Written by Greg Lane
Researched by Alexandra Ziminski
The Sanja Matsuri is known as one of the “3 Great Shinto Festivals in Tokyo” — along with the Kanda and Sanno festivals. It takes place every year over the third weekend of May.
What happens?
This is one of Tokyo’s rowdier festivals. Some two million spectators typically turn up to watch rather energetic, sometimes tattooed gentlemen doing what can most accurately be described as “mikoshi jousting.”
Whereas in other festivals the mikoshi (portable shrine) bearers may bounce the incredibly heavy mikoshi, during the Sanja Matsuri, fundoshi-clad (like a loin cloth) participants often ride on the top and will try to knock opponents off — even though this is strictly prohibited.
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Schedule
Sunday is the most popular day (due to certain tattooed men making an appearance in the backstreets), but also the busiest and longest, so consider the other days for a quieter experience. Traffic regulations will be in place on Sunday.
May 15 (Fri.)
- 13:00: A long procession, which includes dancing and traditional floats, will take place. They’ll set off from just north of Sensōji Temple and make their way past Asakusa Station (Tsukuba Express) before going down Nakamise Street and arriving at Asakusa Shrine.
- 14:20: A special dance will be held at Asakusa Shrine to celebrate the arrival of the procession.
May 16 (Sat.)
- From noon: Local mikoshi will be paraded from Asakusa Shrine.
- 17:00: There will be a shrine maiden dance performance.
May 17 (Sun.)
- 07:00–20:00: From early in the morning, the mikoshi will parade around Asakusa and the shrine. If you want to get a good spot, try and make sense of the route maps provided on the website.
- 14:00–16:00: Expect shrine maiden dancing and drum performances at Asakusa Shrine.
Our tips
People usually follow the mikoshi as it continues across Asakusa. If you’re anxious about crowds, a better option is to find a spot along the route and wait for the mikoshi to come to you. In our experience, it wasn’t too bad following along — though it did get more crowded near Sensōji Temple. You can also leave the line, walk down the quieter streets, and rejoin the route further ahead on the busier streets.
Our experience: 2026
We paid a visit to the 2026 edition of the festival on the final day, Sunday. Instead of arriving bright and early, as we did the year before, we arrived later in the afternoon as the portable shrine wound its way through quieter backstreets. Getting off at Tawaramachi Station instead of Asakusa Station was the right call, because it was a lot less crowded. We simply followed the crowds and managed to catch plenty of mikoshi bouncing. The atmosphere was safe and family-friendly.
Our experience: 2025
We visited on Sunday and arrived around 8:30 a.m. At that time, we managed to squeeze our way into the crowd and get a good view of the mikoshi taking off and the start of the parade (amidst the sea of phones). Although it can get quite chaotic as soon as the mikoshi sets off, security and local participants quickly step in to manage the crowds.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
