May, 2009
Kanda matsuri (Kanda Festival)
Witness the dashing Edokkos (true Tokyoites) carrying a mikoshi portable shrine. The Kanda Festival is one of Japan's three famous festivals along with the Gion Festival in Kyoto and the Tenjin Festival in Osaka. The Kanda district exemplifies the spirit of old Edo with activities and shops selling many things, traditional and modern. And the annual festivals of the Kanda Shrine (also known as Kanda Myojin) are scheduled depending on the year. One year they hold the large-scale honmatsuri festival with a splendid parade and then, the next year is the small-scale kagematsuri festival that is only ceremonial. This year, 2009, is the year of the honmatsuri festival and should not be missed.
- Scheduleļ¼
- Saturday, May 9th
Shinkosai (deity transport) At 8:00 am, a mikoshi (portable shrine) with the shrine deity leaves Kanda Shrine carried by Edokkos dressed in Heian-era (late 8th to late 12th century) layered kimono. All day long, the mikoshi is carried around the area including Kanda, Nihombashi, Akihabara, and Marunouchi. Along the way, they are joined by other mikoshi from smaller shrines and slowly become a magnificent parade consisting of several tens of thousands of people. - Sunday, May 10th
Mikoshi miyairi (deity's entering shrine) After parading throughout the district, about 80 mikoshi end their journey and enter the grounds of Kanda Shrine, building up to the climax of the festival. One of the exciting attractions during the day is mikoshifuri (shaking portable shrine) performed on Chuo-dori Street in Akihabara. Other events such as the Wadaiko Festival (dramatic synchronized Japanese drummers), Kanda Festival music, demonstrations of making soba (buckwheat) noodles, and hawking traditional festival products are attractive for tourists and local alike.
