I considered myself lucky when the Visit Kyoto Facebook page posted their bi-monthly schedule of Kyoto events before our trip! There was something happening while we were there and it was very close to our RESI Stay Kyo Ryuvilux Nijo apartment - the Kanko-sai Festival of the Shimogoryo Shrine. We figured we will just check it out depending on our impromptu itinerary for that day. So every year, the mikoshi portable shrines are carried around the city. Please read more about the Shimogoryo shrine in this link and translate to English.
We happened to pass by that day and a street market was ongoing due to the festival. It was a perfect night to walk around after our first day trip to Arashiyama. A lot of kids and locals were there!
I spotted at the man selling the warabi mochi and it was the best 300 yen well spent ;)
He also sold other types of handmade mochi with filling. I got the mugwort red bean one for 150 yen.
The main street Teramachi-dori leading to the shrine was lined up with stalls for selling toys, playing old childhood games and eating local street food. We walked the whole stretch and there seemed to be quite a variety for the food and minor duplicates ;)
There was even shaved ice for the summer-y weather.
This was a fishing game I think, very in with the kids. I'm glad they still have it here in Kyoto for the little ones.
This was an interesting gamified food stall where you can get 5 sticks of chicken yakitori for only 100 yen.
I believe there is no loser so you still get one the lowest and no zero.
So Jeff tried his luck like this guy and got...
...ONE! haha. It was a sticky and regular BBQ chicken ;)
When we saw these men in uniform, we knew we had arrived at the shrine. So, apparently, they just finished haha. We didn't really understand anything going on. From the looks of it though, it's a nice yearly event for families and of course, for serious parishioners, something they do to ward off revengeful spirits, disasters, epidemics and misfortune.
There were more stalls, people and lights inside.
I wish I was with a devout local who could explain to us more in depth about the event and things we saw and the Heian Era.
The mikoshis look very heavy and needed a group of burly men to carry it all around the city.
The lanterns look to be companies or sponsors or names of establishments.
For our last stall of the night, we chose a takoyaki stand. It looked to be a family affair as well.
It takes a long time to make these balls and the line was long.
For 500 yen, it was an okay for the taste and the local experience.
I saw this from a distance and hoped it was open. When we got there, I wasn't surprised that it was closed as with this quiet Kyoto town haha. The only sign of life and of locals and their children out and about was the Kanko-sai Festival and that street of Shimogoryo Shrine! So that was a very coincidental treat while we were in Kyoto on May 20! Do check out my other posts by label if you liked this ;)
We saw this procession on the street and the stalls the next day so the festival might not just be a one day event. Just check again online for the schedules per year as the dates change.
