Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

holds many festivals

Japanese festivals

Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs....

(matsuri) throughout the year. Major festivals include the Sanno Festival at Hie Shrine

Hie Shrine

The is a Shinto shrine in Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Its June 15 Sannō Matsuri is one of the three great Japanese festivals of Edo...

, and the Sanja Festival

Sanja Matsuri

, or Sanja Festival, is one of the three great Shinto festivals in Tokyo, along with the Kanda Matsuri and Sannō Matsuri. It is considered one of the wildest and largest. The festival is held in honor of Hinokuma Hamanari, Hinokuma Takenari and Hajino Nakatomo, the three men who established and...

 at Asakusa Shrine

Asakusa Shrine

, also known as Sanja-sama , is one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Tokyo, Japan. Located in Asakusa, the shrine honors the three men who founded the Sensō-ji. Asakusa Shrine is part of a larger grouping of sacred buildings in the area...

. The Kanda Matsuri

Kanda Matsuri

or the Kanda Festival, is one of the three great Shinto festivals of Tokyo, along with the Sanja Matsuri and Sannō Matsuri. The festival started in the early 17th century as a celebration of Tokugawa Ieyasu's decisive victory at the battle of Sekigahara and was continued as a display of the...

 in Tokyo is held every two years in May. The festival features a parade with elaborately decorated floats and thousands of people. Annually on the last Saturday of July, an enormous fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

 display is held over the Sumida River

Sumida River

The is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay. Its tributaries include the Kanda and Shakujii rivers....

 and it attracts over 1 million viewers. Once cherry blossoms, or sakura, bloom in spring, many residents gather in parks such as Ueno Park

Ueno Park

is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the north-east, then considered an unlucky direction...

, Inokashira Park

Inokashira Park

straddles Musashino and Mitaka in western Tokyo, Japan.Inokashira Pond and the , established during the Edo period, are the primary sources of the Kanda River....

, and the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Shinjuku Gyoen

is a large park with an eminent garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. Afterwards, it became a garden under the management of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan...

 for picnics under the cherry trees

Sakura

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...

.

Festival name	Location	Description	Time
Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri	Bunkyō Bunkyo, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived there...  (Nezu Shrine)	Azalea Azalea Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...  festival	April to May
Fuji Matsuri Fuji Matsuri is a Japanese wisteria festival that takes place during April and May. Places it is celebrated include Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Okazaki....	Kōtō Koto, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 442,271 and a population density of 11,070 persons per km². The total area is 39.48 km². The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English....  (Kameido Tenjin Shrine)	Wisteria Wisteria Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...  festival	April to May
Hinode Matsuri	Ōme Ome, Tokyo is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 139,932 and a density of 1,355.14 persons per km². The total area is 103.26 km².The characters 青梅 literally mean blue ume, or Japanese apricot....  (Mitake Shrine)	Sunrise festival	May 8
Kachiya Festival	Kōtō Koto, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 442,271 and a population density of 11,070 persons per km². The total area is 39.48 km². The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English....  (Katori Shrine)	This festival commemorates Fujiwara Hidesato's prayer for victory before suppressing Taira no Masakado Taira no Masakado was a samurai in the Heian period of Japan, who led one of the largest insurgent forces in the period against the central government of Kyoto.-History:... 's revolt. The festival dates to Hidesato's offering of his bow and arrow to the shrine after his victory in battle. During the modern festival, there is a dedication of a kachiya (victory arrow) and a traditional warrior parade.	May 5
Kanda Matsuri Kanda Matsuri or the Kanda Festival, is one of the three great Shinto festivals of Tokyo, along with the Sanja Matsuri and Sannō Matsuri. The festival started in the early 17th century as a celebration of Tokugawa Ieyasu's decisive victory at the battle of Sekigahara and was continued as a display of the...	Chiyoda Chiyoda, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...  (Kanda Myojin Shrine)	Kanda Matsuri is one of Tokyo's three major festivals that dates back to the Edo period. The festival's climax occurs when volunteer Kandakko carry 200 portable shrines in a vigorous parade toward the Kanda Myojin Shrine.	May
Tenno Matsuri Tenno Matsuri Tenno Matsuri is a festival held annually, on the fourth Saturday of July, in Tsushima, Aichi. The highlight of the two-day event is the evening festival in which a dozen boats, each decorated with nearly 400 paper lanterns, float down the Tenno River. The festival honors the deity Gozu Tenno....	Shinagawa (Shinagawa Shrine and Ebara Jinja Shrine)	Includes Kappa Matsuri Kappa Matsuri Kappa Matsuri is a Japanese festival in honor of the mythical Kappa. It is held during summer. Places it is celebrated include Tokyo, Ushiku, Komaki, and Misawa....  ritual.	Early June
Kifune Matsuri	Ōta Ota, Tokyo is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 676,458, with 348,492 households, and a population density of 11,376.69 persons per km²...  (Kifune Shrine)		Spring (between March and May)
Kurayami Matsuri	Fuchu (Okunitama Shrine)	Black night festival	Spring (between March and May)
Meiji Shrine Spring Festival	Shibuya Shibuya, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....  (Meiji Shrine Meiji Shrine ', located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken.-History:... )		Spring (between March and May)
Osunafumi Taisai	Setagaya Setagaya, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood within the ward. The ward calls itself the City of Setagaya in English...  (Tamagawa Daishi Temple)	Walking-on-sand ritual	Spring (between March and May)
Sanja Matsuri Sanja Matsuri , or Sanja Festival, is one of the three great Shinto festivals in Tokyo, along with the Kanda Matsuri and Sannō Matsuri. It is considered one of the wildest and largest. The festival is held in honor of Hinokuma Hamanari, Hinokuma Takenari and Hajino Nakatomo, the three men who established and...	Taitō Taito, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...  (Asakusa Shrine Asakusa Shrine , also known as Sanja-sama , is one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Tokyo, Japan. Located in Asakusa, the shrine honors the three men who founded the Sensō-ji. Asakusa Shrine is part of a larger grouping of sacred buildings in the area... )	A festival honoring the three men that found a statue of Kannon which led to the founding of Sensō-ji Senso-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine.- History :The temple is...  in the Asakusa Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...  district. It is one of the three major festivals in Tokyo. Its notable for its extravagant parade of mikoshi Mikoshi A is a divine palanquin . Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine... , musicians and dancers.	Third weekend in May
Shishi Matsuri	Toshima (Nagasaki Shrine)	Lion dance Lion dance Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistakenly referred to as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people...  festival	Spring (between March and May)
Takigi Noh	Minato Minato, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...  (Zōjō-ji Zojo-ji San'en-zan is a Buddhist temple in the Shiba neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is the Great Main Temple of the Chinzai sect of the Shingon school. The main image is of Amida Buddha... )	Open-air torchlight Noh performance	Spring (between March and May)
Yayoi Matsuri	Taitō Taito, Tokyo is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...  (near Sensō-ji Senso-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine.- History :The temple is... )	ceremony by the Edo Shobo Kinen-kai (Edo Civilian Fire Fighters' Association)	Spring (between March and May)
Koenji Awa Odori			Summer (between June and August)
Asakusa Samba Matsuri			Summer (between June and August)
Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival The Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival is an annual fireworks festival held on the last Saturday in July, over the Sumidagawa near Asakusa. Unlike fireworks displays in other parts of the world, the Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai follows the Japanese tradition of being an intense competition between rival...	Sumida River Sumida River The is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay. Its tributaries include the Kanda and Shakujii rivers....		Summer (between June and August)
Tokyo Bay Fireworks			Summer (between June and August)
Jingu Fireworks			Summer (between June and August)
Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri			Summer (between June and August)
Tokyo Jidai Matsuri	Asakusa Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...	This festival celebrates the history of Tokyo and was first held in 1999. (It is not to be confused with Kyoto Kyoto is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:... 's Jidai Matsuri Jidai Matsuri The is a traditional Japanese festival held on October 22 annually in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of Kyoto's renowned three great festivals, with the other two being the Aoi Matsuri, held annually on May 15, and the Gion Matsuri, which is held annually from 17 to July 24... .)	November 3
Oeshiki	Ikegami Honmonji		October 11–13
Hatsumode Hatsumode is the first shrine visit of the New Year in Japan. Some people visit a Buddhist temple instead. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, new o-mamori are bought, and the old ones are returned to the...	Meiji Shrine, Sensoji, and other major shrines and temples	New Year's Prayers	Winter (between December and February)
Dezome-shiki	Tokyo Big Sight	Fireman's Parade	Winter (between December and February)
Setsubun Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. The name literally means "seasonal division", but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the...	Sensō-ji Senso-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine.- History :The temple is...  and other major temples		Winter (between December and February)
Honbasho Honbasho A is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi .... (Grand Sumo Tournaments)	Ryōgoku Kokugikan Ryogoku Kokugikan , also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...		January, May, and September