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 ...

The Gion Festival has two climactic parts to it: the Saki Matsuri (first festival) and the Ato Matsuri (latter festival). Each part culminates in a massive parade of floats called the “Yamahoko ...

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

Japan comes alive with matsuri, festivals that celebrate local culture and traditions throughout the country. From the icy ...

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.