16th July, 2007
The Gion Matsuri is one of the biggest festivals in Japan so of course we had to be there! Steve, me, Alicia, Marie, Aleysha, Lauren and Kate all headed to Kyoto to attend the Gion Matsuri. The festival was held over 2 days with the main part being on the second day.
We left early in the morning so that we could do some sightseeing before the festival began. We didn’t end up arriving in Kyoto until 1:30pm as there was an accident on the tracks and the train was delayed. It was a bit of a bummer but we still managed to do some sightseeing. We headed to a Temple called Kiyomizu and I have to say that this would probably be my favourite temple that I have seen so far.
The street leading up to Kiyomizu was a cute little street lined with shops on either side. I would have loved to be able to go into all of the shops but we didn’t have enough time. I definitely will be going back there. Kiyomizu itself was magnificent, very spectacular especially as it had lots of mountains in the background. There was quite a bit to see and do there.
I would have loved to have more time to look and take photos. There was a “love shrine” up there which sold many charms to do with love. There were two rocks facing each other and if you could walk between the rocks with your eyes closed then you are meant to find your true love. So Marie, Alicia, Aleysha and Lauren all had a go at walking between the rocks. Hmmm let’s see if they find their ‘true love’!!
We then walked around to this section which had running water coming out of some wooden pipes. You were meant to catch the water and drink it. It is sacred water which will give you a long life and good health. I really enjoyed Kiyomizu and I can’t wait to go back there again.
It was then time to change into our Yukata’s and head to the first part of the Gion Matsuri. This was the second time that I have worn my Yukata and I had as much fun as the first time.
There were thousands of people wondering around the streets in their Yukata’s. Many food stalls lined the streets and we ate a variety of things. Everyone was excited with all the different types of food there was and wanted to try one of everything until we became very full. We walked around having a look at the floats that would be parading down the street the next day. So much detail went into these floats the material around some of them was absolutely beautiful.
We woke up bright and early ready to find a spot on the street so that we could watch the parade. There were 32 floats being pulled down the street. It was amazing watching these men pull such heavy floats. They must have so much strength and energy to be able to do it. We were standing on a corner so we were able to see how they actually turned the floats. This required a lot of effort as they had to lay out bamboo, wet it and then push the float so that it slid. This process was repeated about 3 times until it was facing the right way. 
I thought that this festival was fantastic and I am glad that I was able to experience it. Out of the 32 floats we watched about 10 as we wanted to go and show our guests some other parts of Kyoto before it was time to head back. 
The street leading up to Kiyomizu was a cute little street lined with shops on either side. I would have loved to be able to go into all of the shops but we didn’t have enough time. I definitely will be going back there. Kiyomizu itself was magnificent, very spectacular especially as it had lots of mountains in the background. There was quite a bit to see and do there. 
I would have loved to have more time to look and take photos. There was a “love shrine” up there which sold many charms to do with love. There were two rocks facing each other and if you could walk between the rocks with your eyes closed then you are meant to find your true love. So Marie, Alicia, Aleysha and Lauren all had a go at walking between the rocks. Hmmm let’s see if they find their ‘true love’!! 
There were thousands of people wondering around the streets in their Yukata’s. Many food stalls lined the streets and we ate a variety of things. Everyone was excited with all the different types of food there was and wanted to try one of everything until we became very full. We walked around having a look at the floats that would be parading down the street the next day. So much detail went into these floats the material around some of them was absolutely beautiful. 
