Kankō-sai Return Procession

About this event

The Kanko-sai Return Procession marks the conclusion of the Gion Festival's sacred mikoshi journey, as the three portable shrines are carried from their temporary resting place back through Kyoto's streets to Yasaka Shrine. The atmosphere is festive but touched with a gentle melancholy as the city bids farewell to another year of festivities. The ceremony closes the curtain on the main ritual heart of the month-long Gion Festival.