June 2, 2014

Kurayami Matsuri

In May, I attended the Kurayami Matsuri (Darkness Festival) held at Okunitama Shrine in Fuchu City, Tokyo. It was one of the biggest festivals I have been to. It lasted for a few days but I only went there once. The day I attended was the day of the mantou competition (万灯大会): It is a contest between neighbourhood groups about which team can hold a decorated pole and twirl it around the longest. There were also other events involving mikoshi and children dancing to hayashi music. Unfortunately, I missed the main event, which is the carrying of mikoshi at night.

May 5, 2014

Azalea Festival at Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple in Ome

While I was in the Ome area, I went to see the azalea festival at Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple (塩船観音寺). The temple is surrounded by a huge azalea garden with a giant statue of Kannon watching over it.

April 28, 2014

Peony Festival at Ueno Toshogu Shrine

A peony festival is currently taking place at the peony garden of the Toshogu Shrine in Ueno, until mid-May.

April 25, 2014

Wisteria Festival at Kameido Tenjin Shrine

A wisteria festival (藤まつり; fuji matsuri) is currently taking place at the Kameido Tenjin shrine (亀戸天神), in eastern Tokyo, and will last until early May. I was there a couple of days ago: Purple wisteria flowers were dangling from trellises surrounding the pond, which was crawling with turtles.

April 21, 2014

Bunkyo Azalea Festival at Nezu Shrine

The Bunkyo Azalea Festival is currently taking place at Nezu Shrine. Its garden contains more than 3,000 azalea plants.

April 14, 2014

Oedo Fukagawa Cherry Blossom Festival

The Oedo Fukagawa Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Fukagawa, in Koto City, east of the Sumida River. The area has large canals lined with many cherry trees. Although I did not get to ride them, boat cruises were available during the festival to see the flowers from a different angle.

April 11, 2014

Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus) in Kawasaki

The Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り, “Festival of the Steel Phallus”), aka the Penis Festival, is a shinto festival celebrating fertility, long marriages and healthy births. It is held each spring at the Kanayama Shrine (金山神社) in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo. The penis, as the central theme of the event, is reflected in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade.

April 8, 2014

Cherry blossoms along the Meguro River

Just like the Kanda River, the Meguro River in southern Tokyo is lined with concrete and cherry trees. It is a very popular spot during cherry blossom season and, even on a week day, it was quite crowded. The path starts at Ikejiri-Ohashi station near the Meguro Sky Garden. The crowd thins out considerably east of Meguro station but there are still cherry trees all the way to Shinagawa.

April 5, 2014

Sumida Park Cherry Blossom Festival

Sumida Park straddles both sides of the Sumida River near Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. It contains a large number of cherry trees that make it a very popular spot during cherry blossom season. I went there after Ueno Park, since it is quite close.

April 4, 2014

Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival

Ueno Park is one of the most popular spots for hanami in Tokyo. During the festival, 1000 lanterns illuminate the park at night. There are also other events.