In Japan, the Gion Matsuri festival brings towering floats to the streets in Shinto religious processions that are rooted in rituals dating back more than 1,000 years and that were intended to ward off epidemics. The monthlong festival in the former imperial city of Kyoto is closely linked to Yasaka Shrine and reflects centuries of interaction between Shinto and Buddhism in Japan. Today, the Shinto festival brings a joyful atmosphere that draws large crowds of tourists to the yearly processions. The festival also bringing local communities together through rituals, float preparations and processions meant to drive away evil spirits.
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Festival participants carry Yasaka Shrine's Eastern Mikoshi back into the shrine's main hall following the "Mikoshi Arai" purification ritual ahead of the Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
A giant festival float is paraded through a cheering crowd during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
A geiko, a regional word for geisha, and a maiko watch one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
A festival float passes through a narrow street during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
A geiko, a regional word for geisha, and a maiko watch festivalgoers pass by during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
Musicians are seen atop a festival float during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
The top of a festival float is seen during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
People carry the "Niwatori Hoko" float during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)
Festivalgoers are seen atop a festival float during one of the main parades of Shinto's Gion Matsuri festival in Kyoto, western Japan, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fred Mery)