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Kanda Matsuri at Kanda Myoujin Shrine - Tokyo Hotels .com

People carrying a portable shrine at Kanda Matsuri

One of the three great Japanese festivals that has roots in the Edo Period (along with the Asakusa Sanja Matsuri and the Sanno Matsuri at Hie Shrine, the Kanda Matsuri (Kanda Festival) is a cultural extravaganza in the truest sense. Every two years during early May, the people of Japan congregate at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo to celebrate the creation of the Edo Shogunate, which ushered in one of the most influential eras in Japanese history. Here, celebrants recreate the culture of old Edo, with traditional music and cuisine as the festival's centerpiece.

The climax of the festival is a jubilant procession towards the shrine, in which 200 portable shrines and numerous floats are paraded through over 108 towns and 30 kilometers. Tourists will not want to miss this colorful and culturally enriching celebration.