Kyoto Gion Festival 2024 is set to be a spectacular celebration, continuing its centuries-old tradition with vibrant parades, cultural events, and breathtaking displays.
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Overview of Kyoto Gion Festival
The Gion Festival is a month-long event that takes place every July at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. It's one of Japan's three major festivals and attracts many people from Japan and abroad every year.
The three major festivals in Japan are the Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo, the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto, and the Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka.
History and Significance of the Festival
The origins of the Gion Festival date back to the Heian period in 864. At that time, Kyoto faced a dire situation, with many people dying due to epidemics and natural disasters. People performed a ritual to quell the anger of the spirits believed to cause these disasters, and this started the Gion Festival
Highlights of the Festival
The main event of the Gion Festival is the Yamahoko parade, featuring 23 large, gorgeous floats. These floats, also known as 'moving museums,' are adorned with beautiful embroidery and other decorations. The sight of 23 floats, with the largest one weighing over 12 tons, cruising through the streets of Kyoto is truly spectacular. The parade takes place twice, as a pre-festival and a post-festival event.
In addition, the Yamahoko event, including the Yamahoko parade of the Kyoto Gion Festival, was designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property in 1979. Furthermore, in 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) registered it as an intangible cultural heritage.
The pre-festival is to welcome the divine spirits from the shrine, and the post-festival is to send the divine spirits back to the shrine.
How to Get There from Tokyo
From Tokyo, you can easily reach Kyoto Prefecture, the site of the Kyoto Gion Festival 2024, by Shinkansen.
Shinkansen
Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen
Travel time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Dates and Schedule for Kyoto Gion Festival 2024
Dates: July 1 - July 31
Yamahoko Parade:
July 17 (pre-festival): 9:00 am - 11:20 am
July 24 (post-festival): 9:30 am - 11:20 am
Venue: Kyoto (around Yasaka Shrine)
Yamahoko Parade Route:
Entry: Free (Reserved seats are available for the Yamahoko Parade. Please check the official website for more details)
Official Website: Gion Matsuri Official Website (Japanese)