Gion Matsuri was restored to its former glory in 2014, almost 50 years after its two processions were merged into one. Again one parade precedes the deities' journey from the shrine to their ...

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto: a thousand-year-old tradition and the most famous matsuri Kyoto's Gion Matsuri, a star among Japanese festivals, takes place in July. Dating back over a thousand years ...

Core Kyoto narrator Gary Tegler gets a close-up look at the Gion Matsuri, which began over 1,000 years ago, as he unravels the mystery of the decorations and meets the foreign volunteers.

Spectators in the seats can get a close look at the float procession, called “Yamahoko Junko,” and the turns during the Saki Matsuri (the first climactic part of the Gion Festival) on July 17.

The Gion Festival Yamahoko Association expects that more than 1 million spectators will come during the Saki Matsuri, the Ato Matsuri and the Yoiyama (festival eve) period. “I’m looking ...