Gion Festival (Option - Additional for more 2 days)
Day 5 - Friday 16 July
Whole day free
Day 6 - Saturday 17 July
Gion Festival - "Yama-Boko" Parade
This festival consists of a number of purification rites and rituals held from the 1st - 29th July. The highlights of the festival are Yoi-yama on 16 July and Yamahoko-junko on 17 July. At Yoi-yama, some houses on the Muromachidori and Shinmachidori streets open their doors to show treasured old folding screens. Yamahoko-junko is the procession of colourful Hoko floats 25 metres high and smaller 6 metre floats through the streets. Each float carries musicians and is decorated with tapestries or fabrics from Nishijin, Kyoto. Each float represents a different neighborhood that maintains and constructs it.
Experience the many sides of the Gion Festival - a living symbol of Kyoto’s 1200 years of rich, colorful history.
It is possible to book a seat for the parade.
Sunday 18 July
Depart for trip home