Man held for riding on "mikoshi"

Article title: Man held for riding on "mikoshi"

Source: The Japan Times Online

Published: Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Downloaded from: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070522a9.html on Wednesday, may 23 at 0:10 am

A 56-year-old man was arrested for getting on a “mikoshi” portable shrine and causing a disturbance during the Sanja Matsuri festival in Tokyo. That festival which is the annual event is one of Japan’s biggest festivals. Asakusa shrine that is the organizer of that festival proposed cancelling this year’s festival following an incident last year in which carrying bars broke after some people got on a mikoshi. But it decided to hold the festival as usual as participants submitted a pledge not to ride on mikoshi. Depite the pledge, 25 people rode on a mikoshi during Sunday’s event. Two other men were arrested on charges of insisting with police officers who tried to get people off mikoshi.