OCT.10-12

COUNTING SHEEP

For an unusual back-country U.S. vacation next fall, choose the American West in general and the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho, held each October (Oct. 10-12 next year). The event encompasses not only the opportunity to watch skilled dogs herding sheep down from the mountain meadows (and along a Highway 75), but cooking workshops, storytelling about the sheep-ranching life, a parade, musical and dance troupes combining the cultures of the Scots, Poles, Basques and Peruvians who settled the area, guided walking tours and — of course — Idaho lamb to eat. www.trailingofthesheep.com; 208-720-0585.

JAN. 15

FIRE AND ICE

If winter travel to Japan is in your plans, one of the most talked-of destinations is the Dosojin Fire Festival, held in Nozawa Onsen on Jan. 15 every year for the last 134 years. This mountain village is in the Nagano region (known for its ski resorts). Men of the village erect a wooden shrine 15 feet high and act out an ages-old dramatic battle in which 42-year-olds perched atop the structure try to fend off 25-year-olds wielding burning brands. The two groups — well fortified by sake — are united by the fact that their ages are considered unlucky, and the ceremony courts good fortune for the year. www.snowjapan.com (or, if you read Japanese characters, www.nozawaonsen.com).

MARCH

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Nervous queen and court contestants are deep in preparation for the 56th annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Cherry Blossom season is from January — when contestants begin making appearances — to March 31when the pagaent and ball occurs at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. The festival is the oldest continuously running ethnic festival in Hawai'i. Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, 949-2255; www.cbfhawaii.com.