Gion Matsuri or the Gion Festival is a very famous summer festival in Japan. Held for one month from July 1 to July 31, the Gion area is always filled with tourists who come to watch the parade conducted by the surrounding community. The festival which has been going on since 869 or around 1200 years ago, initially started as a parade asking for help from the god Gion Goryoue so that the plague that attacks the city of Kyoto can stop. And until now, the 1300-year tradition is still maintained by the social assistance of the surrounding community. The Gion Matsuri Festival is also widely covered by media in Japan.
That is why this festival has become so famous. In addition, almost all people in Kyoto and the Gion district participated in the peak of the Gion Matsuri festival. The peak of the parade is on the streets of Gion which will be closed to the public and become the Parade lane on July 14-16 (mid-July). Friends can also see Yamaboko weighing 12 tons which is paraded around the city, complete with various decorations such as lanterns and traditional fabrics. The entire population of Kyoto, ranging from school children, workers, to the Geisha gathered to celebrate Gion Matsuri together.
The parade party for three nights was very busy with the strains of traditional musical instruments and also people who danced and sang. Access to Gion, from Kyoto Station you can take bus number 100 or 206 and stop at the Gion stop. Access to Kyoto from Tokyo by train from Tokyo. From Tokyo, you can take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen train from Tokyo or Shinagawa Station to Kyoto Station. There are three types of trains that your friends can ride. First the Nozomi train or can also take the Hikari train. Access by train From Osaka, you can take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen train from Shin-Osaka Station to Kyoto Station.
