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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Cycling Kyoto Daimonji Festival

Kyoto Daimonji自転車で大文字へ

The Daimonji Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji Bonfire) is an annual event held in Kyoto on the evening of August 16th.

On this night, large Chinese characters and other motifs that have been carved into the hills that surround Kyoto are lit at 8 pm.

This signals the end of the annual "Bon" period when the souls of departed ancestors return.

The lit characters guide one's ancestors back on their journey to the other world for another year.

The character "dai" ("large") is pictured above right on Mt. Hiei.

In addition to Chinese characters, there are a ship-like motif on Mt. Funayama at Nishi Kamo and a torii gate motif.

The fires burn for about 30 minutes on each of the mountains.

Light Up Times

Daimonji - 8:00 pm 
Myojo - 8:10 pm
Funagata - 8:15 pm
Hidari Daimonji - 8:15 pm
Tori Igata - 8:20 pm

Information

The best place to see all the bonfires from the upper floors of downtown hotels. A pleasant alternative is to go to the Kamo River prior to 8 pm. It will be crowded with people on blankets, drinking beer or juice and waiting for the fires. It is not possible to see all the fires, but the vibe is magic.

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