he 23rd Shinjuku Eisa Festival took place on Saturday, July 25. The daytime performances were held on Shinjuku-dori Avenue, while the evening events spanned six venues across the east and west sides of Shinjuku Station, including the Godzilla Road venue in Kabukicho.
To combat the recent intense heat, organizers implemented measures such as setting up first-aid stations and distributing ice slushies to performers. Additionally, the schedule was shifted back by one hour?starting at 1:00 PM (with daytime performances beginning at 2:00 PM) instead of the usual 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM timeframe. While the opening ceremony coincided with the hottest part of the day, the decision to schedule group performances from 2:00 PM onwards allowed them to dance as temperatures gradually cooled. Although the temperature reached 37°C around 2:00 PM, the presence of a breeze afterward likely helped mitigate some of the heat-related risks.
The Kabukicho venue was located at the far end of Godzilla Road (Central Road), near the Shinjuku Toho Building, with events running from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. While daytime performance slots were 10 minutes long, the evening slots were extended to 15 minutes, allowing the audience to enjoy the performances at a more leisurely pace.

This video features the finale at the Kabukicho venue, performed by the Asahi-ku seinen-kai from Okinawa. While many groups perform modern, creative interpretations of Eisa, the traditional style stands out; every movement is beautiful and truly evokes the spirit of Okinawa.
You can watch performances by other groups at the URL below:
Shinjuku's Hottest Day: Shinjuku Eisa Festival | Official Archive (2008?2026)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Nz5nNXM9Wp_InMy9wx_gSFVbHw-_NPk&si=6PiK_8Mv9dQ4FRf1

Although the Shinjuku Eisa Festival began in 2001, our video archives date back to 2008. Please note that while Facebook limits viewing to 2K resolution, the videos are available in 4K on YouTube.
With this early-summer event now concluded, we turn our attention to the upcoming Kabukicho BONODORI, scheduled for August 14 and 15.