Kyoto Gion Festival Tours & Travel 2024

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Club Tourism's Kyoto Travel and Tour Specials! We support you with a tour guide. We will guide on famous landmarks such as Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, Arashiyama, Sagano Scenic Railway, Sanjusangendo, Byodoin Temple, and Kifune shrines, as well as the information about the three major festivals in Kyoto, local specialties, and souvenirs. Searching and booking tours is also easy.

Kyoto 3 Great Festivals: Kyoto Gozan Okuribi

What is the Gion Festival?

Event period: Every Jul.

The Gion Festival is a festival held at Yasaka Shrine, and is said to have begun approximately 1,100 years ago when 66 spears, one for each province in Japan, were erected and a memorial service was held to ward off epidemics.
The Gion Festival begins with the Kippuiri ceremony on Jul. 1st and continues for one month, with various religious ceremonies and events taking place until the Eki Shrine Summer End Festival on the 31st.

Gion Festival, Torihoko and Tsukihoko (Image /© Kyoto City Tourism Association)

A specialty of the Gion Festival: "Chimaki"
It is said that if you display it at your front door, you will be protected from misfortune and disaster for a year and be granted the blessings of each float.
The town becomes a museum during the Byobu Festival (first festival: Jul. 14th to 16th / second festival: Jul. 21st to 23rd)
The Byobu Festival is a festival during the Yoiyama period where art furnishings owned by long-established businesses and families in the city are open to the public, allowing visitors to experience the traditional culture passed down by the people of Kyoto and the lifestyle of the people who have supported the Gion Festival to this day.
A gorgeous and spectacular Yamahoko procession called a "moving art museum" (first festival: Jul. 17th / second festival: Jul. 24th)
The 34 floats in all are known as "moving art museums," and the splendor of their decorations, including gorgeous metalwork, beautiful embroidery, and imported textiles, is a sight to behold.
The powerful "Tsujimawashi"
"Tsujimawashi" is a spectacular performance in which a 10-ton float is turned around to change direction.