Mitama Festival 2025

Q: Where is it?

It’s held at Yasukuni Shrine ( read my article here to learn more ).

The Mitama Festival is a traditional summer event at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine featuring 30,000 glowing lanterns and lively mikoshi parades. Held annually in mid July, it honors ancestral spirits. For photographers, it offers a rare chance to document high energy processions and massive crowds under golden lantern light after the sun sets.

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Crowds gather at Yasukuni Shrine’s wooden torii gate to watch a festival float during Tokyo’s Mitama Matsuri. — *Evening starts to fall as a mikoshi approaches Yasukuni Shrine’s main hall.*

After a three-year break、I returned to the Mitama Festival (みたま祭り) in 2025. It was like coming home to a lively sea of light and energy. Imagine 20,000 lanterns casting a warm glow over a crowd of 300,000 people, all packed into the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine in the heart of a Tokyo summer. I’ve attended this festival at least six times, and for me, it’s a must-see. The raw energy of the crowds and the thrill of seeing the mikoshi (portable shrines) emerge into the light never gets old.

Thousands of yellow paper lanterns with black calligraphy at Tokyo’s Mitama Matsuri festival, Yasukuni Shrine. — Some of Yasukuni Shrine’s 30000 lanterns

You have to be careful, though, in most years, everyone suffers from the summer heat. The festival goes for three days, and festivities take place from morning till night. Fortunately, 2025 was a cooler one.

Crowds walk between walls of yellow lanterns toward a massive bronze torii gate at Tokyo's Mitama Matsuri festival.

I don’t have the stamina to last all day, so I focused on the night events. While festivities run from morning till night, the real heart of the Mitama Festival beats after dark. It’s when the mikoshi finally appears, and frankly, it’s what everyone is there to see. These majestic portable shrines parade under a canopy of 20,000 lanterns.

Blurred yellow lanterns frame a view of people walking through a park during Tokyo's Mitama Matsuri.

Why are mikoshi matter at Yasukuni Shrine

Mikoshi play a huge role in the Mitama Festival, whose aim is to honor the spirits of those who fell in Japan’s wars. These portable shrines comfort and honor the spirits of the departed. They are carried in procession, accompanied by music, dancing, and other traditional performances.

Five women in red festival attire pose for photos in front of a golden mikoshi during Tokyo’s Mitama Matsuri. — *Members of a “Gal Mikoshi” pose for photos.*

The mikoshi parades not only honor the spirits but also bring a sense of community and joy to the festival. Carrying them is a way to share the blessings of the deities with the community.

People carry a golden mikoshi past a wall of glowing yellow lanterns during Tokyo’s Mitama Matsuri.

Every year is incredible. So many people crammed into a small space, fenced in by 10-meter-high stacks of glowing lanterns. The mikoshi perform in the middle of them. And everything takes place under the open sky. It’s a surreal experience.

A man shows intense focus while helping to carry a heavy wooden mikoshi beam during Tokyo's Mitama Matsuri.

Top sights the Mitama Festival

10,000 large lanterns are along the main entrance, with another 20,000 around the inner shrine grounds.
Check out the Kagura-den, the building for sacred dance (kagura) and music. In 2025, a jazz group followed a performance of traditional Japanese dance.
An Obon dance is held in the center of the entrance runway before and after the mikoshi.
People walking around in yukatas. Be respectful and ask for permission before photographing them.
If you are a foodie, check out the food trucks for some cool photo chances.
There is a Nebuta float parade, but I wasn’t able to attend the night it happened in 2025.

Rows of glowing yellow paper lanterns with black Japanese calligraphy at Tokyo’s Mitama Matsuri.

Night photography tips for the festival

Don’t use a flash. They are banned at many festivals as they may temporarily blind people carrying the mikoshi.
It’s dark, so bump up your ISO and shoot wide open.
Take a zoom to get close to the action.
People are all over the place and moving. Shoot in burst mode and choose your best photos later.
Be spatially aware around the mikoshi. Space is limited, and others want to move past you.
It’s night and there are lanterns. Play with the shadows and silhouettes.

A dancer in a floral kimono performs a traditional folk dance on a lit stage during Tokyo's Mitama Matsuri. — *A woman in kimono participates in the Obon dance.*

Is the Mitama Festival worth it?

Yes, it is 100% worth it. It’s free and it’s one of Tokyo’s great summer events. When you put the mikoshi in a crowd that is measured in the tens of thousands, you get a lot of energy and brilliant colors. Photographers love it. By the way, I have a full article about Yasukuni Shrine, please check it out.

People in festival coats carry a golden mikoshi toward Yasukuni Shrine at night during the Mitama Matsuri. — *The mikoshi arrives at the main hall of Yasukuni Shrine.*

Mitama Festival F.A.Q.

It’s held annually from July 13 to 16.

It’s held at Yasukuni Shrine (read my article here to learn more).

Festivities are held all day, but the main ones, like the mikoshi, are at night.

Reports say 300,000.

It’s a way of paying for the festival. Individuals and companies can sponsor a lantern, with fees varying for different sizes.

Until recently, it was primarily men. These days, women participate more regularly. In 2025, at Yasukuni, there was an all-girl group. They are known as “Gal Mikoshi.”

Date of Photos: 13 July 2025

If you have been to the Mitama Festival, what did you think of it? I’d love to know your opinion. Leave them in the comments below.