Dear Alice,
Last month, I was one of the two million spectators in Asakusa for the Sanja Matsuri. It was thrilling to see the festival up close, but the crowd was so thick that sometimes I couldn’t move. At one point I found myself pinned by the big red inner gate at Sensoji Temple, giving me plenty of time to ponder the gigantic straw sandals hanging on either side of it. Can you tell me why the heck oversize footwear adorns a temple gate?
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see out this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.