Gion Matsuri: The Hokaboko Float’s Journey

July in Kyoto is completely dominated by the Gion Festival, one of the most famous festivals in all Japan. Occurring first in 869 and an annual event since 970, the Gion Matsuri has a lot of history to draw from and includes a variety of rituals and entertainment. The popular stars of the festival though, are the 33 floats built and maintained by local neighborhoods in central Kyoto that appear in the grand Yamaboko Junkō parades. Each float has distinct décor, history, and traditions woven in to the larger Gion Festival framework. One float neighborhood was kind enough to let us inside their headquarters to observe some of their activities and track the float through its time in the parade. Join us and the Hōkaboko float on a journey through the 2014 Gion Festival! Chapters: 00:57 - Constructing the Hōkaboko Float 01:24 - Attaching the Mast 02:35 - Decorating and Testing 03:51 - The Yoiyama Nights 05:08 - The Yamaboko Junkō Parade For details and more on the legendary Gion Matsuri, check out our webs