Hey guys! Welcome to the last day of the Sanja Festival!
I'm here with the Komagata Team
and I will be filming some pretty cool stuff today
It's the last day so the 3 big mikoshi are out
So I'm excited to see those
I was here yesterday as well but I only got to see the small shrines
So, fun!
Sanja Matsuri is the biggest festival in Tokyo and is known for getting pretty rowdy!
Neighbourhoods around the temple are separated into teams called "choukai"
with each having their own mikoshi
Shinto followers believe that mikoshi serve as a vehicle to transport deities between shrines
So everyone fights to try to get in to carry the mikoshi
This is why Sanja Matsuri can get a little intense!
How many years have you been doing the Sanja festival?
I did Sanja for the first time in 2007
What was your most memorable Sanja experience?
It was probably my first year
I was just sitting, watching and some guy just picked me up and took off his hanten
He put it on me, and pushed me in and I've kinda been in love with it ever since
Why is today considered the climax of the festival?
Sunday is like everything
The day where they bring out the 3 main mikoshi
the three main mikoshi get passed around the areas
Everyone like jumps in, fights to be a part of it
So much passion, so much excitement
and the day just ends with everyone drinking, it's a great time
Yakuza used to be one of the biggest parts of Sanja matsuri, and this would have been a common sight
But because of recent tightening of rules you won't be seeing many people proudly displaying tattoos anymore
I got the chance to carry one of the three larger main mikoshi
Some of the mikoshi weigh nearly 1000 pounds
Sanja matsuri attracts around 2 million visitors each year.
Definitely an event I would recommend checking out!
How was it?
Awesome! Good work out
It was cool
Today was your first time participating in the Sanja Matsuri! How was it?
So much fun! I've never done anything like this, even in my hometown
so it's a really exciting first experience for me!
What did you enjoy the most?
Carrying the mikoshi was the best!
It was scary! It's not that hard, but
you're being pulled in a thousand directions
and getting pushed around, but it's really fun!
Alright guys, now for the after Sanja meal of dojou or loaches
I think I like the sound of them better in Japanese
They are small fish!
We're going to take some and put them on our dish
and add some green onions and some sanshou or "Japanese pepper"
Let's give them a shot!
Ooo I love gobou (burdock root)
The name of this shop is Komagata Dozeu
This shop has been around for 200 years! In this exact same spot
and I'm pretty excited to try it
Do you like sanshou?
I love sanshou!
Alright, I'll try a little piece
Mmmm loaches♡
They're really good, the name sounds horrible but they're yummy!
Really subtle flavour, I thought they were gonna be super fishy. But not at all!
The festival is finished off with a chant called "kiyari"
Alright I hope you guys enjoyed that!
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and I will see you guys soon, bye!