The 2009 Annual Conference for FIRST is going to be held this year in Kyoto, Japan from 28 June-3 July. Owing to the fact that I live literally just down the road from Kyoto, I thought I would share some travel tips in a series of short articles that might help make arriving at and staying in Kyoto a bit more relaxing and enjoyable. This is the third and final article in that series.

2nd article: Arriving in the Land of Astro Boy
1st article: Getting to Kyoto

Festival!

If there is one thing Japan is noted for, it’s the multitude of festivals, called “matsuri”, on display at any given time. These festivals are almost always local affairs, so if you’ve planned well, it’s possible to wander around Japan from town to town, hitting the best ones in a row.  There are winter festivals and summer festivals, spring ones and fall ones, too.  Some celebrate historical events, others seasonal events (such as harvest time), but the most famous festival in Japan celebrates recovering from a disaster.

Can you guess when and where that festival is? Of course, it is the Gion matsuri in Kyoto, lasting the full length of the month of July. In other words, it coincides precisely with the FIRST conference.

Gion matsuri

The Gion festival began about 1,100 years ago when floats were made and paraded in the town to appease the diety of plague and illnesses. At the time, there was an epidemic in the land, and it was believed at the time that the cause of the calamity was due to the diety Gozu. Since then, the festival has taken on the meaning of relief from the effects of fire, earthquake and other calamities.

Once I heard that the FIRST Conference was slated for Kyoto in July, I immediately connected the date with the Gion matsuri, which led me to submit what was eventually the winning theme for the 2009 FIRST Annual Conference, Incident Recovery.

Turning a Gion matsuri float takes teamwork

More about the festival

The Gion festival is centered around the Yasaka-jinja shrine, which is the birthplace of this matsuri. The biggest highlight of the month is the pageant of around 30 floats that parade around the main streets of Kyoto on July 17th each year. The floats are absolutely impressive, some of which weigh 10 tons and stand about 2 stories high. They are so famous that they’re sometimes called “mobile museums of art” for the exquisite treasures that adorn them.

In addition, throughout the month of July there are street fairs with games and Japanese festival food available. (I’d suggest the takoyaki [octopus balls], which are a regional speciality.) You can also see festival-goers wearing traditional summer kimono (called yukata) and geta (high wooden shoes).