One of Japan’s most important festival happening during 14th-24th of July.

The Gion Matsuri is Kyoto’s biggest annual event and one of Japan’s most important annual events. We were very excited to join such a big festival.

It’s also a huge summer block party in which locals and visitors gather to promenade in colorful yukata robes and gorge themselves on street food and beer.

So the main events are two processions of traditional parade floats, held on 17 July and 24 July. But more importantly and fun is the three nights leading up to each parade, there are “yoi-yama” street festivals in which Kyotoites dressed in yukata mingle among the parade floats. On the three nights leading up to the event are theatre, food stalls, performances, games, shopping and much more in the area around the Yasaka Shrine in Gion.

The festival being in July means it is crazy hot. We lined up to see the parade at the starting point, but honestly we had to leave after 1 1/2, because the 35 degrees heat was getting the best of us.