Category: English

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The Aoi Festival（葵祭）

“The Aoi Festival is one of Kyoto’s oldest festivals, with a history of over 1400 years, and is one of Kyoto’s three major festivals (Gion Festival, Jidai Festival, and Aoi Festival).”
“The name of this festival comes from the hollyhock leaves worn by the participants in the procession, and more than 500 people parade from the Imperial Palace to Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines.
The Saio-dai (Imperial Princess’s representative) and the ox-drawn carriage, in particular, stand out against the fresh greenery and are representative and popular symbols of the festival.
This year (2026), many foreign tourists were once again watching the parade from the streets.

Saiodai (Representative of the Imperial Princess)


Imperial carriage

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Kōsan-ji Temple（2）（高山寺）

Kōsan-ji Temple is also famous as the first place in Japan where tea was cultivated, and there is a monument on the temple grounds that reads “Japan’s oldest tea plantation.” Visitors can also enjoy matcha green tea.

Tea Room


Matcha tea and Japanese sweets

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Kosan-ji Temple （1）（高山寺）

Kōzan-ji Temple is an ancient temple founded in 774.
It possesses many treasures, including the “Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga” (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and People), which is said to be the oldest Manga in Japan.
“Chōjū” refers to familiar animals such as birds and beasts, and “giga” means a picture drawn in a humorous or entertaining way.


“Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga”

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“Mackerel Road.”　（鯖街道）

This is the Kamo River, which flows through the center of Kyoto City. Kyoto Prefecture has the Sea of Japan to its north, and there was a road that transported fish (mackerel) caught there to what is now Kyoto City, which was known as the “Mackerel Road.” Demachiyanagi is the final destination of that Mackerel Road.


Final Destination of “Mackerel Road.”

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Daihikaku Senko-ji Temple（大悲閣　千光寺）

About a kilometer upstream along the Hozugawa River from the
Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama, you can see a mystical landscape completely different from the hustle and bustle of Arashiyama.
The temple built on a cliff overlooking the Hozugawa River is Daihikaku
Senko-ji Temple.
The founder of Senkoji Temple, Suminokura Ryōi (1554-1614), was
a wealthy merchant who invested his personal fortune in the development of the Ōi River and Takase River in Kyoto, making a significant contribution to the development of Kyoto’s economy.


Daihikaku Senko-ji Temple

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