The Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival is a fantastic annual event in Tokyo, Japan. The festival celebrates the Edo Yoshiwara Oiran Dochu Parade date back to the Edo Period. The parade shows Oiran walking with a fancy entourage in full Edo attire. It may be in a different dimension than Edo, but enough to preserve the old culture in Modern Edo (Tokyo).
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Location:
Ichiyozakura Street is in Asakusa, Taito Ward, Tokyo. It’s a lovely small street that runs east-west between two Ichiyozakura lines, about 500 m north of Sensoji Temple.
The name’ Ichiyozakura Street’ came from Ichiyozakura.’ Ichiyozakura is of kind of Japanese Cherry Blossom which blooms with light pink double patels.
Brief History:
The Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival began in 2003, during the 400th anniversary of the founding of Edo. The local people planted 131 Ichiyozakura Trees on the day and even decided to change the street name from Komatsubashi-dori to Ichiyozakura-dori.
Now the street consists of about 320 double petals Cherry trees, along with a 2.5 km street, making the street beautiful.
The main highlight of the Ichiyo Sakura Festival is the Edo Yoshiwara Oiran Dochu. It has a long history, but in the 21 century, it’s merely a Geisha procession.
What’s Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival?
Most of the members of the festival are professional Kabuki actors at Kabuki Theatre. These kabuki actors entertain people while preserving Edo Culture through the festival. In addition, the festival has a connection to the historic Yoshiwara Red Light District.
Orian Dochu means ‘Procession of Yoshiwara Orians.’
‘Oiran’ is a word that refers to ‘High-class Prostitutes.’ These high-class prostitutes used to work in the Yoshiwara red-light district during the Edo period, and people used to love and respect them highly.
High-Class Prostitutes used to advertise the houses they worked in by doing processions. They were mainly from the Yoshiwara Red Light District in the Edo Period.
Nowadays, this 500 m Sakura Ichiyo-dori stretch with Orian group members wearing Edo period dress and stroll to the small stage for a series of short performances before returning to their starting spot again.
Both sides of the street are full of spectators eager to capture the moments with phones and cameras. So, the Orians move slowly and offer poses for the audients for photographs.
When is the Kannon-ura festival?
Second Saturday of April at 12:30-15:30
The Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival takes place annually on the second Saturday in April, in Asakusa, near the Yoshiwara Shrine.
What can visitors expect?
Visitors can expect a rich Japanese cultural experience from Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival and will get a clear image of the Edo Yoshiwara Red Light District.
The festival is wonderfully popular with locals, and priority seats are booked beforehand. Besides, as a link to the famous Yoshiwara Red Light District Edo culture, thousands of foreign tourists come to see the procession. As a result, the street gets quickly overcrowded.
Therefore, arriving two hours before the event starts is advisable if you want to enjoy the festival and take some great shots.
Some souvenir stalls and street food vendors are available where people can buy some good souvenirs for their family members. However, most visitors like tasting street food more than souvenirs. So remember to taste some street food like Tokoyaki and yaki soba.
How to get there?
The Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival is easily accessible from Tokyo by train. The nearest station is Asakusa Station, which serves the Tobu Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, and the Toei Asakusa Line. From the station, it’s just a short walk to the venue, through Sensoji Temple.
Admission: Free
Address:
Ichiyozakura-dori, 4-40-7 Asakusa, Taito Ward, Tokyo