Introduction

Festivals in Japan offer an opportunity for people to step away from their daily lives into an extraordinary event. These festivals are different and in some cases weird. Those that are particularly different to those held in other regions are known as kisai (lit. "strange festivals"). There are some that, although may seem normal to Japanese people, are entirely strange for foreigners. In fact, festivals listed here under the Traditional Events category may seem unusual to those from overseas. Here we outline a few that are unusual even to Japanese people. Festivals like these are an excellent way to see a different side of Japan.