Kanda Festival 神田祭

Featuring over 200 floats and portable shrines known as mikoshi, parades parades of musicians and priests on horses, the Kanda Matsuri is out of this world.

The festival is centered around Kanda-jinja Shrine , close to Akihabara and Ochanomizu stations.

The festival, however, parades throughout the neighborhood surrounding Kanda-jinja. Held on the weekend that precedes May 15, you may find it difficult to get near the shrine or even on some of the major streets of the parade during the event. Check at the station for the latest information about crowds and viewing locations.

The Kanda Festival has been celebrated for 1300 years since the founding of Kanda-jinja Shrine. During the Edo period (1603–1867), the festival was held with great fanfare and reverence by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the festivities have continued to this day.

The main shrine of the festival, Kanda-jinja, is associated with prosperity and good fortune. Ebisu and Daikokuten, two of the seven lucky gods, are the patron deities of the shrine.

The festivities go on for around a week, but the most lively events take place on the weekend just before 15 May. Saturday is mainly dedicated to parades and Sunday is the portable shrine procession. The parade routes go well beyond the area near the shrine, stretching all the way to Otemachi and Marunouchi, in the heart of downtown Tokyo. The area around Nihonbashi is also on the parade routes of some of the mikoshi.

Despite being one of the greatest festivals in Tokyo, this major event is only celebrated every other year. On even-numbered years, its counterpart, the Sanno Matsuri of Hie-jinja in Nagatacho, is marked with a major procession in June.

The crowds on the final weekend are incredible. As you near Kanda-jinja the streets become increasingly packed.