It’s festival weekend in Asakusa, Senso-ji! One of Tokyo’s biggest annual festivals, the Sanja Matsuri, is being held from yesterday through tomorrow at Sensō-ji.

When I visited Sensō-ji on Thursday, the day before the festival began, together with a group of 15 guests from Azerbaijan, we happened to see the festival committee preparing for the event. During the festival, you can even witness the rare sight of the famous giant lantern at Kaminarimon being folded up to allow the portable shrines to pass through.

It’s a spectacular event with an atmosphere far more lively and exciting than usual!