Hello everyone, this is KOTO Kyoto.

In July, we have entered the second half of 2021. We can’t believe it’s already July. Doesn’t time fly?

Live each day to the fullest.

 

 Now, talking of July in Kyoto, the  “Gion Matsuri(festival)“ is one of the biggest festivals which takes place over the entire month of July.
This festival of Yasaka Shrine in the center of Kyoto, when epidemics including Kyoto are prevalent in Japanese various places in 869, it is the origin for it to have been connected with the number 66 nation of a country of those days, saying “This is a curse of Gion”, to have stood 66 arms, to have deified God of Gion, and to have prayed removal of a calamity. The Gion festival hold from “Kippu-IRI” on 1st July to “Ekijinjya-nagosisai ”on 31rh July and various kinds of divine work and events develop over one month.

Out of all them, the highlights of the festivals are the “Mikoshi-Watari” on 17th July and the “Yamahoko-cruise“(33 festive floats cruise) on 24th July.
With a history of more than one thousand years, the “Gion Matsuri” and “Yamahoko-cruise” are recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
in a fixed place in the center of the city.

From the Yama and Hoko floats, a unique fushimawashi(intonation) of “Konchikichin♪”, the festival music known as Gion bayashi is heard. It signals the arrival of summer in Kyoto.

This month, we will talk about the wonderful things about our favorite “Gion Matsuri” little by little.

See you next time!