Sanja Matsuri, Asakusa

One day in one of the top three festivals in Tokyo

George Popescu May 24, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>There's many companies that sponsored the event, one of them has an English name, can you see it in the photo? </p>

<p>Many people of different ages, different looks and hairstyles were at the festival. </p>

<p>Some people loved being dressed in traditional wear and some just added some modern touches to the outfit. </p>

<p>The weather was hot, there wasn't much wind and the Sun was very bright, carrying a heavy burden in this weather would result in sweat for most people. </p>

<p>Everyone had different headgear off and many people had very close cropped haircuts, each person had different colors and designs on their headbands. </p>

<p>The view from in front of the temple, it was super crowded with thousands of people pushing against each other to get a better view. </p>

<p>This is the top part of the "mikoshi" or small shrine that's being carried around by the people involved in the festival. </p>

<p>A close up shot of the intricate design of the top of the "mikoshi" and what looks like a small dragon. </p>

<p>The children are also involved in the festival and they have their own small version of a "mikoshi" that they carry around. </p>

<p>The area was very dusty and the "mikoshi" are relatively heavy so depending on where you are you may be having a hard time carrying them on your shoulder. </p>

<p>These people were walking towards me, they didn't pose for the photo but it sure looks like it. </p>

<p>This is a statue at the back of the temple in Asakusa, it represents Danjuro Ichikawa which was a famous Kabuki actor.</p>

<p>Being in the middle of the action means you can see everything that's going on, including tasting the dust and the sweat in the air. </p>

<p>This is a view of the temple showing people walking around after the festival was over, it helped that the weather was hot and the sky was beautiful. </p>

<p>The festival spilled onto the road as the "mikoshi" were traveling back home. While they were on the road the normal life was going on, including cars and rickshaws. </p>

Sanja Matsuri is an exciting festival in which people carry "mikoshi" or portable shrines to bring good luck to their businesses. During the festival the area around Asakusa's Sensoji Temple is filled with hundreds of people. There are drums and people playing the flute as well as people yelling from time to time. The other significant part of interest is the amount of different food stalls where you can purchase many different foods, desserts and drinks of course. The weather was very hot this year, so the people involved in the festival were caked in sweat and dust.

More info

Find out more about Sensoji Temple.

George Popescu @george.popescu

I was born in Bucharest, Romania and after a brief stay in London, England I settled and lived in Toronto, Canada for 20 years. I moved to Tokyo in late 2013 and have lived here ever since. I enjoy exploring the city with my camera as well as going to many special events that Tokyo has to offer e...