Gakuensai, also called bunkasai or gakusai is a Japanese School Festival that is held annually in the fall at most schools in Japan from junior high to university.

August in Japan is all about fireworks festivals. The largest festivals can have up to 42,000 fireworks attracting more than 1,390,000 spectators.

Food at Japanese barbeques is a bit different from what you may be familiar with. It is more of a grill than a barbeque since many of the ingredients are cut into small pieces to be grilled quickly on charcoal.

Japanese New Year, shogatsu, one of the most important holidays in Japan, is from January 1st to the 3rd during which many special dishes are prepared.

Tsukimi, or moon viewing, is a longstanding tradition that began among the royal court elites who would gather beneath the full moon to write poems and drink sake.

Typical dishes that are sold at yatai are fried noodles (yakisoba), octopus balls (takoyaki), pan-fried batter cake (okonomiyaki), broiled whole squid (ikayaki), grilled chicken skewers (yakitori), hot pot (oden), grilled corn, and sausages.

Osechi ryori is special food that is cooked to celebrate the New Year in Japan. It consists of numerous dishes eaten throughout the New Year’s holidays until about January 3rd.