“Asakusa Omatsuri Museum” is the best place to know about festival culture of Tokyo. In various places in eastern Japan, there are many festivals with “Ohayshi”* which come along with lyrics about towns of Edo, the former name of Tokyo. It seems that they made those lyrics intending to follow the powerful festivals in Edo. Let’s get to know about festival in Edo at “Asakusa Omatsuri Museum”.

*Ohayashi: Japanese traditional playing which rouses the movement of the festival car.

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About ”Asakusa Omatsuri Museum”

source: http://omatsurimuseum.net/event/

In ”Asakusa Omatsuri Museum”, exhibition focuses on clothes and accessory such as Hanten* and Obi* which expresses well the popularity of the culture of festival, for the purpose of passing the culture of festival and Mikoshi* down the generations. On top of that, they also sell books and DVDs titled “Festival, Be Smartly Dressed” with which you will know how to dress costumes for festival skillfully. This museum also has an adjoining shop of Tokyo Wazarashi, a fiber crafts company that is running this museum.

*Hanten: a short coat (originally for craftsmen) worn over a kimono

*Obi: a broad sash tied over a kimono

*Mikoshi: a portable shrine used in festival

source: https://matcha-jp.com/jp/1347

They exhibit many necessaries of festival such as special costumes for festival, Hyoshigi, an instrument sounds by clapping, and Japanese sake which Japanese festival has to have as offering. They also have a miniature of festival going on. You will learn a lot about festival of Edo from various aspects by visiting this museum. It would be interesting to understand Japanese festival deeply by necessaries of festival.

Places to See

A Miniature of Sanja-matsuri Festiva, the Biggiest Event in Asakusa

source: https://matcha-jp.com/jp/1347

On of the attraction of the museum is the miniature of a look of mikoshi getting out of the precincts of the shrine at sanja-matsuri festival. Sanja-matsuri festival signals the beginning of summer which known as one of the tree biggest Edo festival. Even if you missed the opportunity to attend the festival, you can still have chance to know how the people in Japanese old town get excited at festival, by visiting and looking at the exhibition.

Adjoining Traditional Tenugui Shop

source: https://matcha-jp.com/jp/1347

This museum also has an adjoining shop of Tokyo Wazarashi, a fiber crafts company witch runs this museum. They have tenugui* of various patterns, which is very popular as a souvenir. Even if you don’t go to the shop for buying something, you can enjoy many tenuguis by just looking.

• Tenugui: a type of traditional Japanese towel

Lots of Valuable Data of Festivals

source: https://matcha-jp.com/jp/1347

The exhibit in the museum includes historically valuable things such as necessaries used in old festivals, valuable data and pictures. One of the most valuable stuff they has is a monochrome photograph of people parading around with a defunct portable shrine that Iemitsu Tokugawa, who is well known as the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty donated.

About Asakusa Omatsuri Museum

• Address: 1F, 2-3-5, Kaminarimon, Taito-Ku, Tokyo-To
• Phone number: differs depending on each shops
• Open: 10:00am – 6:00pm * open and close irregularly
• Access (Metro)

About 2-minutes walk from Tobu-Tetsudo, Toei-Chikatetsu “Asakusa station” A4 exit

About 40-minutes from Haneda Airport, about 70-minutes from Narita Airport, about 25-minutes from Tokyo Station.

・Official website：http://omatsurimuseum.net/event/

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