Festivals and Events in Kyoto
Festival Lanterns for Gion Matsuri, Kyoto (photo: Frank Carter for Lonely Planet Images; art print at AllPosters.com) |
There are hundreds of festivals in Kyoto throughout the year. Below are some of the best. Dates and times may vary; check with the TIC or Time Out for current schedules.
Major festivals (in bold) are very popular with both Japanese and foreign visitors; book accommodations well in advance.
| February 3 or 4 | Setsubun Matsuri - huge bonfire at dusk at Yoshida-jinja. Marks the last day of winter in the Japanese lunar calendar. |
| April | Kitano Odori, Kyo Odori, Miyako Odori (Geisha dances) |
| May 1-24 | Kamogawa Odori (Geisha dance). In Pontocho. Tel. 221-2025. |
| May 15 | Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) - traditional procession from Kyosho Gosho to Shimogamo-jinja, where ceremonies take place. Begins at 10am; procession goes from Shimogamo-jinja to Kamigamo-jinja from 2pm to 3:30pm. |
| June 1 and 2 | Kanze Kaikan No Theater - Takigi No performances, evenings at Heian-jingu. Tel. 771-6114. |
| July 17 | Gion Matsuri - perhaps most famous Japanese festival. Large parade with floats and street stalls. |
| August 16 | Daimon-ji Gozan Okuribi (Daimon-ji Yaki) - bid farewell to souls of ancestors. Enormous fires lit on five mountains (view from banks of Kamo-gawa or hotel rooftop) and in Hiroswano-ike (NW Kyoto), character for "gate" burns over the pond and people float hundreds of candle-lanterns on the pond. |
| October 22 | Kurama-no-hi Matsuri (Kurama Fire Festival) - huge flaming torches carried through the streets by men in loincloths. |
| October 22 | Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) - over 2000 people in traditional costumes parade from Kyoto Gosho to Heian-jingu. |
| November 1-10 | Gion Odori (Geisha dance). Near Yasaka-jinja. Tel. 561-0160. |
| December 1-26 | Kao-mise Festival - kabuki theater. At Minami-za in Gion. Tel. 561-0160. |
- Kyoto's Three Famous Festivals and the Gozan Fire Festival - Kyoto City Web
- Festivals in Kyoto - John Harvey Photo - photos and descriptions of Festival of the Ages and Fire Festival, October 22
- Festivals of Kyoto (photos) - Japan Photo
- Festivals of Kyoto (photos) - Absolute Japan
- Japanese Festivals - Japan Guide
