Quite a few Japanese have their own religions. Others make use of religious events throughout their life. In New Year, many of them visit shrines and pray. Christianity is a popular religion for wedding. When they die, they cry under the name of Buddha. The Japanese enjoy these rituals.

Matsuri is another ritual they enjoy everywhere in Japan. It literally means festival. Each Shinto shrine holds annual celebration in order to respect their gods. Most matsuri are separated into two parts; ritual and procession. The ritual part is held at their shrine. Priests show respect to their god by purifying the shrine and dedicating foods, poem, music and dances. Their rituals are sometimes closed to public. However, it is a good chance to see traditional ritual if it is opened to public.



Now, the procession is the part everyone really enjoys. God always stays inside the shrine. It is the only occasion for him / her to go out and look around town. In the beginning of day, priests take god into mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine. Then, people carry the god around town for the whole day with yells like “Wasshoi” or “Essa”. Many matsuri add other attractions other than mikoshi, such as chochin (lantern) and float.



There are a lot of popular matsuri in Japan. Major matsuri in Tokyo include Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa, Kanda Matsuri near Akihabara, and Sanno Matsuri near Diet Buildings. Although they have different styles, their ritual meanings are similar; respect to their gods.