One of Tokyo’s three biggest festivals, the Sanno festival is held in even-numbered years, alternating with the Kanda festival. Thousands of people dressed in Heian-period costume (794-1185) congregate in and around Hie Shrine, which moved to its current site from within the walls of old Edo Castle in 1659. As a result, participants in the parade on the first day of the festival are granted the rare privilege of entering the imperial palace, which stands on the site of Edo Castle.
