Posted by Ed | Last updated Jan 2, 2018 | Festivals, Tokyo and the Kanto Region, Traditional Japan | 2 |
Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri was held this weekend, but it had a relatively subdued atmosphere this year, because the main mikoshi were not allowed to participate. Last year, people were standing on them, which is considered sacrilegious. It was good for photography, though, because there were a lot less people, meaning you could actually walk through the crowds.
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Long-time resident in Japan (since 1993) but originally from Canada. Has written guidebook chapters, magazine articles, tons of blog entries and even a book about less-known aspects of Japan. In his free time, he loves photography, cycling, and exploring interesting and obscure places around the Kansai area.
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You can’t stand on them? I thought that was perfectly normal and typical. Isn’t it part of a matsuri that a child or two stand on top of the mikoshi, being carried along by the adults, dancing and waving and whistling in order to help the men keep time?
I always thought you could stand on them too, but according to this article, it’s sacrilegious: