Monday, July 21, 2008

Gion Matusri 祇園祭

Yeah!!!
It's the most famous festival in Japan...
from all around the world people came to watch it.
In 869 the people were suffering from plague so the emperor ordered the people to pray to the god. Sixty-six stylized and decorated halberds, one for each province in old Japan were prepared and erected at Shinsen-en, a garden, along with the portable shrines.
Any way...the gion matrsuri is held each year in Kyoto...
three days before the parade of the Floats, Kyoto's downtown area is reserved for pedestrian traffic
The streets are lined with night stalls selling Japanese food, Many girls dressed in Yukata (summer Kimono) walk around the area.People inside the floats playing music and others... Ok there are some pics...



On the 17th of Jul is the biggest event...
thousand of people line up in Kyoto streets to watch the great parade of Floats...
the floats are too heavy (Weight: about 12,000 kg) and high (about 25 m from ground to tip)
Wheel diameter about 1.9 m and about 30-40 man pulling during procession.
yeah they pull it around the city! Only by man power!!!




And of course thank god that I'm tall or else I would not be able to take this photos. hehehe

and in the evening on the way back to my home...the train was like this...