The Kanda Matsuri is one of the three festivals of Edo, and is held every other year.
The shrine can be visited all year round, but it exists for something that happens in May: the Kanda Matsuri, which the shrine itself counts among the three great festivals of Edo and among the three great festivals of Japan. ⚠️ And it is held 「二年に一度」, once every two years: being there in the right year cannot be taken for granted.
Ancient Shinto shrine near Akihabara, historic protector of the neighbourhood and patron of IT business.
ℹ️ ⚠️ For the Kanda Matsuri, check which year it is before counting on it. 2025 was the big year: rites from 8 to 15 May, with the 神幸祭 procession on the 10th and the entry of the mikoshi on the 11th. 2026 is the small year (「令和８年神田祭は陰祭のため、神幸祭や神輿宮入は執り行いません」), and the procession and the entry of the mikoshi are NOT held. The shrine itself can be visited all year round.
🚉 Ochanomizu · 9 min walk
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It is the go-to shrine for μ's, and it sells anime-themed ema. The Myōjin Otokozaka stone stairway, within the complex, is where the protagonists train by running up and down, and where in a key scene Honoka and Nico decide the future of the group ahead of the Love Live.
Sources: old.seichimap.jp · walkerplus.com · kandamyoujin.or.jp · kandamyoujin.or.jp · kandamatsuri.com
Nearby
Hōrin Park200 mphoto by MiNe from Taipei, Taiwan · CC BY 2.0
Akihabara ZEST300 m
Ochanomizu Station300 mphoto by Photo by Syohei Arai (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Shoheibashi Bridge400 mphoto by User:妖精書士 · Public domain