A traveller’s guide to Gion Matsuri, Kyoto’s famous festival

The Gion festival, or Gion Matsuri, is a month-long celebration taking place in Kyoto, centred around the Yasaka Shrine in the city’s Gion district. The festival features a string of events and festivities, including street parties, culminating in the Yamaboko Junko, the main processions of the floats, with Saki Matsuri on July 17, and the second procession, or Ato Matsuri, on July 24. The float procession itself is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Gion Matsuri originated in 869CE as a Shinto ritual aiming to appease the gods during a plague epidemic. It was thought that angry spirits were spreading illness to punish Kyoto, so the emperor called for a ritual involving 66 hoko (spears or flags) representing each region, to make peace with the spirits.

The ritual was repeated when another plague broke out, becoming an annual event by around 970CE. Although it takes place towards the end of Japan’s wettest season, the rains were considered a way of purifying the area, and the festival continues whatever the weather (which can also be very hot and humid by the main parades).

There are still links to its religious origins today. A local boy is selected as the divine child, a messenger to the gods, who takes part in many events and cannot set foot on the ground from July 13 until he has been paraded through the town on July 17.

Gion Matsuri takes place for the whole month of July, although there are certain key dates to be aware of during the month. The festival begins on July 1 with the Kippu-iri ritual, before a series of yoiyama street parties with food stalls running in the evenings of the three days leading up to July 17 for the main float procession. Saki Matsuri, the main float procession takes place from 9am-1pm on July 17, with the huge multi-ton floats parading. In the days preceding yoiyama, you can also see the floats being assembled.

There’s also a procession of mikoshi, or portable shrines, from Yasaka Shrine from 6pm on July 17.

The Yoiyama street parties repeat the following week leading up to the second and smaller float procession, Ato Matsuri on the morning of July 24, usually from around 9.30am. The festival then officially ends on July 31.

The rituals originally focused on the Yasaka Shrine in the Gion district, whose portable shrine (or mikoshi) was carried as part of the earliest processions. Today, floats are displayed in the area around Karasuma and Shijo streets on the other side of the Kamo River for three days before the procession.

During the parades themselves, the floats follow a 3km route starting at Karasuma Station, along Shijo, Kawaramachi and Oike streets, ending near Karasuma Oike Station. There is some paid seating along the route, but otherwise it’s free to watch, with the corners along the route being particularly popular as floats have to be lifted around the bends.

The mikoshi procession starts at Yasaka Shrine and ends at Yasaka-jinja Shrine Otabisho, just over a kilometre away, with portable shrines carried on the shoulders of local men and passing along as many streets as possible to ensure a greater number of people are protected. The procession then returns on July 24.

Yes tourists are welcome to watch the Gion festival and take part in the yoiyama parties as well as other parts of the festivities. While you can’t join the procession of floats, the festival atmosphere in Kyoto during the Gion Matsuri makes it a great time to visit.

The key part of Gion Matsuri is the procession of the floats, or yamaboko, referring to the two types of floats used. The biggest, the hoko, can be up to 25m tall and weigh as much as 12 tons, with wheels as large as the people pulling the floats. Both yama and hoko floats are elaborately decorated with woven fabric, eye-catching textiles, sculptures and other traditional crafts with unique themes that change from year to year.

The two processions feature around 23 yama and 10 hoko in total, with 23 appearing in the first, larger parade on July 17, and the remaining 10 in the second procession on July 24.

The three nights leading up to the processions are known as Yoiyoiyoiyama (on July 14 and 21), Yoiyoiyama (on July 15 and 22) and Yoiyama (on July 16 and 23), the streets are closed to traffic, and you’ll find food and drink stalls and a party atmosphere, as well as the finished floats on display. The second dates tend to be smaller with fewer road closures and stands.

Visitors can also watch the floats being assembled each year, done from scratch without using any nails, from July 10-14 and July 18-21. The Shijo-Karasuma area is a good place to look, although the Kyoto Tourist office often creates a map of locations around the city too.

One of the other highlights of Gion Matsuri is the Byobu Matsuri, or the folding screen festival, which takes place on the same days as Yoiyama. Families in the Shinmachi and Muromachi areas show off traditional treasures, including screens and kimonos, either inside or in front of their houses during this period, while some people will also display art collection.

You can also see the mikoshi procession from Yasaka Shrine which ends at Yasaka-jinja Shrine Otabisho, on July 17, returning again on July 24.

The Yasaka Shrine itself is relatively small, so it’s normally easy to visit in around 20 minutes, and is particularly pretty lit up at night by illuminated lanterns. If you’re visiting during Gion Matsuri, it’s unsurprisingly popular, so you’ll find much bigger crowds and may want to allow longer to look around.

There are no specific rules for tourists visiting Gion Matsuri, although you should be aware of the usual cultural differences and accepted behaviour in Japan. Visitors aren’t expected to wear any particular clothing, although light cotton yukata can be a great way to stay comfortable and get into the festival spirit. This summer kimono is different from the lightweight bath robes used at onsen, but they’re easy to find in Kyoto.

The temperatures can be very hot and humid, especially during the second half of July, with more rain during the first half of the month, so it’s wise to come prepared with an umbrella, hat and plenty of water.

Ordinarily, eating and drinking while walking in the street is frowned upon in Japan, but if you’re enjoying the yoiyama parties, it’s fine to buy food from the stalls and eat it as you stroll to the next ones as part of the celebrations. Many stalls will have small tables too, and it can also be easier to stand to the side of the street to eat rather than trying to do it in the crowds though.

Once the parade itself has started, you aren’t allowed to cross the street, but it’s usually easy to walk along the edge of the parade route until you find a side street if you want to leave. It’s well worth bringing a small folding chair for the route as the procession takes hours, but all visitors are expected to have consideration for others so always limit the amount of space you use, avoid blocking the route and share front row views. Most people will be happy to save your space if you need to leave briefly to get more drinks or for a bathroom break, but it’s best to plan to stay in one spot.

The Gion Matsuri started as a religious ritual, and its spiritual significance is still an important part of the festival, so be mindful that all visitors are expected to treat the floats and participants with respect. Pointing with a finger is also considered rude, so if you are gesturing to something, use your whole hand, open and palm upwards.

It’s also a good idea to keep small change if you’re planning to collect goshuin, stamps from various temples, shrines and float houses, as a small donation (around 100 yen, which is approximately 50p)

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