left as you face Kaminarimon Dori with the Sky Tree in your back) so any place close to these seats is good (plus, on that side of the street you get a little more shade-this is a 5-6 hour event, remember?)

Both sides of the street are OK but the seats for the judges are on the side opposite of the Kaminarimon (i.e. The actual length of the “sambodrome” is rather small-5-6 blocks’ worth-so pretty much anywhere along it will be good. Most people opt for a spot near the Kaminarimon, in the intersection with Namiki Dori so they can take a picture of the dancers with the gate in the background (everyone loves a cliché). And now a word from our man on the ground Grigoris Best spot for festival watching:Īs happens with its cousin, the Rio Carnival, the Asakusa Samba Carnival takes place on one street-in this case, Kaminarimon Dori, the street passing in front of Sensoji Temple’s Kaminarimon Gate. The carnival kicks off at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 25th, 2021-and should be all over by 6:00 pm. The parade route follows a dogleg through Asakusa with Asakusa Station right in the middle so if you don’t want to be stuck in the crowds, either turn up early or go to Tawaramachi Station on the Ginza Line which is located close to the finishing point of the parade. Reflecting Japan’s close ties with Brazil (Brazil has the largest Japanese diaspora in the world) the festival sees 18 ‘teams’ compete for the title with samba floats, drummers and of course dancers with tiny costumes and enormous feathered head dresses.

We are yet to confirm the dates and details of this event.Īt Asakusa’s 39th Samba Carnival, you are guaranteed to see the most dazzling array of beautiful telephoto lenses that you have ever witnessed-and the dancers are quite nice too! But seriously folks, this has become one of the major summer festivals in Tokyo.

Samba carnival online