Caught Unawares by the Gion Matsuri

When I arrived in Kyoto, it was evening and I was looking forward to a relaxing few days in beautiful Kyoto after a fast-paced three weeks in Yunnan and Mongolia.  I had done zero research about Kyoto, figuring I'd spend my time meditatively wandering around its beautiful temples.  I was wrong about that because I had entered a world of reveling crowds, and bright lights and I had no earthly idea of what was going on. 

Street during Gion Matsuri Festival, Kyoto Japan

Just up the street from my hotel, I found a temple (Yasaka Shrine) bursting with activity.  I didn't know it then, but I I had landed in Kyoto smack in the middle of its biggest celebration,  and this Shrine was the epicenter of this whole thing.

Yasaka Shrine during Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

Crowds of people, many in traditional dress were inside.

 Yasaka Shrine during Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

Yasaka Shrine during Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

Food booths cooked-up delicacies I'd never seen.

Food at Yasaka Shrine during Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

Food at Yasaka Shrine during Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

People were in traditional kimonos.

Women in Traditional Costume, Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan
  

What was going on? That night Google informed me that I had landed in Kyoto smack in the middle of one of Japan's biggest celebrations,  the Gion Matsuri.  This festival lasts the entire month of July, with a parade, the Yamaboko Junkō on July 17 and 24; For the three nights leading up to each parade, all of downtown Kyoto is shut down for pedestrians and there is non-stop activity in the Yasaka Shrine.  The Gion Matsuri began in 869 as part of a ritual that meant to appease the god of the Yasaka temple that was believed to have caused a plague.  Sixty-six portable shrines were built and paraded as a part of this ritual and eventually it became an annual event.

The point of this article is not to write a piece about the fabulous Gion Matsuri, but to share the experience of what it felt like to walk into the whole thing sight unseen.   It was wonderful, like waking up and discovering I had won the lottery and even though I loved every minute of my time in Kyoto and at the Gion Matsuri, nothing quite equalled the initial excitement of encountering the celebration with a "beginner's mind".

Although photos cannot capture the vibrancy of the event, I will share a few.  Despite temperatures that rose above 100 degrees fahrenheit, the Gion Matsuri remained in full swing and I was grateful for the ubiquitous vending machines that offered an unending supply of water!  Here are a few photos from the parade itself.

Float on display on street, Gion Matsurei, Kyoto Japan

Float, Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

Float in Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan

Float in Gion Matsuri, Kyoto Japan