The Koenji Awa Odori (阿波踊り) Dance is one of the major summer event held in Tokyo. This year marked the sixtieth edition and over 10,000 dancers spared no effort to entertain over 1 million visitors in spite of the rain.

Everyone knows that the Japanese absolutely love events and festivities. They also have a strong taste for disguise the famous "Cosplay". It is therefore easy to guess that any opportunity to join the two will inevitably be greeted with great enthusiasm, even if the origin event is not Japanese. This is obviously the case of Halloween, which is a major event for young Japanese each year. The place to be on that day is definitely Center Gai (センター街), the most popular street in Shibuya for adolescents and young adults in search of shopping articles and sensations.

Most people with an interest in Japan are aware that the summer season is one of many matsuri (festivals) which are often accompanied with copious amounts of music playing, dancing, eating, and drinking. Although the Harajuku Omotesando Genki Matsuri festival is one of the largest dance festival organized in Tokyo during that season, what makes it truly special is the actual type of dancing that is being performed, the Yosakoi. Compared to other traditional summer dances, the origin of Yosakoi is a lot more recent and it is therefore a lot more influenced by pop culture. What better place to organize Japan's most important Yosakoi festival than in the center of youth and fashion, the district of Harajuku? Let's explore the whole Yosakoi in more details!

This morning, a very special atmosphere can be felt along the short path that leads me to the subway station Yotsuya. The salary-men and women don’t have the nose on their mobile phones as usual, but for once, they look towards the heavens. The reason for this unusual, almost alarming behavior (especially for a company so devoted to his routine), is obviously the fact that this morning, we are all expecting a very particular celestial phenomenon: an annular solar eclipse. All televisions have warned us and we are ready to witness it. We bought goggles and we look forward to 7:34 am.

Sunday, May 20th was the fifteenth and final day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament held annually in Tokyo at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. This year, the Mongolian Kyokutenho, at the advanced age of 37 years, made an incredible to win against his younger opponent and favorite Tochiozan. A rare occurrence in this world of codes and strict restraint, tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of the giant who emerged victorious. Let’s review this special day in images and video.

Every year in Japan, the blossoming of the Sakura, the Japanese cherry trees, marks a sort of rebirth after the harsh winter months. This event is probably one of the most important in the Japanese calendar and people never fail to gather among family or friends, in order to admire the delicate white and pink flowers and of course, to enjoy some yakitori with a rather large sip of sake. This year, more than any other, this feeling of renewal is palpable everywhere. Last year, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and the nuclear disaster that they caused, had greatly undermined the festivities but one year later, people are now ready once again to enjoy the small pleasures of life such as Hanami. After a year of mourning and restrain, it is now considered alright to go out and elect in an innocent hedonism.

The Tokyo Koenji Awaodori is one of the largest Awaodori summer dance festivals and it is usually held on the last Saturday and Sunday of the month of August. Each year, almost 200 groups (ren, 連) gathering over 10,000 dancers perform in the streets of Koenji the traditional Awa dance to the sound of flutes, drums and bells. The performers travel through nine routes departing from Koenji JR Train Station.