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 ...

But Japan’s biggest summer festival, the month-long Gion Festival, is probably the most famous of them all.

Gion Matsuri was restored to its former glory in ... deities' journey from the shrine to their temporary abode during the festival, and another precedes their return. The festival's revival ...

Core Kyoto zooms in on the Hoka Hoko, one of the festival's 34 floats Fronting ... owl motif There are few festivals in the world like Gion Matsuri for its scope, grandeur and associated rituals.

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.