Misty winter scenes

Here’s a selection of our favourite mysterious, misty winter scenes from our photo archive.

Hochkar ski resort near Goestling an der Ybbs, Mostviertel, Must Quarter, Austria (Robert Harding/Martin Siepmann)

Sanja Matsuri

Sanja Matsuri is a wild and wonderful Shinto festival in which ornate shrines called Mikoshi are carried through the streets of Tokyo surrounded by enthusiastic crowds of over a million locals and tourists.

Sanja Matsuri Festival, next to Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo (age fotostock/Robert Harding)

Cherry blossom parties

During spring, people gather all over Japan to have picnics and gatherings under the cherry blossom, a custom called Hanami. Symbolising the fleeting nature of life, it is said to date back more than a thousand years, to when aristocrats wrote poems inspired by the flowers.

Cherry blossom and the Matsuyama Castle, Shikoku, Japan (Michael Runkel/Robert Harding)

Setsubun

Setsubun means ‘Bean-Throwing Festival’, and is held the day before the beginning of spring in Japan, in association with the Lunar New Year. It is seen as a ritual to drive away evil spirits for the year to come.

A geisha at the Setsubun at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto’s Gion district. The geishas perform a dance before throwing lucky beans into the crowd (photos by age fotostock/ Robert Harding)

Snow monkeys

Snow monkeys (also known as Japanese macaques) are a species of monkey from Japan, that live in areas where snow falls each winter. No other primates in the world, apart from humans, live further north.

They are strangely human, bathing in hot springs and sometimes rolling snowballs for fun. They have even been known to develop distinct accents.

Tori-No-Ichi

Tori-No-Ichi is a traditional festival held on Japan on various days in November (known as days of the rooster). Festival goers visit ornate Otori shrines to wish for good luck and prosperity in their business pursuits. Many buy lucky rakes or kumade adorned with charms and trinkets, hoping to rake in more wealth.

Decorative good luck rakes for sale at the Tori-No-Ichi Festival, Tokyo:

Eurasia/Robert Harding

Jidai Matsuri Festival

A photographic tour

The Jidai Matsuri, or Festival of Ages, is a spectacular celebration of Japan’s history that takes place in Kyoto and Tokyo every 22^nd October. Participants dress up in beautifully made costumes from different epochs, including famous historical figures from feudal times, and parade through the city.

Here are some of our favourite photos of the festival, from our photo archive. Enjoy!

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

age fotostock/Robert Harding

Eurasia/Robert Harding

See more photos of Jidai Matsuri here