On May
19th, I went to San-ja Matsuri 三社祭, the festival of the three shrines. This is probably one of
the biggest and most intense religious festivals in Tōkyō. Numerous mikoshi 神輿 (portable shrines), one looking more expensive than another,
are carried around by strong men who seem to get in some sort of trance. The
event takes places in several areas of Asakusa, but the busiest area is the vicinity
of the Sensō-ji 浅草寺. San-ja Matsuri is an excellent
example of a religious activity where the distinction between Shintō and
Buddhism is hard to make.
A mikoshi decorated with shide 紙垂 (sacred paper), a small torii
鳥居 (Shintō
style gate) and a golden phoenix on top.
Some children carrying a miniature mikoshi
San-ja Matsuri decoration in the
outskirts of the city
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