May and June are Matsuri season in Tokyo. Matsuri, or festivals at Shinto shrines, are held annually by people in the community to celebrate its deity or to ask the deity for prosperity and good harvest. The Shinto deity are believed to ride a Mikoshi, a portable shrine, which marches through the community. The 3rd largest festivals in Tokyo are Kanda (May/9-15), Sanja (May/17-19), and Sanno, (June/7-17). Some hundreds of thousand of people go to see them so these festivals are filled with special excitement.
