Gion+Festival

My Reflection - I was very excited to be in Kyoto for the Gion Festival and was looking forward to it as a highlight of our trip. Part of my experience exceeded my expectation, and part of my experience was a let down. The part that I really enjoyed was going to see the floats and the street festival the night of July 16 - before the parade. I found the way the floats were fastened together with ropes that were so elaborately tied was fascinating. The huge crowd with so many people in traditional Japanese dress was so colorful, and in spite of the press of the crowds, people were still considerate and polite. Seeing all of the food booths was interesting because there were some things one might find at an American street festival, like cotton candy and french fries, while there were also foods that seemed very unusual to me, like big chunks of pineapple on a stick or Turkish ice cream. I would have liked to have had more time at the street festival before we had to leave for the evening performance. I also liked Amy's "sunshine stick" that served to help us locate her and to stay somewhat close to one another in that huge crowd. The parade the next day was a disappointment to me. I knew it would be hot, but I was hoping the excitement would help us to overcome being uncomfortable. I was not prepared for the long wait, not just for the first float to appear, but the waits between floats and the seemingly senseless stopping of the parade. It was quite different than an American parade, which moves along and has lots of entertainment. I think the religious nature of the parade was noticeable with the participants passing out "good luck" charms to the crowd, and perhaps it is the different purpose of the parade that led to a different way of carrying out the parade. The floats themselves were beautiful and amazing, and I was glad to see some of them from fairly close. I would have liked to stay longer IF the parade had been moving along. However, with the seeminly interminable waits when the parade stopped, I was ready to go elsewhere when we decided to leave. Finally, I was amazed to find out that 420,000 people had come to Kyoto for the festival! I did feel like all of them were on the subway with us - especially when we almost didn't get Dean on the train with the rest of our group. He said he couldn't fit on the subway car and a couple of us grabbed him and pulled him on just as the doors were closing - I'm still not sure how all those people fit in that subway car! ​ **Gion Festival (Kyoto)** ​ The Kyoto Gion festival was started in 869 A.D when a bad plague spread in Kyoto. In the first festival, young men carried numbers of wooden floats as a divine intervention to stop the plague. The plague soon ended, and this event became a popular festival. In the Edo Era, the current form of the decorated floats appeared in the festival. The festival lasts for nearly all of July, with dancing and festivities nightly.

The highlights of the Kyoto Gion Matsuri festival are Yoi-yama on the 16th and Yamahoko-junko on the 17th. Yamahoko-junko is the procession of colorful floats through downtown Kyoto. The floats are pulled through the streets by teams of men dressed in traditional costumes. Each of the large floats carries musicians. The floats are decorated with tapestries or fabrics from Nishijin, Kyoto. Many of them were imported from India, Belgium, Persia, Turkey and other countries in the 15th century. The procession usually starts around 9 a.m. from the Shijo-Karasuma. We are scheduled to SEE THIS PARADE from reserved seats!!!

There are two kinds of floats: yama and hoko. Yama are smaller floats (weight: 1.2 ton - 1.6 ton, height: about 6m) and carried by people on their shoulders. Hoko are giant floats (weight: 4.8 ton - 12 ton, height: about 25m) on large wooden wheels and pulled by people. There are 32 floats in the procession: 25 yama floats and 7 hoko floats. The most interesting thing to see during Yamahoko-junko is the turns of big floats called tsujimawashi take place in intersections. Men pulling the floats chant loudly, "yoi, yoi, yoi to sei" accompanied with traditional Japanese music played by people who are on the floats.

The reports of the Gion Festival also note that it is very hot and humid in Kyoto and will be very crowded on July 17 - so wear a hat and sunscreen, bring your water bottles, and be prepared to sweat.

Credits: [] and a variety of other websites for photos, descriptions from travelers, etc.