3 Tori no Ichi festivals to celebrate the coming of winter in Tokyo

The Tori no Ichi festival at Hanazono Shrine is one of the biggest in the Kanto region. It’s held on two days on November 12 and 24 with some smaller 'warm-up' festivals taking place the night before the main events.

For the occasion, the grounds are decorated with 950 LED lanterns towering over the shrine buildings. On the grounds, you will find stalls selling decorative kumade bamboo rakes, plus plenty of other vendors offering food and festival knick-knacks.

The event takes place from 12 noon to 12 midnight on both days, and the smaller pre-festivals take place on the day before the main event, from 3pm until 12 midnight.

Taking place at Otori Shrine inside the Okunitama shrine complex, this festival is one of the three most important Tori no Ichi festivals in Tokyo (the other two being Asakusa and Shinjuku's Hanazono). Worshippers and visitors crowd the area in Fuchu throughout the two days, shopping for kumade rakes and praying for good fortune and success for the coming year.

The event takes place from 6.30am to 10pm on both days.

Tori no Ichi is said to have originated at Asakusa's Otori Shrine and the nearby Juzaisan Chokokuji temple, so you can expect a major spectacle here. This is the biggest Tori no Ichi festival in Tokyo with 800 to 900 booths selling kumade, souvenirs and plenty of food.

The event attracts 700,000 visitors every year and gets very crowded in the evening, so go during the day if you have the chance and snack on some old-school kiri-zansho candy.

The festival is held for 24 hours on November 12 and 24, starting with the first taiko drum sound at 12 midnight (the night of November 11 and 23).