Asakusa's Kappabashi – the famed mecca for Tokyo chefs and homecooks looking to kit out their kitchens – is festooned with vibrantly coloured streamers and decorations during this annual summer festival. Though it runs from July 3 to 7, the best time to visit the Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri is over the July 4-5 weekend, when local businesses put out stalls and hold parades and street performances.
The street parade on July 4 will begin at 1.15pm near the Ueno Gakuen Junior and Senior High School, and slowly make its way through Kappabashi Main Street towards Asakusa. Expect to see a parade of local kindergarteners, police and primary school marching bands, plus special appearances by a local Morioka-Sansa traditional dance troupe and the Metropolitan Police's all-female motorcycle brigade.
On Sunday July 5, Kappabashi will be hosting street performances of all sorts throughout the day, ranging from Sado-Okesa dances from Niigata to Awa-Odori dances from Tokushima.