In the midst of the summer, on the streets of Fukagawa, Tokyo, nearby the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, you can witness Mizu-kake Matsuri, a festival renowned in all Japan, one of the three major Edo festivals, along with the Sanno Festival at Hie Jinja Akasaka Shrine and the Kanda Festival at Kanda Myojin Shrine.
Mizu-kake Matsuri is basically a mikoshi parade, an only-in-Japan festival, specific to the Shinto religion… But it is more to it than just the parade: during the festival the mikoshi bearers are constantly splashed with water by spectators “armed” with buckets or even with hoses… A great source of fun and play, but there also a spiritual meaning: at the origins, this was a way to express wishes for one’s good health…
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