July is Gion Matsuri festival time in Kyoto. As the city gears up for the biggest parade of the year on Tuesday, the streets downtown are all closed off to cars, and are lined with street food stalls and people peddling all sorts of festival goodies.
There are thousands of people – both men and women – clip clopping around in ‘yukata’ summer kimonos and wooden sandals, fanning themselves in the heat and making it feel like how Kyoto must have been hundreds of years ago.
Bunches of giggling teenagers, grandparents introducing their grandchildren to the festival, lovers out on a date… there is a special atmosphere in the air, mixing with the smell of fried noodles and the buzz of the giant dragonflies.
Three generations of yukata-clad ladies enjoy the festival
This is summer in Japan!
This lady looks lovely in her more traditional kimono, but I have no idea how she stands the heat all wrapped up like that!
