All you need to know about Gion Festival - One of Japan’s Largest Celebrations

And when it comes to festivals in the summer, one that we definitely cannot miss out on is the Gion Matsuri or Gion Festival. Held annually in Tokyo, it is well known as one of the biggest and most famous festivals here in Japan. Since the festival is held throughout July, in this article, GoEMON will give you a brief introduction to it which hopefully will be useful to those planning to participate in the festivities this month! 

1. About Gion Festival

As previously mentioned, the Gion Festival, or 祇園祭り (Gion Matsuri), is one of Japan’s most grand and famous festivals. Held annually every July in Kyoto, the event has a long history dating back to over 1000 years ago. The earliest traces of the Gion Festival can be found in the year 869, which was the festival of Yakasa Shrine held to appease the gods during an epidemic outbreak. Over time, it has evolved into the Gion Festival that we all know and love today.

Source: Pinterest 

What’s interesting about the Gion Festival is that the event is held throughout the whole month of July, with its stage being the entirety of Kyoto. Amazing, right? Thus, this is also the reason why the festival is regarded as one of three of Japan’s largest festivals, along with the Tenjin Festival in Osaka and the Kanda Festival in Tokyo. 

2. Main events 

Yamaboko Junko Parade - Yamaboko Procession of Floats 

Although the Gion Festival has many interesting activities, the most famous and anticipated event is undeniably the Yamaboko Junko Parade or the Yamaboko Procession of Floats. And there is a reason for this popularity.  

Source: Patosan

Yamaboko refers to the two types of floats that are used in the procession of the festival, which are “yama” and “hoko.” The event features 23 yama and 10 hoko, which comes to a total of 33 floats. The hoko can be said to be the star of this parade due to its enormous size, which can even reach up to 25 meters high and weigh up to 12 tons! Coming to the Yamaboko Procession of Floats, visitors are sure to be impressed by the grandeur and sophistication of these floats, in which each individual one is delicately and carefully decorated in a specific theme 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 others gives the festival a vibrant and energetic mood.

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). Make sure to note down the time so that you don’t miss it! 

Yoiyama Festival Nights

Source: Pinterest

Another interesting event that you definitely should participate in during the Gion Festival is the Yoiyma Festival Nights, where the streets are closed to traffic and the area comes alive with many interesting festival activities, food stalls, and souvenir shops. The event is held on three evenings preceding each of the processions (July 14 to 16 for the first procession and July 21 to 23 for the second procession). However, do keep in mind that the Yoiyama Festival Nights for the first procession will be held on a slightly larger scale than that of the second procession. During this time, you can also visit the Yamaboko display and even enter to have a closer look inside the floats as well! 

3. Other events

Aside from the previously mentioned events, there are also other interesting activities that you can participate in during the Gion Festival, such as watching the assembling of the Yamaboko floats (July 10 - 14 for the first procession and July 18 to 21 for the second procession) or checking out the Mikoshi Purification on July 28.

Details on the events can be found on the festival’s official website right here: https://kyoto.travel/en/season_festivals/gion_matsuri.html#Outline%20of%20the%20festivities 

4. Things to keep in mind before attending the Gion Festival

• Crowd: As one of the most popular celebrations in the country, it is obvious that the Gion Festival will attract a huge crowd of people. This is all the more true considering the influx of foreign tourists to Japan these days. We don’t have any tips to give you on how to avoid the crowd during this period - it is practically impossible to, so this is just a reminder for you to keep this in mind so that you don’t get too shocked arriving in Kyoto. 
• 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! 
• 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!
• 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 this month!

Is anyone going to attend the Gion Festival? Let us know in the comments down below!

Don’t forget to follow GoEMON Global on our official Facebook for the latest updates on life in Japan via this link right here: https://www.facebook.com/GoEMONGlobal 

Cover Source: Klook