Festivals are a key part to understanding Japanese culture experiences and immortalizing them with photography is a rewarding and memorable experience. In Tokyo, there are Three Big Tokyo Festivals that if you witness and photograph, you will be one of the elite that has done so. Many of the native Japanese have not attended much less participated in a Japan Photo Tour to capture these awe-inspiring spectacles.
The first of the three is the Sanno Matsuri which begins at Hie Shrine. The shrine is thought to actually predate the founding of the city to Tokyo. Of course, the shrine represents a photo op all by itself. The shrine holds the guardian deity of Tokyo, and during the Edo Period, the shrine became associated with the Tokugawa family, and the shrine with the festival became synonymous with the nation’s new political center. The most important and photogenic elements of this street festival are the three portable shrines called mikoshi and the three Shinto gods that are carried around the city.
The second festival, the Sanja Matsuri, is held in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, usually late in May. The festival is associated with one of the most well photographed temples in Tokyo, Sensoji Temple with its enormous lantern marking the entry way into the inner shopping arcade and, ultimately, the temple grounds. The festival features approximately one hundred portable shrines, but your Japan Dreamscapes (JDS) photo tour leader knows when the three large mikoshi appear and will help you get in the best location to make the most of your matsuri adventure. Shutter chances abound as the festival begins with a procession of geisha, priests, and local public officials. Being true to the Edo origins of the parade, many musicians and dancers wearing Edo Period costumes also join the parade. You will be standing so close you will think you’ve time traveled as you take photo after photo of this amazing event.
The final of the big three festivals is so elite that it only takes place once every three years! Guess what? You’re in luck! The next full performance of this festival will be in 2019, so make your reservation now to make sure you can count yourself as one of the few international visitors that has seen this breathtaking festival. This festival boasts a 2-ton portable shrine that takes countless men and women to carry through the festival route. Purifying water is ceremoniously poured over the group in charge of the carrying the shrine, but your JDS photo workshop leader will have you properly geared up and ready to move in unison with the parade and see every droplet of purified water frozen in time with your camera as you document this rare Tokyo festival experience. It is rare to have unimpeded access to this festival, but you could if you join the tour!