Ok so buckle in there’s a lot more to see and tell.

Takako is a local Kyoto tour guide and what better pal to see the 15 May- Aoi Matsuri costume themed festival with. She knows all the routes and can fill me in on details. Our #205 bus kept going until we leisurely found our spot to view the parade..

The costumes go back to the Heian period (795-1185) and apart from the modern roads we could imagine the characters, horses and ox travelling enroute to the Shrine as their duty. One of the Kefu lounge guests blended in well to the scenes in her red dress.

I particularly like the ginkgo lined streets in Kyoto that give a sense of continuation. These trees last longer than humans. The festival originally was to appease the gods from natural disasters and storms.

Takako was able to find her favourite cafe seats vacant to watch the parade- it’s usually packed!

We walked by the Kamo river to the Shimogamo shrine where the procession crosses and traditional rituals take place. Then onto the upstream Kamigamo shrine. Kami means gods.

The central figure is an unmarried woman from the city’s elite families traditionally chosen to represent the Imperial family. Who now reside in Edo-Tokyo. Imperial guards on horseback and ox drawn carts (gisha) decorated with wisteria and hollyhocks complete the picture. You can watch for free or buy a paid ticket for a shrine path seat. This procession takes 4-5 hours and can get very hot. Taking water and sun screen is a good idea.

A wonderful visual show and sense of history unfolds- this is generally not the crowd size you want to share the Shimogamo grounds with and many areas were cordoned off- would definitely visit again to see the remainder of the ancient forest grounds.

Thanks to Takako for a great day in historical Kyoto.