Hanagasa Flower Procession -Gion Matsuri festival parade #2

With Kev out of town on business, I had some time on my hands the past few days. Thankfully with a month full of events, I was far from bored. This morning was the second parade of Gion Matsuri, the Hanagasa Flower Procession. Having down poured all night and into the late morning, I think the parade shrunk significantly compared to past parades (or at least comparing photos to what this year looked like). Regardless, it was still an amazing parade.

Best part of the Hanagasa Flower Procession:

• GEISHA!!! I finally saw them and they were fabulous.
• Great music: Two floats had live "bands" and some of the smaller floats had music playing from them. 
• Surprisingly fast (10-12 was actually true this time), with a hilarious parade route (starting at Yasaka shrine, traveling down Shijo Dori, turning up to city hall at Kawaramachi, through Teramachi st., and back toward Yasaka). 
• Live animals: Unlike the main parade, the procession included horses. The poor horses were great sports about the multitude of cars whizzing by and being forced to travel through the indoor/outdoor mall. 

Tips for attending a Kyoto parade:

• They don't always shut down the roads for parades, so the best places for photos are usually at cross walks. The police will often let you jump out in the road when the parade stops for the cross walk or for cars to pass. 
• Get there a little early, but no need to be super early. Japanese people don't seem to do too much super early so even if you arrive 20 minutes early you'll get a good spot. 
• Plan to do some walking. The police will usually block the streets close to the parade route for foot traffic only, so you may want to leave your bike at home. 
• Walk with the parade. At least with Gion parades they were so small (or slow) that you could watch the whole parade, walk a few blocks north and watch it again. It can be really cool to do this as you will see a lot of things that you would otherwise miss by just staying in one place. 
• The friendliest of Japanese (and tourists) will suddenly get really pushy or annoyed if others push them (accident or not). Be prepared to hold your ground if you get a good spot. 

Anyway, without further ado, here are some photos of the parade. Keep in mind this was my first geisha sighting so I was a little camera happy (Plus they literally stopped right in front of me. It was awesome).

The parade then went into Teramachi, where it took on a bit of a more casual feel. Local shops gave the participants iced tea. 

A little new world, mixed with the old