Climax of Tokyo's "Sanja Matsuri" festival

People in Tokyo have enjoyed the climax of the annual 3-day early summer festival featuring 3 portable shrines. The event was held for the first time in 2 years. The "Sanja Matsuri" is one of the capital's largest festivals with a 700-year history and is held in the Asakusa district of downtown Tokyo. Last year, following the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, the organizers decided to cancel most parts of the festival, including the parade. On Sunday, men and women wearing "happi" coats carried 3 golden portable shrines on their shoulders to take different routes for the 3 shrines that each weigh about one ton. Thousands of onlookers cheered the participants and took photos of the parade. A woman who carried one of the shrines said the town looked deserted last year. She said she feels even happier than before to take part in the festival after one year's absence. The organizer's representative, Nobuhisa Yoshioka, said the Tokyo Sky Tree will open soon and Tokyo will have a new tourist attraction along with traditional events like this festival. He said he hopes the festival will encourage people to find ways to boost the economy.

Asakusa sees sharp drop in foreign tourists

Visitors from overseas have all but disappeared from Tokyo's Asakusa district in the wake of the nuclear crisis following the March 11 quake and tsunami.

The downtown district of Asakusa is a major tourist attraction that draws around 30-million visitors every year, half of them foreigners.

But now, those visiting Sensoji Temple and the avenue of stalls leading up to the temple are mostly Japanese.

Individual travelers from the United States and Europe are starting to come back in the past several days. But the group tours from China and South Korea that used to crowd the site are nowhere to be seen.

The owner of a shop selling T-shirts and yukata cotton kimono say business is tough because up to 70 percent of customers have been foreigners. The owner said he wants the government to properly declare Tokyo's safety and allay fears of radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant.

The head of Asakusa's tourism promotion group Shigemi Fuji says that without foreign tourists, Asakusa looks like the old town it used to be.

He says foreigners will probably start coming back once they realize that Tokyo is safe, but he can only pray for the nuclear situation to be put under control.

Sanja festival begins

A spectacular parade kicked off an early summer festival in the downtown Tokyo area of Asakusa on Friday.

The "Sanja-matsuri" of Asakusa shrine is one of Tokyo's major traditional festivals, attracting a million spectators each year.

On the first day of the three-day festival, revelers including dancing geisha in gorgeous kimono and men wearing "happi" coats paraded the streets, led by a decorated float.

Crowds of tourists flocked to the event, taking photos against the background of the city's tallest structure, the Tokyo Sky Tree, a broadcasting tower under construction near Asakusa.

A woman in her 40s from Kyushu, southern Japan, said she was thrilled to see both the traditional parade and the modern tower.

A couple from France said they were delighted by Tokyo's contrast of urban atmosphere and the old world environs of Asakusa.

The festival will peak on Sunday when three large portable shrines are hauled through the crowded streets.