The “Ueno Shitaya Shrine Grand Festival,” known as the earliest summer festival held in downtown Tokyo each year, boasts a history of over 1,000 years. The festival alternates annually between the “Hon-matsuri” (main festival), which features the procession of the main shrine’s portable shrine (mikoshi), and the “Kage-matsuri” (shadow festival), which involves only the procession of local neighborhood portable shrines.

Although 2026 will be a Kage-matsuri year, the town will still be bustling with excitement as people carry the neighborhood portable shrines through the streets.