Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking tour.
On that day, May 13, we had two times of tour-10 A.M and 1 P.M.
Although the weather condition was not so good, we welcomed totally around ten guests from the different corners of the world; U.S.A., Swiss, Poland, Rumania, Germany, Austria.
We started by introducing ourselves and giving our brief orientation about this tour and went to Asakusa Information Center in order to see better views of the Asakusa areas.
This is because the rooftop of this building is high enough for us to enjoy breathtaking views.
We made time to stroll around 90 minutes in line with our tour route like this picture shows.
Finally, the time for Golden Week in Japan, from the 29th of April to May 5, has come to an end, and most companies and schools in Japan are now back to their regular schedules.
It seems like we will have to wait for a little longer before we can finally say that the summer season is here.
In Asakusa, it is not an exaggeration to say that we are excited to welcome the most anticipated season this May, because there are tons of annual events that will happen until the late August.
First of all, the Sanja Festival will take place on May 18 until May 20.
Sanja means three deities, who have been enshrined in the Asakusa Shinto Shrine.
This Shinto-related event aims to show respect and appreciate the solace and comfort given by the deities.
There are more than 100 portable shrines that are carried around by festival enthusiasts in the area.
Community people were busy preparing for upcoming Sanja Festival.
Luckily, we found three specific portable shrines displayed in the compound of Asakusa Shrine.
The spirits of the three deities, who reside in this Asakusa Shrine, are temporally set to be transformed to each portable shrine respectively in line with Shinto ritual.
This religious act, called “mitama utsushi“, is solemnly made by the Shinto priests on the first day of the events.
Following this religious celebration, the next festival to look out for is the Sumidagawa Firework Festival. This will be held on the 28th of July over the Sumida River in the Asakusa area.
Every year, about a million people gather around and witness 20,000 fireworks launched over the riverside.
It is one of the most notable fireworks festivals in Tokyo, and this commemorates the Edo period, wherein it serves to convey the atmosphere of old Tokyo during those days when people used to watch fireworks displays near the river as a form of entertainment.
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In addition, in the late summer season, Brazilian style carnival, Samba Festival is also hosted yearly. It features the exotic atmosphere and makes viewers feel excited and involve.
This is because there is a significant Brazilian presence and the Samba Association in this old district.
In this month, we are planning to expand our Asakusa tour for a one-month period on a trial basis in hope of meeting more visitors.
For instance, a tour which is held on the second and fourth Sunday of the month will be in line with the following time slots:
1st from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (regular tour)
2nd from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (trial tour)
It is an absolute pleasure for us to receive the influx of people who would like to participate in exploring this historical city.
Please come and join us at your earliest convenience.
(By Arac)