Spring Grand Festival

It's described as 'one of the largest rituals of the year' at Tokyo's most venerated shrine, which is to say that it's a very serious proceeding indeed. The Haru-no-Taisai, also known as the Spring Grand Festival, is held at Meiji Shrine every year during the Golden Week national holidays. Head there on May 2 and 3 to watch a series of Shinto ceremonies to honour the gods, including performances of traditional Japanese dance, music and theatre.