Hanazono “Tori no ichi“ Festival - Shinjuku ᴴᴰ ● 花園神社 酉の市 新宿

► Have a look at the 2015 edition of the “Tori no Ichi“ festival, at Shinjuku’s Hanazono Shrine. It’s nowhere near as famous (among tourists) as Asakusa’s Sanja Matsuri or Shinjuku’s Eisa Matsuri festivals. But make no mistake, this is a very important “religious event meets market“ for the Japanese. It’s basically one huge outdoor market surrounding the shrine, offering all sorts of good luck charms (“Kumade“) the visitors buys, when going to the shrine praying, leaving the charms there. As with all even