Mitama Lantern Matsuri

If you think music festivals like Coachella are intense, wait until you accidentally wander into Mitama Matsuri at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. Imagine over 30,000 glowing lanterns, crushing humidity, a sea of people, and the constant feeling that you are either about to find enlightenment or pass out next to a takoyaki stand.

First, what is Mitama Matsuri? It is a festival that has been held since 1947 to honor the spirits of the dead. But somewhere along the way, Tokyo decided to make it aesthetic. Now it is like Instagram, ancient tradition, and pure chaos all rolled into one. Everyone looks better than you, especially the couples in matching yukatas who somehow are not sweating like broken fire hydrants.

Pro tip one: dress to impress. You might think you can show up in shorts and a T-shirt. You cannot. Everyone else will be in full yukata, with perfectly tied obi belts and hair that has been curled, pinned, and possibly blessed by a Shinto priest. If you show up underdressed, you will be silently judged into another plane of existence.

Pro tip two: accept that your lantern photos will never look as good as reality. You will take 5,000 pictures, only to find strangers, streetlights, and your own confused face ruining most of them. Meanwhile, the lanterns will remain effortlessly stunning, mocking your every attempt to capture the moment.

Pro tip three: food at Mitama Matsuri is both a blessing and a curse. You will smell yakisoba, grilled squid, candied strawberries, and every fried object known to mankind. You will say you are just going to browse, then two minutes later you will be double-fisting corn dogs and crushed ice in rainbow colors. The only real winner at Mitama Matsuri is your stomach.

Pro tip four: if you are going with a date, remember that nothing tests a relationship like moving through a crowd of twenty thousand people while trying not to spill sauce on each other. If you survive the heat, the noise, and the inexplicably aggressive grandmas with festival fans, congratulations. You have passed a sacred test.

Pro tip five: at some point, you may remember you are at a shrine, and not just an outdoor street carnival. When you go up to pray, follow the person in front of you. Bow twice, clap twice, bow again. Look serious. Do not wish for stupid things like winning the lottery or getting verified on Instagram. The spirits will know. They always know.

Mitama Matsuri is chaotic, beautiful, sweaty, overwhelming, and unforgettable. It is the kind of event where you can honor the dead, celebrate summer, and regret eating three orders of karaage all in the same evening. You will leave tired, sticky, and slightly confused, but with memories that are somehow perfect in their messy, glowing, wonderful way.