Sanja Festival in Askusa, Tokyo

The importance of home to the people of the Asakusa districts in Tokyo was on display during the Sanja Matsuri Festival during our first days in Tokyo. Members of each district dress in traditional garb and parade shrines (mikoshi) through the streets. The mikoshi are elaborately decorated and hoisted upon the shoulders of dozens of men and women. They are boisterously carried through the streets to the Asakusa Shrine to receive blessings for the coming year.

Nearly two million people travel to watch the Shinto religious festival, which is designed to bring good fortune to local businesses and residents. Several times, our students found themselves in the midst of rowdy crowds that chanted and bounced to intensify the spirit of kami in their shrine. While none of us got swept away, several other bystanders eagerly joined the surge.

This video gives a brief glimpse of our experience during the three-day festival.