Sanno Matsuri 山王祭

More than a week-long festival culminating in a traffic-stopping, parade, Sanno Matsuri is one of the three biggest festivals in Japan and one of the top festivals in Tokyo. The main attraction of the festival is the "Shinkosai" parade, which takes place every two years.

The Sanno Matsuri centers around Hie-jinja , easily accessible from many Tokyo Metro stations on the Chiyoda, Ginza, Marunouchi, Yurakucho and Hanzomon lines.

Heralding the beginning of Japan's summer festival season, the Sanno Matsuri is also one of the three most famous festivals of Edo (former Tokyo). Held June 7 to 17 every even-numbered year, Sanno Matsuri's Shinkosai parade alternates with the honmatsuri (the main festival) of Kanda Matsuri, a sister event which takes place in odd-numbered years.

During the Edo period (1603–1868), portable shrines (mikoshi) were paraded for country's rulers, the Tokugawa shoguns, to see.

Spanning over eleven days, a variety of festivals and events are held at Hie-jinja Shrine , where the guardian deity of Tokyo is said to be enshrined. The main attraction is the Shinkosai, a procession beginning and ending at Hie-jinja Shrine , weaving throughout central Tokyo over a nine-hour period.

The 300-meter-long procession through the heart of Tokyo features two imperial carriages and a portable shrine where the kami (deities) reside, making it an incredible sight.

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