Japanese for Describing Festival Events: Saying 'We have a tomato festival'
Learn to describe festivals in Japanese by focusing on events: use ga arimasu and o shimasu to say what happens at a matsuri, and ask others about their local celebrations.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Japanese has several ways to say that a place 'has' a festival, and the choice depends on whether you mean the festival exists, your town holds it, or people do a specific activity. In this lesson you will learn the core patterns for describing events: matsuri ga arimasu (there is a festival), matsuri o shimasu (we hold a festival), and event-specific verbs like tomato o nagemasu (we throw tomatoes). You will also practise asking and answering questions about local festivals, so you can explain a custom from your own country in natural, intermediate-level Japanese.
By the end, you can…
- say that a festival or event exists or is held in a place using ga arimasu and o shimasu.
- describe a specific festival activity with a verb phrase such as tomato o nagemasu.
- ask someone about festivals in their town and reply with details about timing and location.
- use counters and time expressions like hachigatsu ni and toshi ni ichido naturally in festival descriptions.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私たちの町では、毎年トマト祭りがあります。
In our town, there is a tomato festival every year.
Watashitachi no machi de wa, maitoshi tomato matsuri ga arimasu.
Use ga arimasu to state that a festival exists or takes place. De wa marks the location as the topic.
町の人たちは、祭りでトマトを投げます。
The townspeople throw tomatoes at the festival.
Machi no hitotachi wa, matsuri de tomato o nagemasu.
Use o nagemasu for the specific action. De marks the event where the action happens.
この祭りは、毎年八月に行われます。
This festival is held every year in August.
Kono matsuri wa, maitoshi hachigatsu ni okonawaremasu.
Okonawaremasu is a polite passive form often used for public events. Ni marks the time.
祭りでは、どんなことをしますか。
What kind of things do you do at the festival?
Matsuri de wa, donna koto o shimasu ka.
A natural way to ask about festival activities. Donna koto means 'what kind of things'.
トマトを投げるのは、とても楽しいです。
Throwing tomatoes is a lot of fun.
Tomato o nageru no wa, totemo tanoshii desu.
Verb + no wa turns an action into a topic. Useful for giving opinions about an event.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern [place] de wa [event] ga arimasu states that an event exists or is held in a place. For example, kono machi de wa natsu matsuri ga arimasu means 'In this town, there is a summer festival.' If you want to say that people actively hold the festival, use [people] wa [event] o shimasu: machi no hitotachi wa matsuri o shimasu, 'The townspeople hold a festival.' For a specific activity, replace shimasu with a concrete verb: tomato o nagemasu, 'we throw tomatoes.' Note that Japanese nouns do not change for number, so tomato can mean one tomato or many; context and counters make the quantity clear.
When to use it
Use ga arimasu when you are introducing or announcing an event, especially the first time you mention it: raigetsu, matsuri ga arimasu, 'There is a festival next month.' Use o shimasu when you focus on the organisers or participants: watashitachi wa toshi ni ichido matsuri o shimasu, 'We hold a festival once a year.' Use okonawaremasu in written notices or polite explanations, as in matsuri wa hachigatsu ni okonawaremasu. In casual conversation, shimasu is more common than okonawaremasu. To ask about someone else's festival, say matsuri de wa nani o shimasu ka, 'What do you do at the festival?'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
あなたの町では、どんな祭りがありますか。
What kind of festivals are there in your town?Anata no machi de wa, donna matsuri ga arimasu ka.私の町では、毎年トマト祭りがあります。八月に行われます。
In my town, there is a tomato festival every year. It is held in August.Watashi no machi de wa, maitoshi tomato matsuri ga arimasu. Hachigatsu ni okonawaremasu.へえ、面白いですね。祭りでは何をしますか。
Wow, that's interesting. What do you do at the festival?Hee, omoshiroi desu ne. Matsuri de wa nani o shimasu ka.町の人たちがトラックの上からトマトを投げます。とても楽しいですよ。
The townspeople throw tomatoes from the top of trucks. It's a lot of fun.Machi no hitotachi ga torakku no ue kara tomato o nagemasu. Totemo tanoshii desu yo.A little context goes a long way
Japanese festivals, matsuri, are often tied to a shrine or a local community group, and many are held annually on fixed dates. When you describe a foreign festival, Japanese listeners may expect a connection to a place, a season, and a group of people, so including expressions like watashitachi no machi de wa and maitoshi helps your description sound natural. Avoid saying 'we have' with a literal possessive; use ga arimasu or o shimasu instead.
One thing to watch for
Saying トマト祭りを持っています (tomato matsuri o motte imasu) to mean 'we have a tomato festival'.
Try this instead: Motte imasu means 'we possess or are holding an object', not 'we hold an event'. For events, use ga arimasu or o shimasu: 私たちの町ではトマト祭りがあります (watashitachi no machi de wa tomato matsuri ga arimasu) or トマト祭りをします (tomato matsuri o shimasu).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'There is a festival in my town every year' in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
私の町では、毎年祭りがあります。 (Watashi no machi de wa, maitoshi matsuri ga arimasu.)
This uses the location-topic pattern de wa with ga arimasu to state that the festival exists. You could also say 毎年祭りが行われます (maitoshi matsuri ga okonawaremasu) in a more formal style.
2Translate into Japanese: 'At the festival, people throw tomatoes.'
Show a sample answer
祭りでは、人々がトマトを投げます。 (Matsuri de wa, hitobito ga tomato o nagemasu.)
De wa marks the festival as the setting, ga marks the people as the subject, and o nagemasu is the action. 町の人たち (machi no hitotachi) is also a natural alternative to 人々.
3Ask a friend what they do at their local festival.
Show a sample answer
あなたの町の祭りでは、何をしますか。 (Anata no machi no matsuri de wa, nani o shimasu ka.)
This question uses nani o shimasu ka to ask about activities. You can also ask どんなことをしますか (donna koto o shimasu ka) for a softer, more open question.
To describe a festival in Japanese, start with [place] de wa [event] ga arimasu to introduce it, then use [people] wa [activity] o shimasu or a specific verb like nagemasu to explain what happens. Avoid motte imasu for events.
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