Daradara Matsuri

The Daradara Matsuri, held annually at Shiba Daijingu Shrine in Tokyo, is uniquely famous for its unusual length. Spanning eleven days in mid-September—historically Japan’s wettest month, marked by persistent, lingering rains—the event earned the colloquial nickname of the “Never-ending Festival” (the term daradara implies a sluggish or prolonged state).

The event is also widely known as the Ginger Root Festival (Shoga Matsuri), and attendees will find vendors selling fresh clumps of ginger throughout the shrine grounds. Local folklore ties this tradition to Yui Shosetsu, a 17th-century military strategist who allegedly attempted to poison the Tamagawa Aqueduct during an uprising against the Tokugawa shogunate. Legend claims the people of Edo were spared because local farmers had been washing their freshly harvested ginger—revered for its natural antidotal properties—in the water supply.

To experience the most vibrant atmosphere, the middle weekend of the eleven-day stretch is the best time to visit, as the grounds come alive with energetic mikoshi (portable shrine) processions.