Picture this: a 500-strong procession in flowing Heian-era court robes winding between the glass office towers of Akasaka on a humid June morning. That's Sanno Matsuri, the early-summer festival of Hie Shrine and one of the “three great festivals of Japan,” alongside Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri.
And 2026 is a special year. The festival's centerpiece — the grand Shinko-sai procession — happens only once every two years, and this is the “grand festival” edition. The next chance to see it won't come until 2028, so if your trip lines up with mid-June, you've gotten lucky: this is a moving Edo-period scroll come to life in the heart of modern Tokyo.
What is Sanno Matsuri? The festival the shoguns came to watch
Hie Shrine was once the guardian shrine of Edo Castle and was deeply revered by the Tokugawa shogunate. In the Edo period the procession was allowed to enter the castle grounds, where shoguns from Tokugawa Iemitsu onward would watch it pass. That earned it the nickname “Tenka Matsuri,” often translated as “festival of the realm,” and because the shogunate funded it, it was also known as an official festival. It alternates years with Kanda Myojin's Kanda Matsuri as one of Edo's signature celebrations.
Edo-era records describe as many as 55 towering floats in the line. After the Meiji period, electric wires strung above the city's streets made tall floats impractical, and portable mikoshi shrines gradually took over as the stars. The procession was suspended during wartime and again in 2020 and 2022 due to COVID-19, before returning in 2024 after a six-year gap. 2026 carries that revival forward as a full grand-festival year.
The 2026 schedule at a glance (June 7-17)
Sanno Matsuri unfolds over 11 days, mixing solemn Shinto rites with lively public events. Here are the moments most worth a traveler's time:
Date | Time | What happens |
Sun, Jun 7 | 11:00 | Annual rite at Yasaka Subshrine |
Jun 7-16 | daytime | Free Sayama tea & traditional sweets on the shrine grounds |
Fri, Jun 12 | 8:00-18:00 | Shinko-sai — the grand procession held only every two years (Nihonbashi rite around 14:05) |
Jun 13-15 | from 18:00 | Sanno Ondo bon-odori dancing at the Sanno Park Tower plaza |
Sun, Jun 14 | noon | Shitamachi mikoshi parade (Kyobashi-Nihonbashi); children's procession at the shrine |
Mon, Jun 15 | 11:00 | Reisai, the main annual rite |
Tue, Jun 16 | 13:00 | Sanno Kajo-sai, the wagashi (sweets) ceremony |
Note: times and details follow Hie Shrine's official announcements and can shift with weather or timing on the day. Check the official site before you go.
The main event: the Shinko-sai procession (Fri, June 12)
The Shinko-sai runs from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12. Two sacred palanquins (gohoren), one shrine mikoshi, and six floats move through the city with roughly 500 participants in court dress, forming a procession about 300 meters long.
The full route covers around 23 kilometers and crosses four wards — Chiyoda, Shinjuku, Chuo, and Minato — yet it all stays within the old outer moat, tracing the historic heart of Edo. The line threads past the Imperial Palace and other historic landmarks of old Edo and modern Tokyo. A highlight unique to 2026: the auspicious “Prawn Float,” featuring the lucky deity Ebisu riding a giant prawn, makes its Shinko-sai debut this year.
Midway through the procession, attendants accept small offerings from spectators along the route. Do so and a priest will perform a roadside blessing, and you'll receive a commemorative bookmark made only for that day (while supplies last). It's a small, memorable way for visitors to take part right from the sidewalk.
Beyond the big procession: downtown mikoshi, bon-odori and free tea
Two days later, at noon on Sunday, June 14, the Shitamachi mikoshi parade takes over. Neighborhood associations from Nihonbashi, Kyobashi, Kayabacho and beyond join forces, and 16 portable shrines with their bearers fill Chuo-dori in one of the festival's most energetic days. The same Sunday, children in traditional costumes walk along the shrine approach in the chigo gyoretsu procession.
On the evenings of June 13-15, the Sanno Ondo bon-odori dance circle forms at the plaza by Sanno Park Tower, and anyone is welcome to join. Throughout the festival (June 7-16), the shrine grounds also serve free Sayama tea and traditional kajo sweets — a nice place to pause and soak up the atmosphere. Limited-edition Sanno Matsuri amulets tend to sell out early, so visit on the earlier side if you want one.
Getting there
Hie Shrine is at 2-10-5 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The closest stations are Akasaka Station (Chiyoda Line), Exit 2, a 3-minute walk; and Tameike-Sanno Station (Namboku/Ginza Lines), Exit 7, also about 3 minutes. Kokkai-gijidomae Station (Chiyoda Line), Exit 5, is a 5-minute walk. From Haneda Airport, the simplest route is to ride to Hamamatsucho, transfer toward Shimbashi, then take the Ginza Line to Tameike-Sanno.
On procession day (June 12) you can watch the line from along its route, but expect road closures and crowds across a wide stretch of central Tokyo. Plan to travel by train and leave extra time. If you only want to visit the shrine itself, mornings outside the peak tend to be calmer.
More to enjoy in early-summer Tokyo
June is the start of Tokyo's rainy season, and Sanno Matsuri shares the calendar with some lovely seasonal outings. Between showers, consider chasing hydrangeas in full bloom or watching fireflies glow after dark (see our guides “6 Best Hydrangea Spots in Tokyo” and “5 Places to Catch Fireflies in Tokyo”). And if you'll be in town in May, pairing this with Asakusa's Sanja Matsuri gives you a fuller picture of Edo's festival culture.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
