Torigoe Matsuri

The Torigoe Festival — or Torigoe Matsuri — in June is a big event if only for the main feature: the procession of Torigoe Shrine’s mikoshi (portable shrine) weighing in at 4 tons — the biggest in Tokyo. Note that it can also be spelled and prounounced as “Torikoe” Festival.

What happens?

Like the Sanja Festival, this matsuri also involves smaller shrines from the neighborhood associations, but what everybody wants to see (and if possible, carry) is the huge mikoshi. Crowds become so thick that in some years, the riot police had be summoned.

The streets surrounding the shrine are filled with yatai stalls selling the usual matsuri fare such as chocolate dipped bananas, yakisoba, takoyaki, grilled fish, and copious amounts of beer.

Schedule

The main mikoshi procession takes place on the Sunday of the festival. It will leave very early on Sunday, June 8, at around 6 a.m., and will return around 9 p.m. The main festival will take place from 7 p.m. when the mikoshi makes its way towards the shrine.