Gion Matsuri

We finally found the way to Yasaka shrine which is one step closer to Shijo street where the Gion Matsuri was being held. During festivals like this shrines are a popular place for the locals and tourists alike. All the festive decorations were put up and people dressed in yukatas made an appearance. As always the gold fish game was quite popular. I also got a shot of the "perfect" Japanese family with Mom, Dad, Son and Daughter. Jamie made friends with a cute dog and some guys dressed as Samurai came in and made some prayers at the shrine. I took a picture of Jamie and one of those guys.
At last we made it to Shijo street and saw the crowds looming ahead. From our initial standpoint it didn't look so bad. At one point as we were walking down the road the police and event co-ordinators were saying something so we thought a parade was coming through. To our dismay they were just clearing the street of car traffic to allow pedestrians to mill about on the road. As we got closer to the action the number of people increased until suddenly we were wading through a sea of people. It was shoulder to shoulder! I was a little paranoid about my bag and pickpockets. I think we were a lot safer in Japan than in other countries, but it's never a good idea to let your guard down.

Near the centre of the action was our friend Chieko who lives in Kyoto and was out for the Matsuri. She was spending the day with her friend and they got dolled up in their yukatas.

She lead us to the big thing in the middle. It was a big, for a lack of a better word, shrine on wheels. You can see it in the picture above standing tall above the crowds. It had a bunch of lanterns hanging down it's sides. Some guys were inside. Jamie had to buy some knick knacks to go up to take pictures. Unfortunately only guys could cross the bridge to get into the thing so she couldn't get pictures from the inside.

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