Tue, Jul 17: Kyoto and Nara

We went to the Gion Matsuri festival parade in Kyoto.  The parade is the highlight of the month long festival.  The festival origins date back to 869 as a religious ceremony to appease the gods during the outbreak of an epidemic.  The procession of floats is called the Yamaboko Junko.  

It was excellent...and was so crowded that Mary was caught in the crowd and was basically picked up and moved with it.  Josh and Paul moved a block back from the parade, and went down further on the parade route.

The large floats weigh up to 12 tons and require a lot of people pulling and a lot of people helping to turn the floats.

There were a number of walking contingents in traditional costume...

 including some children.

However, regardless of the traditions involved, one must stay connected. 

Lots of floats both big (hokos)....

and small (yamas).

Many of the floats had a lot of people sitting at the top...adding more weight...

or a small number of people...

or statues.

Josh and Paul saw them turning a big float and a little one – all manual labor.

The floats are of very traditional design and with a very interesting feature - the front wheels are fixed in that they do not swivel or turn.  This makes turning a corner a major event.  For the big float – they put down bamboo, roll the front wheels onto the bamboo and wet the bamboo, then pull and push the front wheels along the bamboo to turn it.  Then they re position bamboo, and repeat.  Took three times to turn 90 degrees.  

A sequence of pictures showing them turning the float.

For the small floats, just muscle – they lift the float off the ground and turn it.

Click to see more photos from the parade.

After the parade, we wandered the streets a bit...

and then visited the Toji temple.

Then we bused to Nara, to see the Todai-ji Buddist temple, where the deer roam free and are looking for a handout.  

It was originally finished in 752 A.D, but restored after two fires.

Todai-ji Buddhist temple is the largest wooden building in the world.

It contains the largest bronze Buddha in world, 53 feet high.

There were also huge wooden and gilt statues.

We then went to the Kasuga Taisha Shinto Shrine in Nara.

2000 stone lanterns.

1000 bronze lanterns.

We saw priests performing a prayer ceremony.