One of Tokyo's three greatest traditional festivals returns in May. The Kanda Matsuri is customarily held on odd-numbered years and consists of a week-long succession of ceremonial rituals and parades, centred around Kanda Shrine.
The highlights are on May 13 (around 1.20pm), with Shinkosai, a colourful procession of ceremonial shrines; and May 14 (from 9am) for the Mikoshi-Miyairi, when more than 200 mikoshi (portable shrines) are paraded through the nearby neighbourhoods. The Shinkosai procession begins near the B1 exit of Higashi-Nihonbashi Station, and the Mikoshi-Miyari begins at Kanda Shrine. You can see a map of the routes on the festival website.
There’s also entertainment to enjoy, including traditional performing arts like nagauta, a form of Japanese music played on the shamisen string instrument. You can catch the nagauta event on May 13 from 2pm to 5pm. There will also be taiko drum performances on both days at the shrine, featuring performers from across the country throughout the day.
If you want to learn more about the festival, head over to the free Kanda Shrine and Festival exhibit at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi department store from May 10 to 22.