JNTO FamTrip 2015: Shodoshima

In late September and early October, Unique Japan Tours joined a familiarization trip organised by the Japan National Tourist Organisation. The purpose of these trips is to introduce new, unique places in Japan to promote trips there. The familiarization trip (or "famtrip") we joined took us from Okayama and Kurashiki, down into Tokushima, to Shodoshima and finally to Himeji.

Of course, we knew most of these places already, and we've sent many of our clients to these places to. But we always want to learn more, look deeper and see what's new and exciting. Over the next few blog posts, we're going to explore the areas we visited, introduce them to you, and share some of our pictures.

Today is part three, where we spent the day on Shodoshima Island.

JNTO FamTrip 2015: Iya Valley & Tokushima

In late September and early October, Unique Japan Tours joined a familiarization trip organised by the Japan National Tourist Organisation. The purpose of these trips is to introduce new, unique places in Japan to promote trips there. The familiarization trip (or "famtrip") we joined took us from Okayama and Kurashiki, down into Tokushima, to Shodoshima and finally to Himeji.

Of course, we knew most of these places already, and we've sent many of our clients to these places to. But we always want to learn more, look deeper and see what's new and exciting. Over the next few blog posts, we're going to explore the areas we visited, introduce them to you, and share some of our pictures.

Today is part two, where we’ll talk about the Iya Valley and Tokushima.

JNTO FamTrip 2015: Okayama & Kurashiki

In late September and early October, Unique Japan Tours joined a familiarization trip organised by the Japan National Tourist Organisation. The purpose of these trips is to introduce new, unique places in Japan to promote trips there. The familiarization trip (or "famtrip") we joined took us from Okayama and Kurashiki, down into Tokushima, to Shodoshima and finally to Himeji.

Of course, we knew most of these places already, and we've sent many of our clients to these places to. But we always want to learn more, look deeper and see what's new and exciting. Over the next few blog posts, we're going to explore the areas we visited, introduce them to you, and share some of our pictures.

First up, Okayama and Kurashiki.

JNTO Familiarization Trip 2015

In late September and early October, Unique Japan Tours joined a familiarization trip organised by the Japan National Tourist Organisation. The purpose of these trips is to introduce new, unique places in Japan to promote trips there. The familiarization trip (or "famtrip") we joined took us from Okayama and Kurashiki, down into Tokushima, to Shodoshima and finally to Himeji. 

Of course, we knew most of these places already, and we've sent many of our clients to these places to. But we always want to learn more, look deeper and see what's new and exciting. Over the next few blog posts, we're going to explore the areas we visited, introduce them to you, and share our pictures.

Today, we're just going to give a brief overview of the tour. First off, we'd like to extend our sincerest thanks to the JNTO for organizing and inviting us on this FamTrip. It was a lovely trip, we enjoyed it, and most importantly, we learned a lot and can't wait to incorporate it into our tours!

Celebrating O-bon in style

Traditionally, Japanese people like to take their holidays on mass. One of the biggest holidays of the year is O-bon or the Festival of Bon, which normally falls around mid-August of each year.

A Japanese Buddhist custom held in honour the spirits of one’s ancestors, O-bon has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years. Lasting for around three days, it is customary for people to take time off from work to celebrate the festival. This is done by returning to your ancestral family place, and then visiting and cleaning your ancestors’ graves. During this time the spirits of the ancestors are believed to revisit the altars.

One of the most fun aspects of O-bon is its accompanying dance, Bon Odori.  Said to have began around the 15^th century as public entertainment, over the centuries its religious significance has faded into the background so that now the dance is associated with summer.

Each region in Japan will perform the dance slightly differently, creating its own distinctive regional twist. Usually what happens is that people – usually women wearing yukata (summer kimono) – will line up in a circle around a high wooden scaffold called a yagura especially made for the festival. The dancers will then proceed to move either clockwise or anti-clockwise around the yagura, or sometimes close to it and further away. Sometimes they sing while swinging their arms in the air – all of which is done in unison. Traditional Japanese music often plays in the background, which adds to the overall fun!

One of the biggest and most popular Bon Odori in the whole of Japan is the Tokushima Awa Odori that takes place on the island of Shikoku. Unique Japan Tours offers a trip to see the Awa Odori as part of its fabulous Lost in Japan Small Group Tour. However, please be careful if you do decide to go: You will be so excited that you won’t be able to stop yourself from joining in the festivities!!

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Japan’s festival season is off to a sizzling hot start

This is the time of the year where Japan braces itself for the upcoming summer temperatures and for another reason too – matsuri (festivals)!! Japan is the home to a whole smorgasbord of festivals that take place throughout the Japanese archipelago, each possessing its own distinctive history and tradition. But it is during the summer that some of the most exciting matsuri take place.

One of the most famous is Gion Matsuri, which is a month-long event  that takes place in July in Kyoto. The highlight of this celebration takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 17 when a parade of 32 floats make their way along the main streets of the city.  The floats are so colourfully ornate and exquisitely crafted by local craftsmen that they have been described as “floating art museums”. Sitting on top of these floats are children wearing traditional makeup and musicians playing a variety of instruments. As the procession slowly moves among the 3 kilometre route, you are sure to find a spot where you can gaze upon it in wonder.

For those of you who want to tap your feet and swing your arms in the air, you just have to go to the Awa Dance festival on the island of Shikoku. Japan’s largest dance festival, it attracts over 1.3 million tourists every year. While musicians play taiko drums, flutes, shamisen (lute) and kane (bell), groups of dancers and musicians called ren dance to highly choreographed pieces. Bedecked in traditional summer kimonos and distinctly local hats, the performers chant and swing as they make their way through the streets. You will be hard pressed to not join in!

Unique Japan Tours is running the Lost in Japan Tour that will travel to Shikoku for the Awa Dance Festival. The tour departs Osaka on August 10. Details can be found here: http://www.uniquejapantours.com/Small-Group-Tours/Lost-in-Japan

                                                                                                                            

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