Kaminarimon: Photographing the Sanja Festival 2026

The Sanja Festival 2026 at Kaminarimon featured a significant shift in crowds as the main Honsha Mikoshi toured local neighborhoods which could be followed by using GPS tracking. Photographers enjoyed neighborhood shrines at Thunder Gate, and opportunities for street portraits amidst preparations in the lead up to the 2028 1400th anniversary.

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Sanja Festival 2026 saw me do something different to previous years. I decided to spend all my time in the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) area. This strategy saw me getting rapped on the knuckles in a photographic sense. Still, I had a great day and got some photographs even if everything didn’t go according to plan.

Missing the Sanja Festival crowds

I got on the Ginza Line at Shibuya around 9 a.m. and even at that point, I thought something was a little strange. The train was quite empty. Where were the other people heading to the Sanja like in other years?

When I left Asakusa Station, I wondered if the event was happening at all? Where were the people? Did I have the dates wrong? Had I somehow hashed things up completely? It was only when I got home I discovered what happened.

What did I do? It was actually something I didn’t do. I assumed that the event would have played out like it did every other time I went. This is where I got rapped on the knuckles in that photographic sense. Things change. If I had looked at the official Sanja Festival website before leaving my house, I would have seen that the three main mikoshi (portable shrines) wouldn’t be at Kaminarimon.

The mikoshi were sent out into the neighborhoods. And to make matters worse, for me anyway, they had GPS trackers on them. That meant, if you checked the official website, you could see where they were in real-time! I guess that explained some of the missing crowds from Kaminarimon. Lesson learned. Next time, I’ll be following them!

Photography at Kaminarimon

Regardless of my mistake, I still had a great time on this hot day. And in one regard, my plan was perfect. Why? Well, the festival is gearing up for its 1400th anniversary! Can you imagine that? That’s how long it has been going for. So this big event will happen in 2028 and some reconstruction/improvements are happening around Sensoji and Asakusa Shrine.

If you go to the temple, you’ll see some fenced areas between it and Hanayashiki, the amusement park. I’ve heard a rumour that the area will be occupied by a new museum in the near future. It will house many of Sensoji’s treasures, for the public to see. That’s something to look forward to. Anyway, that meant the day’s action was the three main mikoshi were out in the neighborhoods and the chonai-mikoshi were active around Kaminarimon.

What are chonai-mikoshi?

Chonai-mikoshi are the neighborhood mikoshi. These are much smaller than the main ones (Honsha Mikoshi). They seemed to appear on a different time schedule this year. Actually, one person I spoke to said lunch beaks were longer this year to help participants cope with the higher than expected temperatures. So I saw some action in the morning, then I didn’t have much to do and finally my camera was busy later in the afternoon.

That guy also told me something else. The Sanja is known for its craziness. The event can get pretty wild at times. It was getting too big for its boots, so to speak. The crowds were crazy, the number of tourists attending was soaring, but everything happens in a tiny space. Something had to be done. No one wants accidents and they need a way to spread out the people.

My Sanja Festival 2026 photo spots

I shot around Kaminarimon, on the road in front of it, and the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center’s second and eighth floors. Each place offered a different experience and perspective.

Street portrait opportunities

My highlight of the day was shooting some dogs and a guy from Switzerland with a tremendous beard! I don’t normally do this type of thing at festivals, but I did this time. I find it a little intimidating asking people for photos, but I couldn’t let the chance go by with these subjects. Everyone looked great!

Was everyone looking at me?

Later in the afternoon, I took some photos from the second floor of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. It’s a great photo spot because you see everything happening below, in front of Kaminarimon. At one point, I noticed the action had died down and everyone was looking in my direction. They started waving! Did everyone see me? No, not at all. I soon realised an image had been planned. A photographer was on the roof.

My photo is only from the second floor, but I’m very happy with it. The weather was perfect for it, and so many smiling faces were visible. Everyone on the second floor of the center was lucky to be there.

Is the Sanja still worth it?

Absolutely. You know, things went on like they did for a long time, but changes happen. And that’s not a bad thing. The Sanja is huge. Mikoshi are huge and can cause damage if they get out of control. Summers are coming earlier and they are getting hotter. Apparently, that is why the changes were made.

But I had a good time today, hopefully you can see that from the photos. We saw changes this weekend, but what else lies in store for us? Whatever happens, I’m sure it will be interesting. To learn more read [Sanja Festival: A Photographer’s Guide for 2027].

Photography gear for this shoot

• Camera body: Canon EOS R5
• Lenses:
  • Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM
  • Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM