As soon as the rainy season ends, summer will be in full swing in Kyoto.
Kyoto is a basin city, so the heat and humidity is high and and relentless, day after day.
In the midst of such heat in July, the Gion Festival is held, representing "summer in Kyoto". At the same time as the Gion Festival, a summer festival is also held at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.
This month's article introduces this summer event, Motomiya Festival at Fushimi Inari Taisha!
What is Motomiya Festival and Yoimiya Festival?
The Motomiya Festival is a summer festival, held every year in late July at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.
There are said to be 30,000 Inari Taisha shrines in Japan, which are also called "Oinari-san" and are well known to people.
The main shrine is Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.
On the day of the Motomiya Festival, worshippers from all over Japan who worship at a branch of Inari Taisha visit the main shrine to express their gratitude to the gods for their daily blessings.
The day before the festival, the Yoimiya Festival is held.
In the Yoimiya Festival, stone and votive lanterns are lit on Mt. Inari and throughout the grounds of the shrine.
The number of lanterns lit is in the thousands, and the shrine's precincts look fantastic amidst the bright red lanterns.
The temple grounds with bright red lanterns look otherworldly for the visitors who come to experience it.
About 400 lanterns
Incidentally, anyone can offer lanterns on this occasion.
The lanterns are decorated with a strip of paper with the donor's name written on it and are lit on the temple grounds for two days.
If you can find your own lantern among thousands on display (lanterns are typically offered to pray for business prosperity and family safety), you can savour a wonderful memory of the event.
In addition to these offered lanterns, about 400 other lanterns will be displayed around the main shrine for the two days of the festival.
These particular lanterns depict seasonal flowers and scenes from daily life.
The gentle, pale light from these lanterns envelops the main hall.
Light up to the top of Mt. Inari
During the festival, a large torii-shaped light is also lit on Mt. Inari,which can be seen glowing red even from a distance.
The path leading to Mt. Inari is also lit up with lanterns and lights during these two days.
You will be able to walk through the famous torii gate with a different kind of atmosphere.It is also a good opportunity to enjoy the night view of Kyoto from Yotsutsuji Street.
→ Click here to read an article about the Mt. Inari Hike.
During the two days of the Motomiya Festival, various events will be held in the plaza in front of the Sanshuden, near the main shrine.
The festival is full of attractions such as Yosakoi Soran dancing and Japanese drum performances to enliven the summer evenings.
There are also many food stalls in the plaza, so it is a good idea to enjoy food from the stalls with your friends and family!
The Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine is beautiful enough on a normal day but can be experienced in this special way only during these two summer nights.
I hope you will enjoy the fantastic Fushimi Inari Taisha shrines, wrapped in bright red lights for this limited time only.
Fushimi Inari Taisha "Motomiya Festival 2024" Basic Information
Dates：
＜Yoimiya Festival＞July 20 (Sat), 2024 6:00pm
＜Motomiya Festival＞July 21 (Sun), 2024 9:00am
Admission：Free on the grounds
Offering fee：＜Large lanterns＞20,000 yen ＜Small lanterns＞5,000 yen
Phone number：075－641-7331
Access： A short walk from Inari Station on the JR Nara Line/five-minute walk from Fushimi Inari Station on the Keihan Main Line
*Please note that the dedicated parking lot will be completely closed during the two days of the Motomiya Festival.
SHU. recommended summer products
Here are some of our recommended summer products, including our original goods!
Uchiwa fans made of our original tenugui (hand-dyed towel) are available. A long handle is inserted into the thin bamboo frame characteristic of Kyoto uchiwa and are hand made by craftsmen in Kyoto.
The symbol of Oinari-san will make you feel festive.
→Vermillion | Original uchiwa fan
Somen noodles are an indispensable summer menu item.This set contains two pairs of chopsticks, which are perfect for noodles such as somen noodles.
In order to make the noodles easy to twist and stop them from slipping, the tips of the chopsticks are finished in a square shape and have grooves carved into them.
Bamboo-made chopsticks are light and easy to handle, so you can use them as chopsticks for sharing. The vivid green color brightens up the table.
→KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA BAMBOO | Somen noodles chopsticks
This is the sake cup, known as the Choko. Sghr Sugahara's ”en” series has beautiful gentle flowing lines.
It was born out of a desire to allow consumers to pour each other sake using lipped bowls and spend a fun time together.
Refreshing and stylish in design, these sake cups make summer evenings a special time.
→Sghr Sugahara | “en” Choko Cup S Clear
→Sghr Sugahara | “en” Katakuchi M Clear