Gion Festival❗

  Gion Festival has a lot of events through July and the climax of the festival is Yamahoko Junko.Yamahoko is the large decorated cart. On July 17, the parade is held with all of Yamahoko drawn by many people.This parade is called Yamahoko Junko, and tremendous number of people come to Kyoto to see it.
  It is worth seeing, but it is also enjoyable to go to Yoi-yama(the eve of Yamahoko Junko) or Yoi-yoi-yama(two days before Yamahoko Junko), because we can see Yamahoko standing-by on the street.
  I went to yoi-yoi yama on July 15. From 18:00 the part of Shijo Street, where Yamahokos  were set here and there,  was opened to  pedestrians. I went to Karasuma Station by Hankyu train. A lot of people were already there  at 17:00. I waited in a building because it was murderously hot outside.After the street became a pedestrian zone at 18:00, I joined the people on the street. I walked on  Shijo Street from Karsuma to Horikawa Street. There were
some of Yamahoks on the street and I enjoyed seeing them and hearing the festival music.

Naginata-hoko is alway the first cart of the parade

the decoration of the cart is a very old Percian carpet

many people wore yukata (summer kimono)

We could see many Yamahoko and they said we could get on some of yamahokos  when we  bought some goods of  them or paid entrance fee.The rules were varies on each of them.

At night, lanterns on the carts were lighted and it’s fantastic to see them from the far end of the street.

I enjoyed Yoi-yoi yama a lot, so I recommend you to go Yoi-yoi yama and Yoi yama when you come to Kyoto. They are on July 15 and July 16 every year.