Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward is packed with visitors offering prayers for “good business” on the morning of Jan. 4, the first working day of the year for many people. (Ryo Ikeda) ...

In Mikoshi-Miyairi, a highlight of the festival, mikoshi from different neighborhoods were carried into the Kanda Myojin shrine in Chiyoda Ward and spectators chanted as mikoshi went along.

Kanda Matsuri is one of Japan’s most celebrated festivals, held every two years in Tokyo. The festival honors Kanda Myojin ...

If anything, they did it on a grander scale.