Anything that makes me think of Gingitsune is a good thing.

It’s really heating up in Tokyo, but any sunny day in June almost demands to be taken advantage of because they’re so rare.  And that’s all the more true when it coincides with the big weekend of the Hie Sanno Matsuri, one of the “three great Edo festivals”.  I’ve blogged it before, and it runs for about two weeks, with the big event being yesterdays Mikoshi parade (which, while much smaller than it used to be as  concession to modern transportation needs, it still huge).

I was really hoping for a rain-free day today, though, because it’s the day of the Oharai – the purification ritual that was featured in the finale of Gingitsune.  They mostly happen at the end of June (and December) and I plan to go to one of those at a smaller Shrine with the intent of actually partaking, but this one was a great chance to experience it as a spectacle. Sanno is a very big matsuri, and as with any event at Hie Jinja it was mobbed with worshippers.