鞍馬火祭りThe annual Kurama Fire Festival takes place on the evening of October 22.
It is held at Yuki Jinja Shrine in the village of Kurama, which is in the mountains north of Kyoto.
The festival is thought to reenact the scene of receiving a deity that had travelled from the Imperial Palace to the village.
At 6 pm, fires are lit in front of the village houses. These "kagaribi" are lit and, in addition, people with small and large pine torches parade through the town.
The Kurama Fire Festival is one of the three "most eccentric festivals" of Kyoto. The other two are Yasurai Matsuri at Imamiya Jinja Shrine (on the second Sunday of April), and the Ushi Matsuri (Bull Festival) at Koryuiji Temple (which is currently suspended).
The highlight of the festival is the more than 250 three-meter tall pine torches. Like other festivals, there are portable shrines that are carried through the town.
For those cycling, it is possible to get into the town if one arrives prior to roughly 3 pm. At that point, the police close off the road.
By about 6 pm, cycling will be impossible due to the crowds. Moreover, the road is not reopened until after the festival, which means waiting until the wee hours of morning for the return ride.
© CycleKyoto.com
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Japan
Fire Festival
Kyoto
Cycle
Kurama
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