September 2, 2026 is Your Chance to See the Colorful Procession of Ships at the MIFUNE MATSURI (御船祭)- Held Once Every Twelve Years In and On the Waters Around the Kashima Grand Shrine (in Kashima)

By Avi Landau For at least 1,300 years ( and some believe as long as 1,700 years) the Kashima Grand Shrine (Kashima Jingu) has been one of the most important spiritual sites in Japan. Established near what was once the entrance to a river leadiing into a brackish water “inland sea” (now Lake Kasumigaura), which had provided convenient… Read More September 2, 2026 is Your Chance to See the Colorful…