MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan (2023) is a documentary web series in English. On New MovieLinkBD: full story, cast, ratings, season & episode guide, official trailer and where to watch MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan online in HD.
MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan — Storyline
Traditional festivals called matsuri are found all over Japan. In this series, we present diverse matsuri and the preparations leading up to them. Each matsuri presents a new face of local Japan.
Cast & Crew
MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan — Series Details
| First Air Date | 2023-02-23 |
| Seasons | 1 |
| Episodes | 20 |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Language | English |
| Network | NHK WORLD-JAPAN |
| Status | Ended |
MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan — Episode Guide
Season 1
- E1: Hyoge Matsuri: Kagawa-cho (2023-02-23) — Hyoge Festival takes place in Asano-chiku, in Kagawa-cho. This part of Japan, in Kagawa Prefecture, suffers from a lack of rainfall. The event originated as a way of giving thanks
- E2: Gojinjo Taiko: Nafune-machi (2023-02-23) — Gojinjo Taiko is a wild, powerful performance by masked drummers. It originated 400 years ago in the small coastal community of Nafune-machi in Ishikawa Prefecture. The story goes
- E3: Sawara Taisai: Sawara (2023-02-23) — Sawara Taisai consists of summer and autumn festivals that look back 300 years, to a time when Sawara, in Chiba Prefecture, was a vibrant cultural center. Large floats, featuring m
- E4: Yoshida Ryusei: Chichibu (2023-02-23) — Teams of local residents pour heart and soul into the construction of handmade rockets called ryusei that feature in the Yoshida Ryusei matsuri. The rockets carry local hopes and p
- E5: Kawanishi Dainenbutsu Kenbai: Hiraizumi (2023-02-23) — Kawanishi Dainenbutsu Kenbai is an elegant and dynamic dance, accompanied by flutes and taiko drums. In 2022, it was registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and it even
- E6: Gataine Odori: Omuta (2023-02-28) — Gataine Odori is a dance that depicts what happened generations ago in Omuta, a city in Fukuoka Prefecture. In the 19th century, an embankment was constructed as a barrier against
- E7: Onabare: Kami (2023-02-28) — The Onabare festival is a 300-year-old folk cultural property in Kami, Kochi Prefecture. A portable shrine is paraded through the streets, with dancing and other performances takin
- E8: Hiroshima Akitakata Kagura: Akitakata (2023-03-04) — Kagura, a form of votive music and dance, is a nationwide tradition with over a thousand years of history. While it is usually performed on a small stage on the grounds of a shrine
- E9: Taimatsu Akashi: Sukagawa (2023-03-04) — The origins of Taimatsu Akashi can be traced to a battle in 1589, when the castle in Sukagawa, now a city in Fukushima Prefecture, fell to a powerful warlord. Groups of local resid
- E10: Etchu Owara-Kaze-no-Bon: Yatsuo-machi (2023-03-05) — Etchu Owara-Kaze-no-Bon is a 300-year-old matsuri held in Yatsuo, Toyama Prefecture. Eleven neighborhoods choose their own routes, dances and parade styles, all of which feature el
- E11: Inami Shishimai: Inami-chiku, Nanto (2023-03-14) — Inami Shishimai is a type of lion dance performed in Toyama Prefecture. Here, the shishi symbolizes the harshness and bounty of the natural world, and the matsuri focuses on the im
- E12: Namahage: Oga (2023-03-18) — On New Year's Eve, performers dress as terrifying monsters called namahage. They barge into people's homes, condemning laziness and frightening children. But this good-natured trad
- E13: Oniyo: Kurume (2023-03-19) — In Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, the first week of the new year culminates in Oniyo: the night of the oni, or demon. Six giant torches, measuring 13 meters and weighing 1.2 tons, are
- E14: Onomichi Betcha Matsuri: Onomichi (2023-03-21) — Onomichi Betcha is a three-day festival in Hiroshima Prefecture. The deity of Onomichi's Ikkyu Shrine descends from a mountain, carried in a mikoshi and accompanied by three oni, o
- E15: Higashinada Danjiri: Kobe (2023-03-21) — Higashinada Danjiri involves a parade of floats, decorated with images of people, plants and animals. They're pulled by teams of veterans and ridden by energetic young performers t
- E16: Niihama Taiko Matsuri: Niihama (2023-03-21) — At the Niihama Taiko Matsuri in Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, teams of around 150 people carry taikodai: three-tonne parade floats housing a huge taiko drum. In a spectacular display
- E17: Saidaiji Eyo: Okayama (2023-03-21) — In Saidaiji Eyo, a matsuri in Okayama Prefecture, thousands of near-naked men endure icy water and the winter cold as they are purified at the temple. This is part of one of Japan'
- E18: Buzen Kagura Matsuri: Buzen (2023-03-21) — Every five years there's a major kagura event in Buzen, Fukuoka Prefecture, at which the gods are entertained with performances of music and dancing. 24 well-known pieces are prese
- E19: Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri: Hirosaki (2023-03-22) — Enormous floats called neputa paraded through the streets are the highlight of Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. The floats are decorated with vibrant images
- E20: Hibuse Matsuri: Kashima-ku, Minamisoma (2023-03-22) — A group of men use ladles to throw water over the buildings they pass at Hibuse Matsuri, the Fire Prevention Festival in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture. Temperatures are often be
Frequently Asked Questions
How many seasons does MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan have? 1 season(s) with 20 episodes.
Where can I watch MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan? See the Where to Watch section above for current streaming options.
