Kyoto Gion Festival 2026 | Why the Gods Leave—and Where They Go | Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社

Who are the gods of Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine—known affectionately as Gion-san—and why do they leave home every July? Think of it as a royal visit. The city prepares for its divine guests, and Gion Festival’s famous floats and music have a role in that preparation. In this six-minute family travel story, we connect the celebration in the streets with the gods’ journey from their shrine. If you’re planning a July visit to Kyoto, have watched the float processions without understanding their meaning, or enjoy the stories behind Japanese traditions, this episode gives you context for what you’re seeing. Meet Susanoo and his family, discover how the floats and festival music help prepare the way, and learn where the gods spend a week in the city—and why Kyoto holds a second procession before they return home. A text from our longtime Kyoto friend sent us looking along Shijō. There, a procession led by a sacred sakaki tree brought another side of the festival into view. Part 2 of our Gion Festival series: Yasaka Shrine: The Gods’ Side. CHAPTERS 0:00 We came for the floats 0:11 The gods’ home: Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社 0:47 Susanoo, the storm god 1:44 Preparing the streets 2:41 Saki Matsuri: Watching the float procession on TV 3:10 Shinkōsai 神幸祭: The gods leave home 4:07 Hōen Senshōji Sakaki 豊園泉正寺榊 4:55 Sanjō Bridge 三条大橋 5:23 Why two processions? THE GION FESTIVAL SERIES Part 1 — Yoiyama 宵山: The Biggest Night    • Kyoto Gion Festival 2026 祇園祭 前祭 | Yoiyama ...   Part 2 — Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社: The Gods’ Side Part 3 — Ato Matsuri 後祭: Before the Gods Go Home — coming next Watch the series through the Gion Festival playlist on our channel.    • Kyoto Gion Festival 2026 祇園祭 | Full Series   CREDITS Artwork: “Susanoo-no-Mikoto Slays Yamata-no-Orochi in Izumo” by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, from the series 日本略史之内. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Gion Matsuri first procession, July 17, 2017. Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう · CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Cropped; the modified image is also licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Mikoshi at Yasaka Shrine, 2006. Photo: ☆Tomoaki Ueda☆ · “Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社 【Gaia Walker Slide Show Demonstration】” · CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Cropped and upscaled. Music: Epidemic Sound. PATHFINDING TRAVEL Go slow. Find your own path. #Kyoto #GionFestival #祇園祭 #YasakaShrine #PathfindingTravel