Sanja Matsuri

Tokyo · Float procession

Around a hundred portable shrines are carried through Asakusa over three days in May, by teams who shout and shove rather than process. Tokyo's loudest festival.

Dates

14 to 16 May 2027

Provisional, not yet confirmed by the organizers

The Friday to Sunday around the third Saturday in May. Confirm with the shrine before booking, since the dates move with the calendar rather than sitting on fixed days.

The Friday to Sunday around the third Saturday in May. The shrine's own three mikoshi go out early on the Sunday.

Dates checked against the official site on August 21, 2026

Sanja Matsuri belongs to Asakusa Shrine, which sits immediately beside Senso-ji and is easy to walk past without noticing. For one weekend a year that reverses completely and the temple becomes the backdrop. Roughly a hundred mikoshi come out, most of them belonging to individual neighbourhood associations rather than the shrine itself. A mikoshi is not carried smoothly. The teams under it bounce and rock it deliberately, on the understanding that the god inside enjoys being shaken, and the crowd around each one is dense, sweating and extremely loud. Sunday morning is when the shrine's own three mikoshi leave, and it starts at six, with the crowd in place well before. That is the part with the real crush. If you would rather watch than be inside it, the neighbourhood shrines on Saturday give you the same thing at a scale you can actually stand next to.

Getting a good spot

Roughly one and a half to two million people over the three days, in streets that are narrow to begin with. The Sunday dawn departure is the densest hour of the year in Asakusa. Nakamise and the approach to Senso-ji become one way, and the station exits queue. Saturday afternoon is the version to pick if you want to see mikoshi without being pressed into a wall.

Where it happens

Asakusa Main site Pass beneath Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), with its massive red lantern, and follow the centuries-old Nakamise shopping... Senso-ji Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple, where a 700-kilogram red lantern marks the entrance to centuries of Buddhist ...

Access

Common questions

When is Sanja Matsuri?

The Friday to Sunday around the third Saturday in May. Unlike most Japanese festivals it follows the calendar rather than a fixed date, so check the shrine's announcement for the year you are travelling.

Which day should I go?

Saturday, if you want to watch. Dozens of neighbourhood mikoshi are out all afternoon and you can stand at the edge of one without being carried along by the crowd. Sunday morning is the shrine's own three and it is the hardest hour of the festival to be in.