Oeshiki Festival at Ikegami Temple

Ikegami Honmonji is a Buddhist temple in Tokyo sacred to the Nichiren Sect of Mahayana Buddhism. Every year, it holds the magnificent O-Eshiki Festival, which commemorates the death of the sect's founder, Saint Nichiren.

The week-long festival climaxes on October 12th, when a grand parade stretches from Ikegami Station to the temple, full of musicians, dancers, and lit mando lanterns. The temple itself is lit up in impressive form, with priests leading chants at each of its many buildings. Over 300,000 people attend on this day, and the festivities last deep into the night.