One of numerous Gion Festival iconic events: the spectacular Ato Matsuri floats procession on July 24. The spectacular Ato Matsuri floats procession, an iconic part of the Gion Festival. [/caption]Dating to 869 C.E., Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri shines as a beacon of more...
Update: See the latest blog on Gion Matsuri 2022 here. Gion Festival fans around the world are wondering: will there be a Gion Matsuri 2022? What kind of shape will it take? We won’t know until the Gion Matsuri Yamaboko Rengokai (Gion Festival Floats...
The Yasaka Jinja is usually buzzing with visitors during the Gion Festival, but not in 2021. Image courtesy Jorie Johnson. No doubt the Gion Festival community and Kyoto authorities felt heartbroken to scale back the Gion Festival 2021 due to covid. Of course, this...
Gion Matsuri 2021: festival-goers pay respects at the festival’s parent Yasaka Shrine. Are they praying for an end to covid, the Gion Festival’s original purpose? Image courtesy Jorie Johnson. Here’s a covid update on the Gion Festival 2021. Priding...
Though the Gion Festival floats processions have been canceled in 2021 for the second year in a row due to covid, Gion Festival Yamaboko Floats Association officials and Yasaka Shrine representatives announced that 18 floats would be constructed and decorated this...
KYOTO––The 2021 Gion Festival will again be held on a much smaller scale than usual, same as 2020. Once more this is due to the covid virus and concerns about it spreading in public gatherings. The highlights of the annual festival are the processions of the gigantic...