May 26, 2014 - 1 min read

Sanja Festival in Photos

A jam-packed festival in Asakusa

By Tom Hanaway

Community writer

Mikoshi, or portable shrines, are carried to the main temple.

The Sanja Festival is packed with people. Every year about two million people attend the festival which has roots to the 600s.

The traditional marketplace that leads up to Senso-ji Temple.

Three women in kimonos slowly weave their way through the crowds.

Almost two million people crowd the Senso-ji Temple grounds every year to take part of the festivities.

The beginning of the procession of one of the mikoshi.

The streets quickly become packed as people march their way through the crowds and toward Senso-ji Temple.

While some mikoshi are carried, others are pushed through the streets.

The streets surrounding Senso-ji Temple were decorated with traditional paper lanterns.

Dozens of mikoshi are marched through the streets during the three-day festival.

The Sanja Festival, which takes place in Asakusa every May, is one of the most energetic and crowded festivals in Tokyo. With almost two million attendees, the streets quickly become filled with visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the mikoshi (portable shrines) being carried throughout Asakusa. As with every festival in Japan, there are dozens of food stalls set up selling traditional fair food like yakisoba, chocolate bananas and okonomiyaki.

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The area in and around the Senso-ji Temple grounds are absolutely packed. Not only are there tons of people, but attendees often stop and gawk as the mikoshi passing by, causing foot traffic to come to a complete halt. I recommend exploring the side streets near Senso-ji during the three-day festival. Mikoshi are still carried in and around the outer areas, with the participants screaming chants and playing instruments, but you get to view the mikoshi without the crowds and get a better opportunity for photos.