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Edited by: Declan Murphy Recommended: Suggested Itineraries Favorite Kyoto moments... Best ways to get there Kyoto Photogallery Newsgroups: fj.rec.travel.japan, Alt-FAQ Bulletin Boards: Fun/Clubs/nightlife Accommodation/Discounts

"Evening began to fall. "The Gion music will soon begin," said the elder daughter. "I can't imagine living any place where I would be out of earshot of the Gion music in summer." That rules out the rest of the world, and even most of Kyoto, other than a few square blocks."
Alex Kerr, Lost Japan

Introduction

Yasaka (Gion) Shrine | Gion Festival | Maruyama park | Pleasure quarters | Pontocho | Teramachi | Shijo Street Shopping

Gion Festival and other events

Gion Festival: The Gion Festival is over 1100 years old and is the most spectacular of the ceremonies involving Yasaka Shrine. It originates from an epidemic in the year 869 when the chief priest of the Yasaka shrine led a procession of citizens throught the city trying to placate the gods and praying for an end to the plaque - the epidemic subsided, and the festival has been popular ever since. The festival begins July 2nd each year. On this day the portable shrines known as Mikoshi are hauled from their storage sheds and blessed. The most important Mikoshi is carried down to the Kamogawa river on July 10th and is purefied in a ceremony conducted by the chief priest. The Mikoshi is then carried back to Yasaka Shrine on the shoulders of the same young men who brought it to the river. Also on July 10th, three Mikoshi are carried from the shrine to City Hall and the festival starts. Carrying lanterns on very long poles and wearing traditional dress, the participants escort the Mikoshi in a parade and dance groups perform in front of the City Hall. The main part of the festival is from July 15th to 17th. For the first two days the festival carts are lined up in Shijo-dori west of the river - you can get up close and have a good look. There is music and fun every night. On the morning of the third day the parade begins and many carts, mikoshi and other floats parade along Kawaramachi-dori and Oike-dori streets. If you have the money, you can reserve seats in stands set up along Oike-dori (need to be quick though). All in all it is a colorful and exciting festival.

Video:   New Year at Yasaka Shrine

New Years Eve: The most popular place for the midnight countdown and subsequent Hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the year) is of course Gion-san itself, the Yasaka shrine. If you want to countdown within sight of the Hondo then you need to arrive around 11:30pm (its cold... wear warm clothing). There is an enormous crush of people but a festive atmosphere, this is mostly a young crowd. At the stroke of midnight coins are thrown towards the Honden (getting close enough to put them in the offering boxes is out of the question) and from there the crowds surge on into Maruyama park. Here you can buy beers, listen or dance to buskers (some are very good) and soak up the atmosphere. One fun thing to do is to buy one of the thin straw ropes on sale everywhere. A herb called okera is burned in the shrine's lanterns from 8pm on the 31st through to dawn the next day. In the past, it was the custom to come to the shrine and light a straw rope from the lanterns (or try to obtain a few embers) and go home to light the hearth for the first meal of the new year. The combination of the sacred fire and rice cakes boiled with vegetables (a dish known as zoni) would ensure health and happiness for the next year. Many other temples and shrines are also open all night, for more fun and adventure try a temple/shrine crawl (take your burning rope with you...) If your hangover isn't too bad, revisit Yasaka shrine the next day. Many women wear Kimono, and the maiko (apprentice geisha) wear black kimono with white patterns and ears of rice in their hair to mark the New Year.

Setsubun: On February 3rd and 4th, this celebration marks the passing of the coldest part of winter and the beginning of Spring. Roasted beans are scattered to drive away demons and wish good luck. On the evening of the 4th there is a big bonfire at Yasaka Shrine which ends the festival.

Ochatsubo Dochu Ceremony: Held on May 2nd, this is the "Traveling Tea Canister" ceremony. Until they lost power in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the Tokugawa Shoguns required the tea dealers from the city of Uji (Uji is famous not only for Heian period architecture such as Byoudoin but also for its green tea) to present the first tea leaves picked (and therefore guarantee that the shogun would be drinking the freshest tea) to his storemen. These were delivered packed in large ceramic containers. The event has been renewed and the tea is paraded from Kennin-ji temple along Yamato-oji-dori to Shijo-dori (4th street) and then across the river to Yasaka Shrine.

Yasaka (Gion) Shrine | Gion Festival | Maruyama park | Pleasure quarters | Pontocho | Teramachi | Shijo Street Shopping

1: From Kyoto Station:

Take the XXXX subway line to XXXX Station or take the #206 or #207 bus to the Gion bus stop.

2: From Okazaki:

Take the Kaisoku (Express) from JR Okazaki Station to JR Mikawa Anjo (10 minutes) or JR Nagoya Station (28 minutes). Change to a west bound Kodama shinkansen. Then take the XXXX subway line to Shijo Station. As of writing, the tickets cost XXXX yen one way and the journey takes about XXXX minutes not including the train change.

Tours - The Japan Discovery Tours visits the Gion Matsuri
Click here for more information regarding when Discovery visits this destination.

Photographs and contributions

Do you have good photographs or a story to share about Kyoto?   Please share it with us.

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Disclaimer and Request:

Opening hours, prices, booking procedures, schedules etc are subject to changes beyond our control. This site is just a guide, and we advise that you always check and confirm in advance. Suggestions, additions and correction of errors are always welcome. Please contact us.