Gion Matsuri

In Kyoto in July, the sound of flutes and drums from the Gion bayashi, the "konchikichin" of the festival music, drifts from deep inside the machiya townhouses, while yamaboko floats more than twenty metres tall, hung with tapestries from around the world, are hauled by dozens of men through Shijo-dori. Gion Matsuri has continued for more than 1,100 years and is one of the oldest and most splendid festivals in Japan.