Sanja Matsuri is a festival held in Asakusa every year in May. It celebrates the three people involved in the creation of Senso-ji and later enshrined as Shinto kami in Asakusa Shrine, next to the temple. It is one of the biggest festivals in Tokyo, with about 100 mikoshi (portable shrines) paraded around the neighbourhood.
In May, I went to Maebashi City in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo, in order to visit Mount Akagi (赤城山). There is no actual peak named “Mount Akagi”: It refers to the whole mountain range in the area. Its best-known attractions are Akagi Shrine, Lake Onuma (大沼) and Mount Kurobi (黒檜山). While I was there, I took a series of trails going through some of the peaks surrounding the lake. This page can serve as a reference (although it differs a bit from what I did).
Minato City is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. In April, I walked from Shinbashi to Roppongi, visiting some of the many shrines and temples of the area along the way.
Continuing the visit to the temples and shrines of Asakusa. First, Imado Shrine, which claims to be the birthplace of the maneki neko (beckoning cat).
Asakusa has a large number of shrines and temples in easy walking distance from each other. There is even a pilgrimage of the 7 Lucky Gods, where you can go through a few of those shrines and collect stamps along the way. For myself, I did my own pilgrimage last April. Starting in Uguisudani, the least used station of the JR Yamanote line and finishing at Senso-ji, I visited:
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.
After the boat ride, I walked on the north bank of Lake Kawaguchi until I reached the Fuji Omuro Sengen Shrine, Mount Fuji’s oldest shrine. I then took a bus to the train station.
A few weeks ago, I returned to Nikko to visit the shrines and temples of central Nikko, which are on UNESCO’s list of Word Heritage Sites.
After the Tenen Hiking Course and Kencho-ji Temple (see part 2), I walked directly to Jocho-ji Temple, where the Daibutsu Hiking Course trailhead is located. This trail goes to the most famous sight in Kamakura: The Daibutsu (Great Buddha) statue at Kotoku-in Temple. It also passes through Genjiyama Park and near the Zeniarai-Benzaiten Shrine.
Kamakura is famous for its large number of buddhist temples and shinto shrines. The biggest is the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮), located at the center of town. It is dedicated to Hachiman. On the same day, I also visited Egara Tenjin Shrine, Kamakura-gu Shrine and Zuisen-ji Temple (which I had already visited earlier).