Mitama Festival 2022 was subdued
Mitama Festival 2022 at Yasukuni Shrine was a subdued affair. It lacked the energy and noise of previous years. That was understandable due to the pandemic. And it was a dull day. In the end, it was pretty underwhelming, but it was good to see the event back.
What is the Mitama Festival?
“Mitama” means “soul of a dead person”. Yasukuni Shrine commemorates those who died defending Japan in this festival. It is an early step towards the holiday season of Obon when the Japanese honor their ancestors.
The festival is held annually from July 13 to 16. That can be problematic when those dates fall on a weekday. It began in 1947 and remains one of Tokyo’s biggest Obon celebrations. The Mitama is a fantastic summer event.
There are many entertainments during the day. Dancers and taiko drummers perform on a stage being among them. But the best part is at night when the shrine comes alive with 30,000 yellow lanterns lining the main road of the shrine. The interplay between shadow and light is surreal. Huge crowds flock to it.
Then teams carry mikoshi (portable shrines) through the dense crowds, chanting and cheering. A marching band performs a stirring rendition of the Japanese national anthem. And, at the height of the excitement, two spotlights form a criss-cross through the large torii gate at the shrine’s entrance. But that didn’t happen in 2022.
Mitama Festival 2022
The event was very different from previous years. Yes, people walked around in yukatas, and the lanterns were bright. Worshippers crowded the shrine.
But Mitama Festival 2022 was calm and sedate. There was no bouncing the mikoshi up and down on shoulders. The crowd wasn’t packed shoulder to shoulder under the torii. There was no cheering or shouting.
The mikoshi was calmly carried to the shrine where it was presented, and the event was over. That was it. For the rest of the night, the crowd had to make do with stage performances and the lanterns.
I enjoyed myself. Many people were walking in yukatas, and I took pictures of the stage performances.
Conclusion
Under normal circumstances, the Mitama Festival is one of the best summer events in Tokyo. It was unfortunate that this was not the case in 2022. Hopefully, the pandemic will diminish, and things will return to normal in 2023. Leave questions and comments below.
Mitama Festival 2022 photo gear:
- Camera Body: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Here are more festival articles:
External related articles:
- Yasukuni Shrine (official website)