The Daimonji Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji Matsuri for short) is a bonfire festival held in Kyoto City. Although Daimonji Matsuri is a short form of the festivals full name, it shouldn’t be confused with the Daimonji Matsuri in Akita Prefecture of Northern Japan. The festival is held in Kyoto City in Kyoto Prefecture every 16th of August, and you can view the bonfire sites from several locations around Kyoto City; ranging from the side of rivers to prepaying for dinner in a high rise restaurant. Obviously the first way is free, and the second can really take a chunk out of your wallet. To get there, you need to go to Kyobashi station, and change to Keihan private railway group and get off at Demachiyanagi Station. Upon arriving at Demachiyanagi Station just stay with the thousands of people in the crowds that make there way to the best viewing sites. There are also volunteers and police officials giving out information and fans with advertising on them. I strongly suggest picking up a fan because it can be extremely hot.
If your an avid photographer I recommend coming hours before the first bonfire is lit to get your tripod in position. If you come late there’s a good chance all the good spots will be taken. The main bonfire is the character meaning ‘dai’ which means large. This is the character that is most commonly viewed however there are about 5 other characters/pictures that are also lit up on their corresponding mountains. The fires are controlled for safety and for the viewing pleasure of the tourists and locals alike so that things dont get out of hand. As usual with any festival there is plenty of festival food scattered around the viewing sites to keep you full and thirst quenched while you wait.
The Daimonji Gozan Okuribi like any festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is a good place to head to if you are in Kyoto on the 16th of August. If you want to learn more about the origins of the festival The Japan National Tourism Organization has a good page on the event.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
