All about Kyoto Gion Matsuri - One of Japan’s Biggest Festivals
Have you ever heard about Gion Matsuri or Gion Festival? Held annually in Kyoto, the festival is widely regarded as the most famous festival here in Japan.
In this article, GoEMON will give you a brief introduction to Kyoto Gion Festival, which hopefully will be useful to those planning to attend it next month!
1. About Kyoto Gion Festival
Kyoto Gion Matsuri or Kyoto Gion Festival in English is Japan’s most famous festival, held annually every July in Kyoto. With a long history dating back to over 1000 years ago, it is a large-scale festival with its stage being the entirety of the city of Kyoto. It is the festival of Yakasa Shrine, which was first held in the year 869 to appease the gods during an epidemic outbreak.
The festival is also regarded as 1 in 3 of Japan’s largest festivals, along with Tenjin Festival in Osaka and Kanda Festival in Tokyo. It was also inscribed as a World Heritage Event by UNESCO.
2. Yamaboko Procession of Floats
Although there are many activities during the Gion Festival, the most famous and anticipated one is undeniably the Yamaboko Procession of Floats - Yamaboko Junko.
Yamaboko refers to the two types of floats that are used in the procession of the festival. It can reach up to 25 meters high and weigh up to even 12 tons! Coming to the Yamaboko Procession of Floats, visitors are sure to be amazed by the grandeur and large number of floats there, or 33 in total! Each float will be delicately and carefully decorated in a specific theme, which is based on different traditional Japanese myths and legends.
Each float will be carried by roughly 40 to 50 people, with an additional 40 to 50 people sitting and performing inside of the Yamaboko. The melodious combination of different musical instruments, such as drums, flutes, bells, and so on, truly helps elevate the vibrant mood of the festival.
The Yamaboko Junko takes place between 9 AM - 1 PM on the 17th (first procession) and 9:30 AM to 11:50 PM on the 24th (second procession).
3. Other events
Aside from the major Yamaboko Junko, there are also other events that you can enjoy during Gion Matsuri.
- Watch the assembling of the Yamaboko floats (July 10 - 14 for the first procession and July 18 to 21 for the second procession)
- Visit the Yamaboko display during the three days preceding the procession (July 14 to 16 for the first procession and July 21 to 23 for the second procession). During this period, visitors can also enter to have a look inside the floats as well!
- Check the Mikoshi Purification on July 10
4. Things to keep in mind before attending Gion Festival
- Number 1 - Bathroom: Despite being one of the biggest festivals in Japan, visitors will have a hard time finding public toilets here. You can use train station or convenience store toilets, or simply relieve yourself at home before heading out to the festival!
- Number 2 - Watch out for the rain: During this period, Japan often has sudden rains during the late afternoons and early evenings. Therefore, don’t forget to bring along a folding umbrella to shield yourself from the rain!
- Number 3 - Money: This is a reminder for you to prepare small changes to buy foods and drinks at the Yatai and souvenir shops available at the festival.
In this article, GoEMON has introduced you to Kyoto Gion Matsuri - one of the biggest festivals in Japan. We hope that the article was of use to those who are planning to attend it next month!
Is anyone going to attend the Gion Matsuri? Let us know in the comments down below!
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