba (noodles) being made.
Try vegan okonomiyaki at Gion Tanto (and yakisoba) or Oko Okonomiyaki in Osaka for great vegan versions!
Vegan food at omatsuri
Going to any summer festival in Japan, you won’t be able to get anything substantial but there will be a few things that you can eat while you enjoy all the festivities.
Kakigori (shaved ice)
For me kakigori is something you have to get at a summer festival, the two go hand in hand. They are cups of finely shaved ice with your choice of flavoured syrup such as grape, peach, melon, ramune, strawberry, lemon or blue hawaii. They are cold, sweet, refreshing and give you a brief break from the humidity.
Some syrups may contain cochineal for the red colouring or honey and they may offer condensed milk as a topping, just make sure to ask for one without it.
Candied fruit
Candied fruits such as grapes, apples, strawberries, pineapple and kiwi are often available.
Apricot candy | あんず飴 (anzu same)
It’s not actually apricot as it says in the name, instead, the red fruit on a stick is pickled plum in vinegar and mixed with starch syrup, served on an edible wafer plate with extra starch syrup.
You can also get mandarin and cherry versions which are not soaked in vinegar and are much nicer in my opinion!
Fruit sticks
Cold, sweet, and refreshing pineapple and watermelon sticks can often be purchased at a festival.
Jacket potato
It depends on each stand but you can usually get a salted baked potato with (sometimes) added sweetcorn – just make sure to ask for no butter.
Frozen Fruit
Frozen mandarin segments to frozen fruit that have been shaved like kakigori can be available.
Fried potato
Fried potato with salt should be ok, but watch out for the oil they have been cooked in – better check that first.
Candy floss
Candy floss should be ok. Possible things to watch out for are the food colouring and the sugar used.
Tornado potato
Once again you need to watch out for the oil they cooked it in as well as the seasoning – this one was flavoured with salt.
Tapioca drink
This was the first time I’d seen these drinks with tapioca balls at a festival. The soda, juice and tea-based drinks are ok to drink. Calpis has milk in it so not suitable. I got the peach orange juice tapioca drink which was sweet and refreshing!
Edamame
Salted edamame beans are available.
Chestnut
Warmed chestnuts can be found in omatsuri.
Cucumber sticks
Cold cucumber on sticks that have been salted. Very simple yet delicious and refreshing!
Sweetcorn
A lot of corn is usually brushed with soy sauce as it’s being cooked- just make sure no butter is used.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Japan during the festivities, make the most of it, take in the vibrant atmosphere, and enjoy the traditional music and dance, (taiko performances are my favourite) and you’ll now have a better idea of what you can eat as a vegan at an omatsuri!
Want to visit one of the best vegan restaurants in Tokyo? Visit ‘Komeda is’ for their amazing selection of vegan food! I always leave wanting to come back again ASAP!
Notes:
- Be aware that anything that contains sugar in Japan may use bone char to process it unless it states that it’s vegan.
