Tokyo · Chiyoda, Tokyo
Kanda Matsuri
神田祭
Kanda Myōjin's rite — the full version falls in odd-numbered years only.
Next
8–9 May 2027
197 days away
Every 2 years (anchored on 2025) — the 2nd Saturday of May, for 2 days
Future dates: 8 May 2027 · 12 May 2029 · 10 May 2031
Origin
Under the Tokugawa it was one of the tenka matsuri — festivals so sanctioned that the palanquins were allowed inside the castle grounds. Kanda Myōjin guarded all of Edo, and this grew as a townspeople's festival rather than a samurai one. Because the shrine also enshrines Taira no Masakado, a defiant streak clings to it.
What to look for
In the shinkō-sai a Heian-costumed procession threads through Marunouchi and the office district. On the following day each neighbourhood association has its own slot to bring its palanquin into the shrine, so the lanes fill one team after another. Because it alternates years, check whether the year you are visiting is the full festival at all.
How to watch
The shrine entries run to a timetable, so blocking a lane directly costs someone their slot. Shoot from positions that do not impede a carrying team.
Where
Kanda Myōjin
Chiyoda, Tokyo, Tokyo
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