Niiname-sai (Harvest Festival)

About this event

The Niiname-sai harvest thanksgiving ceremony at Meiji Shrine is one of Japan's most important imperial rituals, held each November 23rd. Newly harvested rice and other crops are offered to the deities enshrined there in gratitude for the year's bountiful harvest. The ceremony reflects the centuries-old bond between the Japanese imperial tradition and agricultural culture.