If there's one thing you absolutely have to experience while in Japan, it's one of the many matsuri--or festivals--that take place throughout the year. The Gion Matsuri is quite commonly associated with Kyoto's summer because it is the biggest and most important one within Kyoto. It is also one of the three largest matsuri in Japan along with the Tenjin Matsuri (Osaka) and the Kanda Matsuri (Tokyo). This spectacular festival takes place throughout the entire month of July with the main parade occurring on the 17th every year. The main parade has consisted of two parades (Saki Matsuri and Ato Matsuri) combined into one for many years, but that changed in 2014. The Ato Matsuri, which takes place a week after the Saki Matsuri (the main one), was revived and while the number of floats aren't as much, it is still incredibly impressive to experience.
My friend and I were supposed to go to the Gion Matsuri on the 17th, but were forced to cancel because of the continuous pouring rain that went on for the entire day. We went a week later for the Ato Matsuri and the weather was perfect :) People transfer the deity from one shrine to a special place in a ritual called Shinko-sai Festival (Saki Matsuri) and return it during the Kanko-sai Festival (Ato Matsuri). Despite arriving at 7:30 in the morning to get decent spots, the streets were already quite crowded with people who were anxiously waiting for the matsuri to start at 9:00. Lots of photos to show so I hope you all enjoy!
Trying to nab the perfect shot :)
Pulling the float around a corner is quite tricky.They first place thin, flat bamboo sticks under the wheels...
Then make sure everything is set before they pull
Last float! :)
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week!
No comments:
Post a Comment