Izu Culture

Anjinsai – A Local Izu Festival

The Anjinsai Festival in Ito, Shizuoka, is a captivating local festival on the Izu peninsula that draws locals and tourists alike to experience a fusion of traditional customs and exhilarating festivities. Known for its breathtaking fireworks display, energetic yosakoi dances, thrilling taiko competition, and lively outdoor Wakuwaku-ichi market and beer garden at Fuji no Hiroba, the Anjinsai Festival is a true celebration of the rich cultural heritage and lively spirit of Ito.

Visit a Japanese Village

Everything about Japanese culture can be traced back to its rural villages. Japanese language, behavior, rituals, and diet can be traced back to a small village tucked away in a remote mountain valley.

How can that be? Let’s look at one lesson from language.

One of the first words a foreigner learns when studying Japanese is “gaijin,” 外人 which means ‘outsider.’ The more polite and socially accepted version of this word is “gaikokujin,” 外国人 which means ‘person from a foreign country.’ The word “gaijin” is strongly connected to the important concepts of “uchi” 内 and “soto” 外 in Japanese.