Daradara Festival

Although the Daradara Festival happens on the same dates each year, it’s still unclear if the 2021 event will be going ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Daradara’ means ‘endless’—a name earned due to the extraordinary length of this traditional festival. While most shrine festivals go for 2 or 3 days, this one goes for 11 days—the longest of any traditional ‘matsuri’ in Japan.

Running from the 11th to the 21st of September each year, the festival happens at Shiba Daijingu located next to Shiba Park (not to be confused with the more photogenic Zojoji Temple). Although the festival spans 11 days, the main festival day is on Sunday, September 15, 2019.