Hino Shinsengumi Festival 2018

Have you ever heard about the Shinsengumi (新選組) before? They are considered to be Japan’s last samurai, a special force who once policed the streets of the ancient capital Kyoto in the late 19th century. So, usually you would try to find their remains in Kyoto. But if you are in Tokyo, surpringsingly, you also can find them. Just about a 30-minute train ride away from Shinjuku you will find Hino City, where the young men came together before being sent out to Kyoto. And even some of the Shinsengumi leaders came from the city

Once a year, in the middle of May, the Hino Shinsengumi Festival is held to remember this. I had the chance to visit the festival this year, with organizers already celebrating the 21st anniversary of the festival.

There are two main locations for the festival. One is the Takahata Fudoson Temple which provides really nice scenery with its red pagoda. You could see the different groups customized as members of Shinsengumi all around the area, also including a small parade through the streets. For visitors it was possible to rent a yukata for free or get a whole make-over with kimono, make-up, and hair styling (which costs some money). I choose a free yukata and took the chance to take some nice photos around the temple area.

The other location is the city of Hino itself. From Hino Station you can walk along the festival road including several food stands where you can take a break. The main parade was held there including a competition between the teams shouting “Ei-ei-o!”. It was great to watch it, especially because some groups made special performances. Unfortunately, it started raining during the parade this year, so we decided to leave…

All in all, I enjoyed the Hino Shinsengumi Festival a lot. Especially, because it was not as crowded as you might be used to with the big festivals in Tokyo. It was super relaxed and I am thinking about going there again next year.