Every summer, the mountains of Wakayama host the Nachi Fire Festival (Nachi-no-Ogi Matsuri), one of Japan’s most awe-inspiring spiritual events. Held at Kumano Nachi Taisha, near the coastal town of Nachi-Katsuura, the festival transforms the shrine grounds into a spectacle of fire and devotion.

One of Japan’s three major fire festivals, this centuries-old Shinto ritual combines towering flames, sacred traditions and spectacular scenery, revealing the Kii Peninsula’s deep-rooted connection to nature worship.

Nachi Fire Festival

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The Nachi Fire Festival marks the annual grand festival (Reitaisai) of Kumano Nachi Taisha, the head shrine that stands before Nachi Falls. In Shinto belief, water is the source of all creation. Here, worshippers revere the 133-meter waterfall as a living embodiment of the divine.

According to legend, Emperor Jimmu was the first to recognize the waterfall’s sacred nature. Later, in 317 CE, a permanent shrine pavilion was built halfway up Mount Nachi. The modern Ogi Matsuri commemorates this founding. During the ritual, the 12 deities of Kumano are temporarily returned to Hiro Shrine. At the base of the falls, prayers are offered for renewal, abundant harvests and the well-being of the local community.

Kumano Nachi Taisha is one of the three sacred shrines that make up the Kumano Sanzan. Visitors from across Japan and around the world come to experience this UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage destination, drawn by its spiritual significance, historic walking trails and iconic waterfall views.

Festival Activities

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The festival begins with the Nachi Dengaku dance, a sacred performance dating back to 1403. Recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, the rhythmic dance honors local deities before the main purification ritual. Only those who practice the Dengaku tradition can handle the sacred objects used throughout the ceremony.

The day’s most dramatic spectacle features twelve colossal flaming pine torches (O-taimatsu). Crafted from cypress, each weighs up to 50 kilograms. The torches, carried by men in white robes, descend the shrine’s ancient stone steps. Their intense heat and shower of embers purify the route for the Ogi Mikoshi, both physically and spiritually.

The portable shrines have bronze mirrors, cedar ornaments and folding fans with crimson sun discs. Their distinctive vertical design evokes the cascading waters of Nachi Falls. Against the backdrop of roaring flames, the procession is one of Japan’s most exhilarating expressions of Shinto tradition.

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Every July 13 to 16, thousands of glowing lanterns illuminate the grounds of Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine for the Mitama Festival. Established in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II, this is one of the city’s largest Obon celebrations, a traditional period when Japanese families honor the spirits of their ancestors. Derived from the Japanese word mitama (honored spirit or soul), the festival blends solemn religious remembrance with the energetic atmosphere of a summer matsuri (festival).

Mitama Festival

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Founded in 1869, Yasukuni Shrine commemorates over 2.4 million people who died in service to Japan, primarily during World War II.

As all of Japan’s war dead (including convicted war criminals) are enshrined here, the location remains one of the most politically sensitive and controversial sites in East Asia. Consequently, the festival exists in a unique cultural space: a site of deep national mourning and geopolitical tension, yet also a joyous community gathering that draws thousands of visitors.

The festival’s defining feature is its visual tribute to the deceased. More than 30,000 yellow lanterns line the shrine’s massive approach, acting as symbolic beacons to guide the spirits back to the living world. While citizens and local businesses donate the smaller lanterns, public figures, celebrities and athletes contribute larger lanterns adorned with custom artwork and calligraphy. Although events take place throughout the day, most visitors arrive after sunset to see the shrine grounds illuminated by thousands of lanterns. 

Festival Activities

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The Mitama Festival combines religious observances with many of the traditions associated with a Japanese summer matsuri. While ceremonies take place inside the shrine, the grounds are full of food stalls, folk dancing and cultural performances.

Each evening, Shinto priests conduct ceremonies at the main sanctuary to honor the enshrined spirits. Outside, visitors can browse rows of yatai (festival food stalls), watch performances and join Bon Odori dances.

On the first day, a Nebuta float from Aomori Prefecture (associated with the Nebuta Festival) appears alongside an Awa Odori dance procession from Tokushima. The second day of the festival features traditional performances on the outdoor Noh stage, followed by a mikoshi (portable shrine) procession through the grounds. Finally, the festival concludes with a Kagura performance, a sacred Shinto dance featuring stories drawn from Japanese mythology.

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Escape to a serene temple away from the relentless crowds in Kyoto at Konchi-in Temple. As a sub-temple of the larger and more popular Nanzenji, it was founded in the early 15th century and relocated from Fushimi Momoyama Castle to its current location around 1605. The temple daimyo monk Ishin Suden (1569-1633) was a powerful advisor to Shoguns Ieyasu Tokugawa and Hidetaka Tokugawa. Consequently, he wielded profound sway over other temples and shrines.

Crane and Turtle Garden

Photo by: Alma Reyes

The distinguished tea master, painter, and garden curator Enshu Kobori (1579-1647) designed the famous garden in 1632. You can survey the expansive karesansui (dry landscape garden) from the engawa (veranda) of the Hojo main building. The sweep of white sand dominates the foreground, symbolizing an open sea. At the center, a rectangular rock is dedicated to Toshogu Shrine. The Turtle Island symbolizes resilience, perseverance and longevity, while the Crane Island on the far right elicits peace, happiness and good fortune. Between the islands, a triad rock arrangement, “Sanzon,” depicts Mount Horai on a cliff. The surrounding stones mirror “islands of immortals,” and a cluster of pruned trees emphasizes the depth of a mountain valley. The garden is a designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty by the Japanese government.

Benten Pond

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Adjacent to the landscape garden, floating water lilies fill an enchanting pond. The small Benten Shrine honors the goddess of water, wealth, wisdom and music. A lush waterfall cascades from behind the pond and flows through the Crane and Turtle Garden. The scenic backdrop reflects the profound elements of Zen and Shinto traditions.

Main Abbott’s Building

This large hall, designated an Important Cultural Property, showcases the elegant aspects of traditional Zen architecture. Visitors can admire the highly esteemed “fusuma” sliding-door paintings by the Kano School, as well as the stunning “Monkeys Reaching for the Moon” and “Old Pine Tree” masterpieces by Tohaku Hasegawa inside the “Hasso-seki” (Eight-Window Tea Room). A guide provides a thorough history and description of the building and temple grounds. 

Toshogu Shrine

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From the rock garden, a wooded path leads to Toshogu Shrine. The shrine serves as a mausoleum for Ieyasu Tokugawa. Inside, you can spot his encased hair, the famous “Roaring Dragon” ceiling painting by Kano Tan’yu, and the gold portraits of the “Thirty-Six Immortal Poets” by Mitsuoki Tosa. The garden behind the shrine features additional halls and various flowering trees, particularly hydrangeas, which create a spectacular sight during the blooming season.

Fukui Prefecture is home to the cliffs of Tojinbo, Zen temples and Maruoka Castle. The prefecture is also referred to as Japan’s dinosaur kingdom, thanks to the many fossils discovered here. Beyond the scenery, Fukui serves up dishes shaped by icy ocean currents and fertile mountain valleys. Here are five famous foods you’ll find in Fukui.

1. Echizen Crab

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No food defines winter in Fukui quite like Echizen crab, one of Japan’s most prestigious snow crab varieties. Caught off the rugged Echizen Coast between November and March, these prized crabs have a dense yet sweet flavor. To protect the brand’s reputation, local fisheries attach a distinctive yellow tag to every certified male crab. Across Fukui, inns and seafood restaurants prepare Echizen crab in a variety of ways, from sashimi to hotpots.

2. Fukui Sake

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If you want to experience the flavors of Fukui in a glass, sake brands across the region deliver exactly that. Heavy winter snowfall around Mount Hakusan filters underground and supplies local breweries with exceptionally clean, mineral-rich water. Combined with local Gohyakumangoku sake rice, historic breweries in areas like Eiheiji and Ono craft a regional style celebrated for its crisp, dry profile and smooth finish. World-class local brands like Kokuryu and Born produce sake designed to pair perfectly with the rich umami of winter delicacies like Echizen crab.

3. Habutae Mochi

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Originally inspired by Fukui’s historic silk industry, this mochi takes its name from habutae, a smooth silk fabric once produced throughout the prefecture. The sweet combines glutinous rice flour, sugar and syrup to create an exceptionally soft, silky texture that almost melts in your mouth. Visitors can find it everywhere from souvenir shops around Fukui Station to long-running confectionery stores and cafes serving modern versions topped with seasonal fruit, whipped cream, or ice cream. Popular flavors range from the classic plain mochi to matcha, strawberry and chestnut fillings.

4. Volga Rice

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Volga rice is arguably one of Fukui’s best Japanese-Western comfort foods. Popular in Echizen City, this dish layers fried rice beneath a thin omelet, then tops it with a crispy, breaded pork cutlet and a rich demi-glace sauce made from beef stock and red wine. While it shares similarities with classic omurice, the addition of tonkatsu and the heavier sauce make it a far more indulgent meal. Restaurants across Fukui often put their own spin on the dish, adding toppings like seafood, cheese or creamy sauces.

5. Echizen Oroshi Soba

Photo by: PIXTA/ ささざわ

This Fukui specialty features thick buckwheat noodles with a firm, chewy texture and a stronger, earthier flavor than most soba varieties. The dish dates back to the 1470s, when buckwheat became an important, quick-growing crop in the region. Today, many shops still stone-grind the buckwheat whole before serving the noodles in a light soy-based broth with grated daikon radish, green onions and bonito flakes. You can find Echizen oroshi soba in everything from small family-run noodle shops to larger, long-established soba restaurants.

What did you think of our five famous foods you’ll find in Fukui roundup? Check out our Famous Foods in Japan series for the top dishes from across the country.

According to ANA, the framework establishes journalism ethics as the foundation of the organization's operations rather than simply a voluntary code of professional conduct. It aims to ensure that news reporting remains truthful, fair, transparent, and independent while safeguarding the integrity of the journalistic process.

The standards are modeled after widely recognized principles of professional journalism, including the philosophy embodied in the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics. Central to the framework is the obligation to seek truth through careful verification of facts, accurate sourcing, proper attribution, and clear distinctions between factual reporting, opinion, advertising, and advocacy.

The organization also places strong emphasis on accountability by requiring journalists to acknowledge and correct errors promptly while maintaining transparency throughout the reporting process.

Beyond factual accuracy, the editorial framework highlights the importance of balancing the public's right to know with respect for human dignity. Journalists are encouraged to exercise heightened sensitivity when covering children, victims of crime, grieving families, elderly individuals, and marginalized communities, while recognizing the privacy rights of private citizens unless an overriding public interest exists.

The guidelines also provide standards for reporting on religious institutions, cultural traditions, and indigenous communities. Reporters are encouraged to accurately present cultural and religious contexts, observe appropriate local customs, and maintain editorial independence without promoting any particular ideology or belief system.

ANA said the framework draws inspiration from several longstanding traditions of ethical thought and responsible communication. These include the principle of presenting opposing viewpoints fairly before drawing conclusions, communication models emphasizing discernment and respect for individuals, internationally recognized concepts of media responsibility, and ethical perspectives that view journalism as a public vocation carrying significant moral responsibility.

The editorial policy further identifies several foundational principles that will shape decision-making throughout the ANA network.

Among these are recognizing the inherent dignity of every person above audience metrics, rejecting disinformation and propaganda, presenting complete context rather than selective narratives, promoting journalism that contributes to peace and mutual understanding, and resisting political, commercial, or ideological pressures that may compromise editorial independence.

ANA has also adopted three overarching standards that will guide its editorial direction across all affiliated publications:

• Public Trust Integrity — maintaining credibility through accuracy, transparency, fairness, and accountability.
• The Common Good — ensuring journalism advances informed public discourse and serves society's broader interests.
• Journalism of Peace — encouraging reporting that promotes dialogue, understanding, and responsible public conversation instead of division, hatred, or conflict.

The organization said these principles will be applied throughout its global media network as it continues to expand partnerships with news organizations, universities, student journalists, and media professionals in multiple countries.

ANA believes that while technology will continue to transform the way news is gathered and distributed, the enduring values of truth, integrity, fairness, and public service will remain the defining standards of responsible journalism.

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The World Cosplay Summit (WCS) in Nagoya is one of the world’s largest international cosplay festivals. This event brings together cosplayers and anime, manga and video game fans from around the globe. In 2003, TV Aichi created the event to highlight growing interest in popular Japanese culture. The first event had only five international cosplayers attend but has grown to nearly 250,000 visitors, including attendees from over 40 countries. The main events are held at Nagoya’s Oasis 21.

World Cosplay Championship

Photo by: World Cosplay Summit

One of the key features of the event is the World Cosplay Championship. This is an international competition in which teams representing their countries hold performances based on Japanese anime or video game characters. 

The championship began in 2005 and has become the centerpiece of the festival. Competitors are judged on craftsmanship, creativity, accuracy, and stage performance. Beyond the competition, WCS offers stage shows, photo opportunities, workshops, exhibitions, concerts, guest appearances, and fan events. 

The World Cosplay Summit Parade

Photo by: World Cosplay Summit

The summit also has a parade. Here, cosplayers start their march around Osu Kannon Temple and go through the Osu Shopping District. Approximately 1,000 cosplayers participated in previous parades.

From its humble beginnings in 2003 to an event attracting more than a quarter of a million visitors and participants from over 40 countries, WCS has become a symbol of the worldwide influence of Japanese pop culture and the creativity of cosplay communities.

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Hidden in Wakayama Prefecture, Kamikura Shrine is one of Japan’s most powerful spiritual sites. Unlike large shrines with grand buildings, this sacred site feels simple and ancient. It is believed to be the place where the gods of Kumano first descended to earth, making it the birthplace of the Kumano faith. The shrine is part of the UNESCO-listed Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes. It continues to attract travelers, pilgrims, and nature lovers from around the world.

Climbing the 538 Stone Steps

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To get to Kamikura Shrine, you have to climb a steep mountain with about 538 rough stone steps. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of Japan, donated it during the Kamakura period. This staircase is both beautiful and difficult. It usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes to climb this staircase.

As visitors slowly ascend, the atmosphere becomes quieter and more spiritual. Surrounded by trees and stone walls, the path feels timeless, almost unchanged from centuries ago.

The Sacred Gotobiki Rock

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At the top of the mountain is a huge sacred rock called Gotobiki-iwa. It is the main center of worship at this Kamikura temple. The name Gotobiki means “frog” in the local language, as the rock resembles a giant frog. This ancient rock rises high above the small temple, leaving visitors amazed.

Ancient people believed that gods lived within this rock, and it remains a symbol of nature worship in Japan to this day. According to Japanese mythology, this is also the site associated with Emperor Jimmu’s eastern expedition. The simple yet powerful setting gives visitors a rare chance to experience the roots of Shinto belief in its purest form.

Oto Festival

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Visitors who make the climb can enjoy one of the finest views in Shingu. From the open area near the shrine, visitors can see the city below, the Kumano River, and the wide blue waters of the Kumano Sea. Sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful, filling the landscape with warm golden light.

Kamikura Shrine hosts its annual Oto Festival on February 6. During this ancient fire festival, thousands of men dressed in white robes carry flaming torches and race down the steep stone steps in the darkness. The fiery procession is one of Japan’s most popular traditional festivals.

A visit to Kamikura Shrine is more than sightseeing. It is a chance to feel the deep connection between nature, history and spirituality that has shaped the Kumano faith for over a thousand years.