# Sanja Matsuri

> 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.

- Prefecture: Tokyo
- Type: Float procession
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: The Friday to Sunday around the third Saturday in May. The shrine's own three mikoshi go out early on the Sunday.
- Official site: https://www.asakusajinja.jp/sanjamatsuri/

## Dates

- 2027-05-14 to 2027-05-16
- Status: provisional
- Dates verified on 2026-08-21 from https://www.asakusajinja.jp/sanjamatsuri/

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.

## Where it happens
- Asakusa
- Senso-ji

## FAQ

### 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.

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Source: Sanja Matsuri — Japan Voyage