Gozan no Okuribi: Saidaimonji's Oya-bi This image captures the powerful figures of people carrying the Oya-bi (parent fire) of Saidaimonji during the traditional event "Gozan no Okuribi," which concludes the summer in Kyoto. Men dressed in happi coats and headbands marked with "Saidaimonji Preservation Society" carry a large, fiercely burning torch on long bamboo poles, advancing in a procession toward the fire platform on the mountain. In the darkness, the flames create a fantastical light and heat, conveying the serious expressions of the participants who uphold the tradition, along with the unique fervor and solemnity of the event. Ookitayamakagamiishichou, Kitaku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Kibune Shrine Surrounded by Fresh Greenery: Okumiya and Hirakado This scene captures the sacred gate (Hirakado) of Okumiya standing amidst the blue leaves and deep green trees at Kibune Shrine in early summer Kyoto. Lush moss and towering cedar trees line both sides of the approach, adorned with vibrant red lanterns, creating a sacred and clear atmosphere. In front of the gate, a quietly standing worshiper adds to the tranquility, making this image a striking representation of the deep emotional beauty of Okumiya and the rich nature surrounding it. Kuramakibunecho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Gion Festival Shinko Festival: Countless smartphones capturing the Mikoshi procession This image captures the magnificent sight of the Mikoshi procession filling Shijō Street during the "Shinko Festival" of the Gion Festival, which symbolizes summer in Kyoto. The Tōmi Mikoshi, shining in gold and white, is powerfully carried by bearers in white garments. In a bid to catch a glimpse of this historic moment, the crowd lining the streets raises a multitude of smartphones in unison. This vibrant scene represents the fusion of traditional festival culture and modern societal behavior, encapsulating the spirit of our times. Gioncho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Gion Festival and Kankō-sai: The fervor and procession that fills the night in Kyoto This scene captures the grand procession that fills Shijō Street during the finale of the Gion Festival, known as Kankō-sai. As the warm light of lanterns illuminates the streets, a large number of men dressed in white garments march powerfully alongside the big tall lanterns of "Shiwaka" and the portable shrine. The gaze and excitement from the spectators resonate in the vibrant night streets of Kyoto, echoing the overwhelming fervor and vitality unique to this traditional event as they escort the deities back to Yasaka Shrine. Gioncho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture.

Gion Festival and Shinko Festival: The Enthusiasm of Children Connecting to the Future This scene captures the adorable yet reliable figures of children supporting the Gion Festival's "Shinko Festival," which colors the summer of Kyoto. Dressed in matching white hanten jackets and headbands, the children stand in a line, carefully holding onto a single rope. Their serious gazes and smiles amidst the lively atmosphere convey the warmth of this traditional event, as well as the vibrant spirit that connects it to the next generation. Gioncho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Gion Festival Points for Enjoyment Walking to See the Floats The centerpiece of the Gion Festival is undoubtedly the floats. Seeing the luxurious decorations and intricate designs up close is truly impressive. During the day, you can enjoy the overall grandeur, while at night, the lanterns create a serene atmosphere. Experiencing the Atmosphere of the Evening Festival The time when the floats are lined up makes walking around the city enjoyable. The stalls, the flow of people, and the bustling atmosphere of the float districts all combine to create a festive air that is quintessentially Kyoto. Taking a Close Look at the Townhouses and Decorations Not only the floats but also the surrounding townscape and shop arrangements are charming. Walking while admiring the hanging decorations and ornaments reveals the depth of the festival. Avoiding Crowds The popular time slots can get quite crowded. If you prefer to take your time, choosing early hours or times closer to weekdays makes for easier walking. Useful Items to Have Comfortable shoes Drinks and hats for heat protection A small bag for crowded times Rain gear in case of weather changes Is it true that you shouldn't eat cucumbers during the Gion Festival? This is related to the family crest of Yasaka Shrine, the deity of the Gion Festival. The family crest of Yasaka Shrine resembles the cross-section of a sliced cucumber. Because of this, the townspeople of Kyoto have had a tradition of not eating cucumbers during the Gion Festival.

Gion Festival... Pre-Festival Night On July 15th (Wednesday) and 16th (Thursday), during the evening festivities, certain areas will become pedestrian-only zones (car-free zones), lined with food stalls. The pedestrian zone hours, excluding some streets, are from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The pedestrian areas include Shijō Street (from Higashioji Street to Horikawa Street), Karasuma-dori Street (from Oike Street to Takatsuji Street), Muromachi-dōri (from Sanjō Street to Takatsuji Street), and Shinmachidori (from Takoyakushi Street to Takatsuji Street). Bicycles are not allowed in the pedestrian-only zones. The Gion Festival nights can get quite crowded, especially around the floats and major streets, making movement difficult. Avoid going against the flow of people and steer towards less crowded streets. Parents with small children and elderly individuals should refrain from pushing into the crowded center. Stay hydrated and take measures against the heat. As evening falls, the sounds of "Konchikichin" resonate from each float district. The Gion music, played with bells, flutes, and drums, has long been cherished as a sound heralding the arrival of summer in Kyoto. Surrounded by the glow of lanterns, the time spent admiring the floats while listening to Gion music is truly enchanting. The lantern light adds a different kind of splendor compared to daytime. Due to the large crowds, stepping back to view the overall scene is also beautiful.

Tsukiyomi Shrine 15 Matsumuroyamazoe-chou, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture Parking available After walking a few minutes south along the road from the red torii gate of Matsuo Taisha, Tsukiyomi Shrine will appear on your right. At Tsukiyomi Shrine, the moon deity, said to have been enshrined from Iki, quietly resides. It is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto and later became an auxiliary shrine of Matsuo Taisha. At Tsukiyomi Shrine (an auxiliary shrine of Matsuo Taisha), you can basically receive the goshuin at the issuance office of Matsuo Taisha as "Tsukiyomi Shrine" goshuin. You can receive it at Tsukiyomi Shrine. It's a written seal! Usually, it is available during the reception hours at Matsuo Taisha's shrine office (approximately 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM), and there may also be written seal options, so it's best to check the latest information on the official Matsuo Taisha website or goshuin information sites before visiting.

Matsuo Taisha Shōfūen and others... 3 Arashiyamamiya-machi, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture The gardens of Matsuo Taisha consist of three gardens called "Shōfūen," designed by the renowned garden designer Mirei Shigemori in his later years. Completed in 1975, this relatively new garden features a blend of traditional dry landscape and modern sensibilities. Kyokusui Garden expresses an elegant world with the flow of the Mitarai River and stones, reflecting the court culture of the Heian period. Upper Ancient Garden represents a mythical and ancient world with large stone arrangements and a rustic landscape. Horai-no-niwa symbolizes the ideal of longevity with its iconic stone arrangements resembling Turtle Island and Crane Island.

Matsuo Taisha 3 Arashiyama Miyamachi, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture There is a parking space for visitors at Matsuo Taisha. The gate, worship hall, and main shrine are lined up. It is known as the god of sake, and there is a spring called Kame no I. The treasure hall houses three important cultural properties, statues of male and female deities. At Matsuo Taisha, the Chawa-kuguri (passing through the ring of sedge) is performed along with the June Great Purification, known as Natsu-goshi no Harae. Every year on June 30th, the "Oharai-shiki" ceremony takes place, where it is customary to pass through the ring of sedge on the shrine grounds to pray for good health and safety for the household.  Meaning of Chawa-kuguri By passing through the large ring made of kaya (sedge), this ritual purifies the sins and impurities accumulated unknowingly over the past six months, praying for a healthy remaining half of the year. It is also often introduced as a representative scene of the Natsu-goshi no Harae in Kyoto.

There is a spring when window frames become paintings. The Kyoto Prefectural Office Former Main Building, located in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, is an important cultural property built in 1904. Compared to Gion and Arashiyama, it attracts fewer visitors, making it a hidden gem where you can quietly savor the true depth of Kyoto. Every spring, the Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival is held, where magnificent weeping cherry trees bloom in the courtyard surrounded by Meiji-era Western-style architecture. The view of the cherry blossoms and the courtyard through the old wooden windows creates a composition that resembles a painting, offering a special spring experience unique to this place. Despite being an active government building, it is free to visit, allowing you to enjoy the luxurious collaboration of historical architecture and cherry blossoms. This is a place that those tired of the usual Kyoto sightseeing spots should definitely visit. 85-3 Yabunouchi-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City.

This is a waterway (Lake Biwa Canal) constructed during the Meiji era to draw water from Lake Biwa in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, to Kyoto. It has been designated as a national historic site.

“Petals Drift on a Spring Voyage” Fushimi, Kyoto, Ujikawa River Diversion Canal. As petals scatter across the emerald-green surface, a Jikkokubune boat moves slowly. Passengers in kimono gaze at the spring scenery while cherry branches arch over the boat, creating a spring scene unique to Fushimi.

"Spring River, Boats Drifting" Fushimi, Kyoto — a tributary of the Uji River. As cherry trees bloom to cover the water with a canopy of blossoms, a jukkoku-bune (traditional flat-bottomed boat) glides slowly along. On the banks, people savor spring in their own ways, and lantern-lit boats sway as they slip quietly into a tunnel of flowers.

"A Sanctuary Perfumed with Plum Blossoms" Kitano Tenmangu, Kyoto. Amid the moss‑covered branches of an ancient plum tree, red and white flowers vie for attention as shrine priests in white robes move quietly through the grounds. The plum trees loved by Sugawara no Michizane, the kami of scholarship, once again color the precincts this year, standing dignified and fragrant even under a cloudy sky.

“An Afternoon in the Plum Garden” The plum garden at Suishinin Temple in Kyoto. On a spring afternoon, bright red field umbrellas glow against the scene as fully bloomed red plums spread their branches toward the blue sky. At the ancient temple associated with Ono no Komachi, spring has returned unchanged again this year. The backs of people holding parasols quietly blend into this gentle moment.

“Plum Reflections of Silence” — Spring at Umegomiya Taisha Shrine’s Sacred Garden — In the sacred garden of Umegomiya Taisha Shrine, an ancient stone bridge stands quietly over the pond as blooming plum trees melt into the water’s surface. Pink and purple blossoms sway in the reflective water, where the springtime of Kyo gently comes to life.

Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival 2026 625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture The highlight of the Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival is the dance offerings and bean-throwing performed by geiko and maiko from the hanamachi. At the Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival, beans are thrown with participants shouting only “Fuku wa uchi” (Good fortune in). This stems from the belief that no oni (demons) exist within the shrine grounds, so there is no need to chant “Oni wa soto” (Demons out). Dance offerings and bean-throwing: From the four hanamachi—Pontocho Kabukai Association, Miyagawacho Kabukai, Gion Kobu Kabukai, and Gion Higashi Kabukai—beautiful geiko and maiko present gagaku and imayo performances, followed by bean-throwing. The fukumame (lucky beans) distributed at the Yasaka Shrine Setsubun Festival (offering fee 300 yen) always come with a raffle ticket that guarantees a prize, making them very popular each year. Offering fee: 300 yen No blank tickets (every ticket wins something) You can draw your prize on the spot at the raffle venue Items distributed: Fukumame, skewer talismans, and other Setsubun festival–exclusive items. Some fukumame include raffle tickets for prizes. After the dances finish, geiko, maiko, and men and women born in the Year of the current zodiac will throw beans from the Maiden stage. The chance to be handed fukumame directly by hand occurs only at this moment. The front of the Maiden stage fills with excitement, and the shrine grounds take on the lively atmosphere typical of a Setsubun festival.

kyoto ebisu shrine 125 Komatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture In Kyoto there is a shrine where visitors throw offerings upward to get them into the offertory box. That shrine, located in Gion, is the ebisu shrine (Ebisu Shrine), and for some reason an offertory box is installed above the torii gate... The Toka Ebisu festival at Kyoto Ebisu Shrine is held over five days each year from January 8 (Thursday) to January 12 (Monday). It is believed to bring blessings for prosperous business and traffic safety, and the shrine is affectionately known locally as “Kyo no Ebessan.”

A photo taken on the grounds of Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. It's nice to look up at the vividly colored trees, but I thought the red maple still looked striking even after the leaves had fallen.

The charm of Horyuin Temple lies in its moss and thatched gate. From the approach, the gradation of autumn colors seen beyond the thatched gate looks like a painting framed by the gate.

The highlight of autumn leaves at Daikakuji is undoubtedly the scenery around Osawa Pond. Around Osawa Pond, Japan’s oldest promenade-style garden, about 700 maple and cherry trees have been planted. At the peak of the fall colors, the pond’s surface becomes a beautiful mirror, vividly reflecting the red and yellow foliage and the vermilion Heart Sutra Pagoda floating on the water. This “water mirror” scene is Daikakuji’s most photogenic sight.

Gionji Temple is famous as a Kyoto spot for autumn leaves not because of the crimson beauty of the trees themselves, but for the way the fallen leaves form a truly red carpet across the moss as they drop.

These photos were not taken this year, but they were shot in the Tenryu-ji Temple Garden in Kyoto. I pressed the shutter because I thought the dragonfly's wings reflected on the railing looked beautiful in the sunlight. It reminds me of the lingering heat and the atmosphere as autumn truly begins to arrive.

The former palace Nijo Castle is also torikyu ni jojo." Kyoto, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Nijo-dori, Horikawa, Nishiiri, Nijojo-cho, 541 Nijo Castle is famous for the Ninomaru, which Tokugawa Yoshiyoshi declared the return of the Great Government, but although it was reduced in scale by Ieyasu's order, the site is vast. If you take a walk in the large garden, you can fully enjoy the cherry blossoms in Spring and the Autumn leaves in autumn. Why don't you go out?

Mika Nejinja Shrine Kyoto, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Nishitoin-dori, Oikekami-ru, Oshisai-doin-cho, 614 Prayer visitors from all over the country visit this shrine in search of good luck. In the city of Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, the golden Torii (shrine gate) gate between the buildings is the landmark "Mikane Shrine". The god of metals and minerals, Kanayama Bikomei, is the main God of worship, and Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi are enshrined. In this area, there was once a Kinza and Ginza set up by the Edo shogunate to mint and manage coins. Mika Nejinja's "Lucky Wallet (2000 yen)" is a popular "Lucky Wallet" as a powerful talisman for increasing financial luck.

Pontocho at night, an alley where people in kimonos Outbound as a matter of course. I love the city where you can feel Japan firsthand.

A scene in the early morning of Horen-in, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It's late November, when the Autumn leaves is Best time to visit, and while you There is a the Philosopher's Road, which is a Famous place for tourists, if you go early in the morning, you can enjoy the quiet that is not popular, and you can also enjoy the fallen leaves that have not yet been trampled.

Gion Festival Post-Festival Umbrella procession The festival is held for one month. The Gion Festival is a festival rituals at Yasaka Shrine, and the festival lasts for about one month, starting with the "Yoshi Shrine" on July 1 and ending with the "Epidemic Shrine Summer Eve Festival" on July 31.

Gion Maiko Kaikan Kyoto, Kyoto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Gion-cho, Minami-side, 570-2 The "Gion Flower Street Art Museum" opened in May 2024. While making use of the historical architecture as it is, various items (kimonos and ornaments) and information (individual names and stories of Training) related to the city of Gion and geiko and maiko are exhibited to convey their culture. In addition, for a plus fee, you can even Appreciation and commemorative photos of Kyoto dance by geiko and maiko!