[November 2026] Asakusa Events and Festivals: Light Event at Senso-ji, White Heron Dance, Tori-no-Ichi and Hagoita-Ichi

In Asakusa, Tokyo, temple and shrine events and light events follow one after another from November into December. At Senso-ji, projection mapping was shown on the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate from 18:00 to 21:30 until Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday) (free, no advance registration required). On the final day, the 3rd, the White Heron Dance was performed on the temple grounds. Following the Tori-no-Ichi fair at Otori Shrine on Saturday the 7th, another is held on Thursday the 19th. From Thursday, December 17 to Saturday, December 19, the Hagoita-Ichi battledore fair takes place at Senso-ji. Senso-ji’s Main Hall and Five-Story Pagoda are illuminated every night until around 23:00. We have sorted out the dates, times and ways to combine them.

Asakusa’s events from autumn to year-end: Schedule

• Friday, October 30 – Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday): ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026 (projection mapping on the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate of Senso-ji, 18:00–21:30, free)

• Friday, October 30 – Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday): Special viewing of Senso-ji’s Denboin Garden (Place of Scenic Beauty) and Emado (9:00–21:00, admission charged)

• Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday): White Heron Dance (west plaza in front of Senso-ji’s Main Hall, 11:30 and 14:40)

• Saturday, November 7 and Thursday, November 19: Tori-no-Ichi (Asakusa Otori Shrine, 0:00–24:00 each day)

• Thursday, December 17 – Saturday, December 19: Osame no Kannon fair day and Hagoita-Ichi (Senso-ji)

• Every day: Illumination of Senso-ji (Main Hall, Five-Story Pagoda, Hozomon Gate and Kaminarimon Gate, sunset to around 23:00)

Until November 3: Projection mapping on Senso-ji’s Main Hall and Hozomon Gate

Now in its second year, “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” takes Senso-ji’s 1,400 years of history and culture as its theme, projecting videos onto the Main Hall and the south side of Hozomon Gate with motifs drawn from large votive tablets (ema), the illustrated scroll of the temple’s origins known as the “Kanbun Engi,” and ukiyo-e prints associated with Senso-ji. According to the organizers, this is the first time ever that images have been projected onto the Main Hall. The two videos, each about 6 minutes long, are shown alternately, and visitors proceed one way from Hozomon Gate to the Main Hall. The same videos can be seen at any time, and the organizers recommend arriving later rather than right after the 18:00 start.

During the event, the wisteria trellis area of the temple grounds also features a “Scent of Asakusa” spatial fragrance installation by the perfume brand Hatenko. In its first edition in 2025, the projection on Hozomon Gate reportedly drew more than 150,000 visitors. The content of the videos and tips for avoiding the crowds are introduced in our article on the Senso-ji projection mapping.

Special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado, from day to night

During the same period, there is a special viewing (admission charged) of the Denboin Garden, a Place of Scenic Beauty that is normally closed to the public, and the Emado, which houses about 50 large votive tablets. The Emado is open 9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30) and also displays the original “Senso-ji Kanbun Engi Emaki,” painted by Kano Ujinobu in 1662 (Kanbun 2). In the Denboin Garden, a sea-of-clouds effect lasting about 10 minutes is staged roughly every 30 minutes from 9:00 to 20:30, and from 17:00 to 21:00 the garden is illuminated for the evening “Kinryu Yakai,” with an original dance performance (about 5 minutes) every 30 minutes from 17:00 to 20:00.

Tickets are valid for both day and night and are date-specific, with re-entry permitted on the designated day. Same-day prices are ¥2,500 for adults (high school students and older) and ¥1,000 for elementary and junior high school students, and same-day tickets are sold only while each day’s allocation lasts. For details, see our article on the special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado.

Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday): The White Heron Dance, a revival of a dance depicted in the Kanbun Engi

According to Senso-ji, the White Heron Dance revives a dance depicted in the “Senso-ji Engi” (Kanbun Engi) and was first performed in 1968 (Showa 43). Dancers in white heron costumes parade with warriors, staff bearers, feed scatterers, musicians, guardian children and others to the accompaniment of the “Song of the White Heron.” It is performed every year on the second Sunday of April, during the Sanja Matsuri in May, and on November 3.

According to the Asakusa Tourism Federation, there will be two performances on November 3, 2026. The first leaves Denboin at 11:00, passes along Nakamise and is performed in the west plaza in front of the Main Hall from 11:30. The second leaves Denboin at 14:00 and proceeds via Orange-dori, Kaminarimon-dori, Kaminarimon Gate and Nakamise, to be performed in the same plaza from 14:40. Since the projection mapping begins in the same grounds in the evening, on the final day you can see the daytime dance and the nighttime videos back to back.

Saturday, November 7 and Thursday, November 19: Tori-no-Ichi at Otori Shrine

At Asakusa Otori Shrine (Senzoku 3-chome, Taito City), the 2026 Tori-no-Ichi falls on Saturday, November 7 for the first Day of the Rooster (Ichi no Tori) and Thursday, November 19 for the second (Ni no Tori); there is no third Day of the Rooster this year. Each day begins with the first drumbeat at midnight and continues for 24 hours. On the preceding nights, Friday the 6th and Wednesday the 18th, the eve festival “Yoimiya Kaiun Fukuju-sai” is held from 23:15 (attendance at the ceremony requires advance reservation).

According to Otori Shrine, the nearest stations are Iriya Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (about a 7-minute walk from North Exit 3) and Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express (about an 8-minute walk). The shrine says it is about 15 minutes from Asakusa Station on the Tobu Line, Ginza Line and Asakusa Line.

Thursday, December 17 – Saturday, December 19: Hagoita-Ichi at Senso-ji

According to Senso-ji, in the Edo period, stalls selling New Year goods and lucky charms gathered on the temple grounds on December 17 and 18, the fair days of Kannon, in what was called the “Toshi no Ichi” (year-end market). From around the late Edo period, more and more stalls sold hagoita (decorated battledores), and as the custom of presenting a hagoita to a family with a newborn girl spread, the battledores became the stars of the market.

Today, dozens of hagoita stalls still line the temple grounds, and the patter of the stallholders and their banter with customers have become a seasonal feature of Asakusa in December. The 18th is the last fair day of the year and is called “Osame no Kannon.”

Senso-ji illumination: Main Hall, Five-Story Pagoda, Hozomon Gate and Kaminarimon Gate until around 23:00

Senso-ji’s Main Hall, Five-Story Pagoda, Hozomon Gate and Kaminarimon Gate are illuminated every day from sunset until around 23:00. The illumination began on October 1, 2003, as part of a project marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Edo shogunate. The Main Hall is open 6:00–17:00 (from 6:30 from October to March), so at night visitors view the buildings from outside. During the projection mapping event, you can continue to walk the illuminated grounds after the projections end at 21:30. Routes for exploring at night, including the observation terrace of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center and Nitenmon Gate and Asakusa Shrine, which survive from the early Edo period, are covered in our guide to Asakusa at night.

Getting around and access

Senso-ji is about a 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station on the Tobu Skytree Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Tsukuba Express, and from Exit A4 of Asakusa Station on the Toei Asakusa Line. Senso-ji has no parking, and the organizers recommend using public transportation. The organizers note that on Saturday, October 31, Sunday, November 1 and Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), congestion on Nakamise-dori may make it take longer to reach Hozomon Gate.

If you visit on the final day, November 3, the following order is one option for a full day.

1. 11:30 or 14:40: Watch the White Heron Dance in the west plaza in front of the Main Hall

2. Until 15:30: See the large votive tablets and the original Kanbun Engi scroll in the Emado during the special viewing (last entry to the Emado 15:30)

3. From 17:00: Kinryu Yakai in the Denboin Garden, with dance performances every 30 minutes until 20:00

4. 18:00–21:30: Walk from Hozomon Gate to the Main Hall to see the two projection mapping shows

5. After 21:30: Admire the illuminated Main Hall and Five-Story Pagoda (until around 23:00)

Frequently asked questions

What can I see in Asakusa on November 3?

The White Heron Dance (11:30 and 14:40), the special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado (9:00–21:00; the Emado until 16:00) and the projection mapping on the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate (18:00–21:30) all take place on the same day. The projection mapping is free, and no advance registration is required.

Is the Senso-ji projection mapping free?

Yes, it is free and requires no advance registration. The concurrent special viewing of the Denboin Garden and Emado is charged and requires a date-specific ticket.

When is Tori-no-Ichi in 2026?

At Asakusa Otori Shrine, it is held twice: on the first Day of the Rooster, Saturday, November 7, and the second, Thursday, November 19. There is no third Day of the Rooster in 2026.

Until what time is Senso-ji illuminated?

The Main Hall, Five-Story Pagoda, Hozomon Gate and Kaminarimon Gate are illuminated every day from sunset until around 23:00.

Editor’s perspective

On the final day, November 3, the White Heron Dance takes place in the afternoon and projection mapping at night in the same temple grounds. According to Senso-ji, the White Heron Dance revives a dance depicted in the “Senso-ji Engi” (Kanbun Engi), and the nighttime videos also draw on the Kanbun Engi as one of their subjects. The same temple document, a 17th-century illustrated scroll of the temple’s origins, has provided the basis both for the revival of an event in the Showa era and for video productions in the Reiwa era. The original Kanbun Engi scroll can also be seen at the special viewing.

From autumn to year-end, Asakusa also hosts markets that have continued since the Edo period, such as Tori-no-Ichi and Hagoita-Ichi. The light event is limited to five days, but Senso-ji’s illumination continues every night. If you time your visit to an event day, you can experience two faces of Asakusa: traditional events by day and illuminated buildings by night. Other light events in Tokyo are introduced in our article on projection mapping and light events in Tokyo, and the care taken when projecting images onto cultural properties in our article on projection mapping at cultural properties.

Key information on the main events

ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026: Friday, October 30 – Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday), 18:00–21:30, Main Hall and Hozomon Gate of Senso-ji (2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo); free, no advance registration required. Official website: https://www.asakusaculturelights.com/
Special viewing of Senso-ji’s Denboin Garden (Place of Scenic Beauty) and Emado: Friday, October 30 – Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday), 9:00–21:00 (Emado until 16:00); same-day tickets ¥2,500 for adults and ¥1,000 for elementary and junior high school students
White Heron Dance: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday), 11:30 and 14:40, west plaza in front of Senso-ji’s Main Hall
Tori-no-Ichi: Saturday, November 7 and Thursday, November 19, 2026, 0:00–24:00 each day, Asakusa Otori Shrine (3-18-7 Senzoku, Taito-ku, Tokyo). Official website: https://otorisama.or.jp/
Hagoita-Ichi: Thursday, December 17 – Saturday, December 19, 2026, Senso-ji grounds
Senso-ji illumination: Every day from sunset to around 23:00 (Main Hall, Five-Story Pagoda, Hozomon Gate and Kaminarimon Gate)
*Information as of October 31, 2026. Please check each official website for the latest information.

*Top image: The illuminated Hozomon Gate and Five-Story Pagoda of Senso-ji, October 2013 (Photo: Yoshikazu TAKADA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on a press release from HITOHATA, INC. (October 28, 2026), the official website of “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026,” Senso-ji’s official website (temple dances, illumination notice, and Osame no Kannon fair day and Hagoita-Ichi), information from the Asakusa Tourism Federation (White Heron Dance performances) and Asakusa Otori Shrine’s official website (this year’s Tori-no-Ichi and access) (all accessed October 31, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026” and the “Special Viewing of Senso-ji’s Denboin Garden (Place of Scenic Beauty) and Emado,” featured in this article, are events planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

The latest information on events produced by HITOHATA, INC. is available at HITOHATA, INC.’s event information. Inquiries about planning projection mapping on cultural properties, government buildings and other urban buildings are accepted through the company’s contact form.