Culture Special
The Spirit of Hot nights, traditional costumes, portable shrines and the rhythmical beating of drums immediately spell out matsuri, summer festivals, to any Japanese per son. One of the three biggest in Tokyo and one of the earliest, always in the third weekend of May, is the Sanja matsuri in Asakusa. For three days in a row, it celebrates three people with three main mikoshi, or portable shrines, in Sanja shrine. The locals also have their own holy mikoshis that they carr y around the streets, each neighborhood association, or chokai, having one. We took part in the preparations and ac ti v itie s of the " Nishia s a S ank it a (Nishiasakusa Sanchome Kita Chokai)", a neighborhood association that has the biggest mikoshi among the locals. Mere coincidence, but even the name of this association features the number three or 'san' in Japanese. We also talked to Michael Feather, a photographer who documented the Sanja matsuri activities of another neghborhood association, Asakusa Senwa Chokai, for three years.
Summer Michael Feather: Photographer A graduate of Leeds College of Photography Design and Print. Clients var ying from Lucite International and Muji to some of the best award winning agencies in the UK and Japan. Shot the co v e r p i c t ure f o r Pe te r Ma y l e ’s book, “A Year in Provence”. 2008: opened an of f ice in Tok yo. 2012: r e c e i v e d To k y o A D C A w a r d for MUJI Campground as a photographer. 2013: TOK YO APA Award (Advertsing Photographers Award) for MUJI Campground. http://www.msfeather.com/ Special thanks to Asakusa Senwa Chokai and Nishi-asakusa Sanchome Kita Chokai
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