Among many festivals held around Tokyo, Sanja Matsuri of Asakusa is one of the largest along with Kanda Myojin festival and Fukagawa Hachiman festival. The festival is dedicated to Asakusa shrine and held in mid-May every year. No less than a hundred portable shrines are carried through the streets by men and women sporting headbands and festival gear. Moreover, three main shrines (Sanja in Japanese) are shouldered by enormous people and go through the whole area of shrine parishioner. During the festival, the neighborhood is filled with extraordinarily robustious and high spirited atmosphere. |