Myoken Taisai（妙見大祭）

Chiba Shrine is where worships Polaris and The Big Dipper, and the deity, "Chiba's Myoken-sama（千葉の妙見様）", gives blessing of good luck and protection from evil.

  The Myoken Taisai Festival has been held on 16th~22th of August every single year since 1127. The festival features the carrying of portable shrines（神輿/mikoshi）led by the rhythm of a giant taiko drum, whose sound (verbalized as "daran-daran（だらん、だらん）"in Japanese) is the origin for the festival’s general name, the "Daradara Festival（だらだら祭り）".

  On 16th(Wed.), the portable shrine is carried to temporary residence, then returns to the Chiba Shrine on 22th(Tues.). The portable shrine would be parading through the city for two days, and it is likely that the streets are crowded at that time. On top of that, on 22th(Tues.) past 7p.m., the festival features a breath-taking view of huge portable shrines in red lighted by numerous lanterns.

Date: 8/16(Wed.)~22(Tues.)
Location: Chiba Shrine（千葉神社） etc. / Innai, Chuo-ku Chiba-shi, Chiba
Access: 10-mins walk from JR Sobu Line Chiba Station
URL: http://www.chibajinja.com