Every July, the streets of Kyoto are filled with the Gion Festival. The Gion Festival, which has a history of over 1,000 years, is one of the three major festivals in Japan and is a representative event of summer in Kyoto. Among the various festivals held over the course of a month, the one that is particularly exciting is the Yamahoko Junko.

During the Yamahoko Junko, glittering floats parade through the city to the sound of Gion music. Their gorgeous appearance is so beautiful that they are likened to a "moving art museum." The Yamahoko Junko began when people made floats and paraded them through the city to appease the god of plague that had brought an epidemic to the city of Kyoto.

The 2024 parade will take place on July 17th (Sakimatsuri) and 24th (Atomatsuri). You can view the Yamahoko floats towering over the town during the Yoiyama festival, three days before the parade.

For the first festival, the procession starts from Shijo Karasuma. It passes from Kawaramachi Shijo, Hotel Resol Kawaramachi Sanjo, and continues to Kawaramachi Oike and Oike Shinmachi. For the second festival, the procession follows the opposite route. Kawaramachi Shijo and Kawaramachi Oike are just a five-minute walk from Resol, where you can watch the spectacular "Tsujimawashi" performance, in which the floats make dramatic turns. This spectacular performance will make you forget the heat and brighten up Kyoto's summer.

Event period: Monday, July 1, 2024 to Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Yamahoko Procession: July 17th (Wed) and July 24th (Wed)

*Please check the official website for details.

Official website: http://www.gionmatsuri.or.jp/