This weekend I went to the Gion matsuri in Kyoto and enjoyed all the many facets of this amazing festival. On the 17th, during the morning, there was a parade, with lots of different floats pulled along the streets for everyone to see.
This grand procession of floats (Yamaboko Junko) was fabulous and colourful, and I managed to do some quick sketching, but it was honestly just too hot to stand around for long! Kyoto in the summer is really no joke...
On the nights preceding the parade, all the floats are put on display with lanterns and music and shopping...
The packed streets are lined with games to play and food stalls, and it was so fun to try as much as possible!
Here are some boys in yukata playing bells and drums with long strings, sitting inside one of the floats.
I loved the lights and colours and the feeling of everyone out having a nice time together, but the temperatures of 38C made it a little difficult. It might be a while before I go to this again!
