Aoi Festival held in Kyoto

People in Kyoto celebrated one of their city’s 3 main annual festivals on Sunday.The Aoi Matsuri, or hollyhock festival, originated about 1,400 years ago, when Japan’s emperor had horses gallop in the hopes of bringing a good harvest. 26-year-old Waka Nishimura played the role of the festival’s main figure, dressed in a 12-layer kimono.Nishimura sat in a palanquin amid a procession of about 500 people wearing traditional dress decorated with hollyhock leaves.Police say about 80,000 people gathered along the route to see the parade.One of the spectators said she had been looking forward to the procession, as her son-in-law was taking part. She said the traditional clothing was particularly impressive.The procession took about 5 hours to reach its destination, the ancient Kamigamo Shrine. Source: NHK Image: 毎日ニュース Share this:TweetEmail

May 16, 2016

People in Kyoto celebrated one of their city’s 3 main annual festivals on Sunday.

The Aoi Matsuri, or hollyhock festival, originated about 1,400 years ago, when Japan’s emperor had horses gallop in the hopes of bringing a good harvest.

26-year-old Waka Nishimura played the role of the festival’s main figure, dressed in a 12-layer kimono.

Nishimura sat in a palanquin amid a procession of about 500 people wearing traditional dress decorated with hollyhock leaves.

Police say about 80,000 people gathered along the route to see the parade.

One of the spectators said she had been looking forward to the procession, as her son-in-law was taking part. She said the traditional clothing was particularly impressive.

The procession took about 5 hours to reach its destination, the ancient Kamigamo Shrine.