Sanja Matsuri

The other day, I went with a couple friends to the Sanja festival (or, matsuri) in Asakusa. It’s one of the three largest festivals in Tokyo, with (depending on the source) somewhere between hundreds of thousands and two million people attending. During this festival, people from the neighborhoods carry nearly a hundred mikashi - portable shrines carrying Shinto gods - throughout the neighborhoods of Asakusa to bless the businesses and residents.

The mikashi often appeared to be proceeded by people playing taiko and flutes.

Sometimes it was just adorable small children playing taiko.

They were followed by a man carrying a big banner like this one.

And then there were the dozens of mikashi. 

Some mikashi were carried by women only.

And some – hopefully the more durable ones – were carried by children.

They parade all over, occasionally giving the mikashi a “vehement” jolt in order to intensify the power of the shrine, and then eventually head through the gates and back to the Asakusa Shrine.

In the vicinity of the Sensoji Temple and Asakusa Shrine are festival booths with all sorts of food.  There’s hard candy coated fruit (at the Hello Kitty booth) and cotton candy packaged in bags with cartoon/anime figures on them. 

And bananas dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles and such.

And of course octopus and other savory/meat items.

We also ran across a couple lions at the festival.  I can’t find it now, but I think I read somewhere that it’s supposed to bring long life if they snap at your face.