Festivals often allow people to escape their everyday lives and experience the color and cultures of the world without having to travel. In 2020, however, such opportunities — like many other forms of entertainment and relaxation — were limited by the coronavirus pandemic.
One such festival was the Asakusa Samba Carnival, a late-summer Tokyo highlight that sees high-tempo Brazilian rhythms filling the streets of Asakusa, a popular tourist spot in the capital.
After scrapping 2020's event, organizers said in December they would postpone the 2021 iteration until the pandemic has passed, announcing the decision more than half a year before the event was to be held in September.