The shape of it
About
The June festival of 1,300-year-old Torigoe Shrine near Kuramae, famous for the Sengan Mikoshi — at around 4 tons, said to be the heaviest single portable shrine in Tokyo. The climax is the night festival, when the giant lantern-lit shrine is hauled home through the dark streets by a sweating, chanting crowd.
Highlights
- The ~4-ton Sengan Mikoshi, reputedly Tokyo's heaviest portable shrine, carried all day on the Sunday
- Torigoe no Yomatsuri night festival — the lantern-lit shrine returning to the sanctuary after dark
- An atmospheric, locals-first shitamachi festival with far fewer tourists than Sanja or Kanda
Plan it well
- The night return of the mikoshi (early evening Sunday) is the most dramatic moment to catch
- Torigoe Shrine is a 6-minute walk from Kuramae Station (Toei Asakusa/Oedo lines) or Asakusabashi
- Stay clear of the bearer teams — moving four tons through narrow lanes leaves little margin for bystanders
Where it happens
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