The Sanja Festival which signals the beginning of summer will take place May 20-22 in the Asakusa area of Tokyo. It's one of the city's three largest festivals passed down hundreds of years since the Edo Period.
On the first day, a parade of about 200 people dressed in traditional attire will depart from the Asakusa Shrine passing by the town's various landmarks. Then there will be a ritual dance welcoming the new season.
About a hundred portable shrines called mikoshi, will be displayed behind Asakusa Shrine's main building.
The festival reaches its climax the third day with the miyadashi ceremony. Three large portable shrines, each weighing a ton, will be carried along three different routes.
For further information on Asakusa Shrine, visit:
http://www.asakusajinja.jp/index_2.html
The English site also has a nice overview of a Shinto wedding.
Sharon and I visited Asakusa Shrine many years ago, but not for the festival. Later, our hosts took us to dinner at a restaurant not too far way that specialized in wild duck caught by hunting hawks. The owners of the restaurant were descended from the official falconers to the Shogun. It was a wonderful experience.
Asakusa Sanja Festival
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