The Shinagawa Shukuba Festival, also known as the Shinagawa Shukuba Matsuri, is a festival celebrating Shinagawa’s history as the first rest stop on the Tokaidō Road heading south. What happens? The Tokaidō was Japan’s main east-west route linking Edo (Tokyo) with Kyoto during the Edo period. This is a fun excuse for the locals to put on fancy dress and pretend to be samurai, geisha, courtesans, and other historical characters. The Oiran Dochu -- courtesan procession -- won't happen in 2023. The festival will be happening on Saturday and Sunday along a stretch of the ‘Old Tokaidō’ (now a suburban street) between Shimbamba and Aomono Yokocho stations on the Keikyu Main Line.