Asakusa's 2023 Sanja Festival Is Almost Upon Us!

Today we're talking about Sanja Festival, also known as Sanja Matsuri (三社祭), or the festival of three shrines. It's a yearly event centered around Asakusa, known as perhaps the most traditional area of Tokyo, and many of the major festival events revolve around Asakusa Shrine - a Shinto shrine within the precincts of the Buddhist Sensoji Temple. For just a few days each year, as spring turns to summer, festival-goers can participate in traditions that have been going for hundreds of years, as Tokyo turns back to its Edo roots.

Asakusa Sanja Festival (三社祭)
Event Dates: May 19 ~ May 21, 2023
Location: Asakusa Shrine
Access: Asakusa Station
Official Website (jp)

Take a trip to see the Sanja Festival, and you'll get a good sense of all the fun of Japan's many summer festivals, without the miserable heat and humidity of mid-summer. It's a perfect chance to see a beautiful mikoshi procession, like those still carried out all around Japan, along with a more unique binzazara (traditional Japanese instrument) dance. So throw on a yukata and get out there, you won't find a more exciting way to spend a May weekend!

(Once you're in Asakusa, if you want another unique experience, go kitchen knife shopping at Tsubaya!)


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