Tokyo Mitama Festival 2026: Mikoshi and Wadaiko

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Crowds gather at a massive torii gate between towering walls of glowing yellow lanterns during a festival at twilight. — *A Hiki-daiko (the cart with the small drums) leads the mikoshi through one of Yasukuni Shrine’s torii.*

Summer for me means matsuri. One of the best is the Mitama Festival at Yasukuni Shrine. Its purpose is to console the souls of those who lost their lives defending Japan. But most people go to see the 30,000 yellow lanterns that decorate the grounds and the mikoshi performance. Many guests attended in yukata. The event is colorful and I’ve been to it many times.

A wall of glowing yellow paper lanterns featuring black Japanese calligraphy, arranged in a dense grid. — *The Mitama Festival is famous for its walls of lanterns*

Crowds at the Mitama Festival surround a golden mikoshi set against massive walls of glowing yellow lanterns.

A man in traditional happi attire walks past a massive, glowing wall of yellow lanterns at a Japanese festival.

This year (i.e. 2026), I also had the best of luck and the worst. What was good? The weather was perfect even though temperatures were high. I went home with some good images. Once again, Adobe Lightroom’s denoise feature did a wonderful job in post-processing. After the mikoshi disappeared, I talked to a security guard and he mentioned there would be a wadaiko performance. I decided to wait for it.

Crowds at Mitama Festival gather between glowing walls of lanterns and a massive torii gate at twilight.

A Shinto performer waves a paper wand during a ritual at the Mitama Festival before a crowd and glowing lanterns. — *A shinto priest purifies Tsuzumi-daiko (鼓美太鼓) before they start their performance.*

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Wadaiko at the Mitama Festival

I’m glad I waited because Tsuzumi-daiko (鼓美太鼓), was a real treat. This was a group of wadaiko (drum) players. Their music was powerful and with me standing so close to them, I felt their beat vibrating through my body.

Taiko drummers in traditional vests perform for a large crowd at the Mitama Festival under hanging streamers.

Not only was their music a treat, they put a modern take on their outfits. They wore long black vests called a kataginu adorned with geometric checkerboard and wave patterns in gold and white, paired with white hakama (wide-leg trousers). They might have been the highlight of the evening.

A young girl in traditional attire performs on a large taiko drum at the Mitama Festival before a watching crowd.

Large crowds gather as a golden mikoshi is paraded past massive, glowing walls of yellow lanterns at Mitama Matsuri. — *A Hiki-daiko (the cart with the small drums) leads the mikoshi through one of Yasukuni Shrine’s torii.*

Finding the right photography spot

And now the worst part! I arrived fairly early and found a good position from where I could look down the runway. The view was good as I could see the torii gates, the lanterns and the statue of Ōmura Masujirō. The sky was beautiful, providing a fantastic backdrop.

Crowds at the Mitama Festival gather between towering walls of glowing lanterns and a massive torii gate at night.

Taiko drummers perform at the Mitama Festival, backed by a massive wall of glowing lanterns as a crowd watches.

The beginning was good, I was talking to people and taking images. Then it ended. The Hiki-daiko (the cart with the small drums) that led the mikoshi parked right in front of me. While I enjoyed the music, it blocked the view. I had to scramble to find another position, between the Shinmon gate and Yasukuni’s main hall. The results weren’t bad, but they weren’t as I had planned.

People in traditional attire carry a golden mikoshi through a nighttime crowd at the Mitama Festival.

A row of square paper lanterns with Japanese calligraphy glows warmly, with the background lanterns softly blurred.

A growing international audience

I hate to say this for fear of sounding snobbish but so many foreigners were there. When I went to my first Mitama Festival many years ago, you could literally count us on one hand. This year, I heard so many languages and talked to people from so many countries. At times I nearly wondered where the Japanese were!