Koenji Welcomes In The Festive Spirits
One of the key highlights of the annual Koenji Fest, the Parade of One Hundred Yokai is the Kanto region’s largest monster parade — welcoming over 200 dedicated performers from all around Japan dressed up in yokai spirit costumes.
Also known as Tokyo Hyakki Yagyo, the parade is run by Yokai-ya, the company behind the Yuki-Onna Parade, Aizu Yokai Parade, Kawagoe Yokai Town Walk and many other monster-themed parades. The Koenji Yokai Parade will be hosted on October 25 from around 13:30 to 14:30 at the Koenji Look Shopping Street.
Yokai are supernatural beings, spirits and monsters from Japanese folklore. The parade presents a stunning display and celebration of traditional Japanese culture and theatrics, in conjunction with seasonal Halloween festivities. The Yokai Parade features a wide variety of characters, from shapeshifting fox spirits to tengu crows, yuki-onna and even one-eyed umbrella creatures.
The event schedule is listed as:
- 10:00: Changing rooms for performers
- 10:30: Yokai PR and exchange time
- 13:00: Meeting at the parade starting point and photo session
- 13:30: Parade lineup starts
- 14:30: Parade ends
- 14:55: Finale (currently being adjusted)
