京都祇園祭２０１２年７月１７日Kyoto's Gion Festival runs for the entire month of July but peaks today.
It is one of the best known festivals in Japan, and climaxes on the 17th with the parade of the massive floats known as Yamaboko.
The end of the annual rainy season, according to Kyotoites, arrives just prior to the 17th.
The festival has its origins in a purification ritual (goryo-e). Following frequent outbreaks of pestilence that killed many in the torrid summer months, in the 9th century the Emperor Seiwa ordered that all pray to appease the gods as a way of warding off more death.
In 869 C.E., residents of Miyako thus prayed at Yasaka Shrine in Gion. Sixty-six elaborate halberds - one for each of the provinces of the country - were prepared and erected in a garden at the shrine.
This was repeated thereafter any time there was an outbreak of disease or a disaster. Then, in 970, it became an annual event.
Today, the festival is driven heavily by tourist yen (dollars and won, and renminbi and euros). The 17th is a crowded day of watching men pull around the large floats in downtown Kyoto under blistering heat.
In our opinion, a better option - too late for this year - are the three nights that precede the 17th, known as yoiyama. On these nights, vehicular traffic in central Kyoto is prohibited and hundreds of thousands of people turn out to see the floats, which are out on display in this period.
© CycleKyoto.com
Tags Japan Touring Kyoto Cycle Japanese
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