Festivals in Tokyo

Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa.

Tokyo holds many festivals (matsuri) throughout the year. Major festivals include the Sanno Festival at Hie Shrine, and the Sanja Festival at Asakusa Shrine. The Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo is held every two years in May. The festival features a parade with elaborately decorated floats and thousands of people. Annually on the last Saturday of July, an enormous fireworks display is held over the Sumida River and it attracts over 1 million viewers^{[citation needed]}. Once cherry blossoms, or sakura, bloom in spring, many residents gather in parks such as Ueno Park, Inokashira Park, and the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden for picnics under the cherry trees.

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Festival name	Location	Description	Time
Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri[1]	Bunkyō (Nezu Shrine)	Azalea festival	April to May
Fuji Matsuri	Kōtō (Kameido Tenjin Shrine)	Wisteria festival	April to May
Hinode Matsuri[2]	Ōme (Mitake Shrine)	Sunrise festival	May 8
Kachiya Festival[3]	Kōtō (Katori Shrine)	This festival commemorates Fujiwara Hidesato's prayer for victory before suppressing Taira no Masakado's revolt. The festival dates to Hidesato's offering of his bow and arrow to the shrine after his victory in battle. During the modern festival, there is a dedication of a kachiya (victory arrow) and a traditional warrior parade.	May 5
Kanda Matsuri[4]	Chiyoda (Kanda Myojin Shrine)	Kanda Matsuri is one of Tokyo's three major festivals that dates back to the Edo period. The festival's climax occurs when volunteer Kandakko carry 200 portable shrines in a vigorous parade toward the Kanda Myojin Shrine.	May
Tenno Matsuri[5]	Shinagawa (Shinagawa Shrine and Ebara Jinja Shrine)	Includes Kappa Matsuri ritual.	Early June
Kifune Matsuri	Ōta (Kifune Shrine)		Spring (between March and May)
Kurayami Matsuri	Fuchu (Okunitama Shrine)	Black night festival	Spring (between March and May)
Meiji Shrine Spring Festival	Shibuya (Meiji Shrine)		Spring (between March and May)
Osunafumi Taisai	Setagaya (Tamagawa Daishi Temple)	Walking-on-sand ritual	Spring (between March and May)
Sanja Matsuri	Taitō (Asakusa Shrine)	A festival honoring the three men that found a statue of Kannon which led to the founding of Sensō-ji in the Asakusa district. It is one of the three major festivals in Tokyo. Its notable for its extravagant parade of mikoshi, musicians and dancers.	Third weekend in May
Shishi Matsuri	Toshima (Nagasaki Shrine)	Lion dance festival	Spring (between March and May)
Takigi Noh	Minato (Zōjō-ji)	Open-air torchlight Noh performance	Spring (between March and May)
Yayoi Matsuri	Taitō (near Sensō-ji)	ceremony by the Edo Shobo Kinen-kai (Edo Civilian Fire Fighters' Association)	Spring (between March and May)
Koenji Awa Odori			Summer (between June and August)
Asakusa Samba Matsuri			Summer (between June and August)
Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival	Sumida River		Summer (between June and August)
Tokyo Bay Fireworks			Summer (between June and August)
Jingu Fireworks			Summer (between June and August)
Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri			Summer (between June and August)
Tokyo Jidai Matsuri	Asakusa	This festival celebrates the history of Tokyo and was first held in 1999. (It is not to be confused with Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri.)	November 3
Oeshiki	Ikegami Honmonji		October 11–13
Hatsumode	Meiji Shrine, Sensoji, and other major shrines and temples	New Year's Prayers	Winter (between December and February)
Dezome-shiki	Tokyo Big Sight	Fireman's Parade	Winter (between December and February)
Setsubun	Sensō-ji and other major temples		Winter (between December and February)
Honbasho (Grand Sumo Tournaments)	Ryōgoku Kokugikan		January, May, and September

See also

Tokyo portal

• Festivals in Nagoya

References

1. ^ Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri, Tokyo, Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri Festival, Celebrating Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri Festival in Tokyo, Tokyo Festivals & Events in the Month of April, Tokyo Festivals & Events, Events in Tokyo, Festivals in Tokyo
2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=0ZRwse7B95gC&pg=PA100&dq=%22Hinode+Matsuri%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=yVBRZUnBkNMgZiaHiz4LF4jr1LU
3. ^ Tokyo Tourism Info/www.kanko.metro.tokyo.jp
4. ^ Kanda Matsuri (Kanda Festival)
5. ^ Shinagawa-ku 1