When is the Gion Matsuri?

All of July, every year: it opens on 1 July and closes on 31 July. The best-known days are 17 and 24 July, with the float processions in the morning and the mikoshi processions in the evening.

What can I see at Yasaka Shrine during the Gion Matsuri?

The mikoshi (portable shrines). They are washed on 10 and 28 July, leave the shrine on the afternoon of 17 July, gathering at the foot of the West Gate steps around 18:30, and come back between about 21:00 and 23:00 on 24 July.

Are the float processions at Yasaka Shrine?

No. The Yamaboko Junko float processions run through central Kyoto on the mornings of 17 and 24 July. Yasaka Shrine is where the festival belongs, and where the mikoshi start and end.

A charm made of bamboo leaves to keep illness and misfortune away. Yasaka Shrine gives it only during July. It is hung by the front door.

Gion Matsuri

What happens at Yasaka Shrine during the Gion Matsuri?

The Gion Matsuri is this shrine's festival, all of July. At the shrine itself, the big moments are the mikoshi: they leave on the evening of 17 July and come back late on 24 July.

The famous float processions are elsewhere in the city, on the mornings of 17 and 24 July.

At the shrine, day by day

1 JulyThe festival opens (Kippu-iri).
10 July, about 18:00–20:30Mikoshi washing: after an 18:00 ceremony, one mikoshi is carried by torchlight to Shijo Ohashi bridge over the Kamo River and back. Lantern processions (Omukae Chochin) go round the parish from 16:30.
15 July, 20:00Eve ceremony (Yoimiya-sai): the shrine’s lights are put out and the deities move into the mikoshi on the Dance Hall.
17 July, from 16:00Shinkosai: the three mikoshi leave the shrine; at about 18:30 they gather at the foot of the West Gate steps, then go to the Otabisho, arriving about 20:00–21:00.
24 July, about 21:00–23:00Kankosai: the mikoshi come back to the shrine. Earlier that day the Hanagasa parade reaches the shrine around noon for dance offerings.
28 July, 20:00Second mikoshi washing; the mikoshi are then stored until next year.
31 JulyClosing ceremony at Ekijinja, where chinowa charms are given.

Times are approximate and can shift with the weather. Sources: Gion Matsuri schedule, annual events (shrine's official site, Japanese). Checked 20 October 2026.

The Otabisho, where the mikoshi stay 17–24 July

Elsewhere in the city

The famous float processions (Yamaboko Junko) run through central Kyoto on the mornings of 17 July (Saki-matsuri) and 24 July (Ato-matsuri), not at the shrine. The evenings before (14–16 and 21–23 July) are the Yoiyama, in the float neighbourhoods.

How crowded is the shrine?

We set these hours to the maximum, 100, in our estimate: Shinkosai (17 Jul, 16:00–20:00) and Kankosai (24 Jul, 21:00–24:00). The rest of July uses our everyday estimate, which has no festival data in it.

Crowds on ordinary days

Road closures and bus changes for 17 and 24 July are announced each year before the festival by Kyoto City and Kyoto City Bus; we add them here once they are out.

Questions

When is the Gion Matsuri?: All of July, every year: it opens on 1 July and closes on 31 July. The best-known days are 17 and 24 July, with the float processions in the morning and the mikoshi processions in the evening.
What can I see at Yasaka Shrine during the Gion Matsuri?: The mikoshi (portable shrines). They are washed on 10 and 28 July, leave the shrine on the afternoon of 17 July, gathering at the foot of the West Gate steps around 18:30, and come back between about 21:00 and 23:00 on 24 July.
Are the float processions at Yasaka Shrine?: No. The Yamaboko Junko float processions run through central Kyoto on the mornings of 17 and 24 July. Yasaka Shrine is where the festival belongs, and where the mikoshi start and end.
What is a chimaki?: A charm made of bamboo leaves to keep illness and misfortune away. Yasaka Shrine gives it only during July. It is hung by the front door.

Last updated: 20 October 2026