Namiyoke Inari Shrine

Held in its most spectacular form only once every three years, the Tsukiji Shishi Matsuri, or Lion Dance Festival, takes place over three days around Namiyoke Inari Shrine at the edge of Tsukiji Outer Market. This year, the festival is back in its biggest form. On Wednesday June 11 at 11am, you can join in a ritual to ward off bad luck and infectious diseases, while on Saturday June 14, you can watch Edo no Sato Kagura, a sacred Shinto music and dance performance from the Edo period.  The festival’s main event happens on Sunday June 15, when a series of mikoshi parade through the streets with the eponymous lion dance. The procession starts at 8.30am at Namiyoke Inari Shrine and ends when the mikoshi make their return to the shrine at 3.50pm. If you can’t make it to the shrine in the morning, download this map (in Japanese only), as it shows the parade's route and the arrival time at each checkpoint. Make sure to fuel up on some tasty festival grub at the food stalls that will be there on Saturday and Sunday.