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Kyoto is a city that is renowned for its colorful and vibrant festivals. Different festivals and events are celebrated in the city, all of which uphold the traditional values and customs of the city. Mifune Matsuri is one of the major festivals of Kyoto, which is celebrated on the third Sunday of May. The festival features an ancient boat party on the Oigawa River that flows through Arashiyama in Kyoto. This festival is organized by the Kurumazaki Shrine, which is situated in close proximity to the river and millions of people visit the city during this time of the year to witness this grand event. Mifune Matsuri festival can be traced back to the ancient time, when a similar ceremony used to take place to felicitate the Emperor’s visit to this land. The festival commences with a ritual held at the Kurumazaki Shrine at 12 pm. After the completion of the ritual, people dressed in colorful and traditional garments move along the exquisite Togetsukyo Bridge and embark on the boats. The boats used in the festival are one of the highlights of the festival; the boats are opulent and boast of exclusive designs. For example some of the boats feature dragon heads or birds' heads designed on the prow. Each boat is assigned a particular role; for example there is a boat that only carries musicians, dancers also have a separate boat for them. The festival reaches its zenith when the procession of elegant and beautifully embellished boats featuring courtiers, musicians and dancers moves along the Oigawa River. Approximately twelve dozen boats participate in the procession and sacred dances, poetry readings, Noh dramas and traditional melodies are performed on the boats. One of the spectacular and enthralling scenes of the festival occurs when the multicolored Sensu fans are floated on the water by ladies clad in 12 layers of kimono, which is known as juni-hitoe. This custom of floating fans can be traced back to 9th century, when Arashiyama was a favorite destination of the Heian court.
If you are planning to tour Kyoto, then this is the best time to visit the place. In order to have a close view of the fabulous performances and enthralling customs of the festival, you can either rent a rowing boat or book a place on a sightseeing barge. You can witness the event form the river bank and Arashiyama's famous Togetsu Bridge. Do not forget to bring your camera as the entire event with its gorgeously-costumed participants is every photographer’s delight.
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