Yoshiwara Gion-sai

What Is the Yoshiwara Gion-sai?

The Yoshiwara Gion-sai is a festival held each year on the second Saturday and Sunday of June in the Yoshiwara district of Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Affectionately known as "Otennosan," it is recognized as the largest festival in Fuji City. The sight of as many as 21 gorgeous floats parading along Yoshiwara-Honchō-dōri and the festival musicians of each neighborhood competing is magnificent—a lively Gion festival that announces the arrival of summer to the town at the foot of Mount Fuji.

History and Origins

The Yoshiwara Gion-sai is a Gion festival held by uniting the rites of several shrines in the Yoshiwara district. Gion faith derives from devotion to Gozu Tennō and Susanoo no Mikoto, who are prayed to for the dispelling of epidemics, and spread throughout the country as a festival to quell the epidemics that prevailed in summer. Yoshiwara-juku has a history of prosperity as a post town on the Tōkaidō highway, and against the vitality of its townspeople, each neighborhood has built floats to enliven the festival. The affectionate name "Otennosan" is a term of endearment for Gozu Tennō, the "Tennō-sama," long beloved by local people.

Highlights

The greatest attraction is the powerful parade in which as many as 21 floats process as if to fill Yoshiwara-Honchō-dōri. The floats that each neighborhood takes pride in are decorated with ingenious designs of their own, and the musicians play spirited festival music. The competing music as floats pass one another is the moment when the festival's fervor reaches its peak. After dark, lanterns are lit and the floats emerge in a magical glow. It is a summer tradition of Fuji City, in which the music echoing through the town with a view of Mount Fuji and the fervor of the people filling the streets become one.

When It Takes Place

The festival is typically held on the second Saturday and Sunday of June in the Yoshiwara district (Yoshiwara-Honchō-dōri and elsewhere) of Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture. As a summer Gion festival, its season is summer. Because the float parade routes and the details of the dates vary from year to year, visitors are advised to confirm details in advance through official announcements from Fuji City and the organizers of the Yoshiwara Gion-sai.

Access

The Yoshiwara district is within walking distance of Yoshiwara-honchō Station on the Gakunan Railway. It can be reached by transferring to the Gakunan Railway from Yoshiwara Station on the JR Tōkaidō Main Line. By Shinkansen, the nearest station is Shin-Fuji. As traffic restrictions are imposed in the city center during the festival, public transport is recommended.

Around the Area

Fuji City is, as its name suggests, an industrial city that prospered in papermaking, with Mount Fuji in close view. Magnificent views of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed from various points in the city, and highlights include the scenery of Mount Fuji and the sea from Tagonoura Port and Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha shrine (in nearby Fujinomiya). Together with local industries that make use of the spring water flowing underground from Mount Fuji and the nature at the foot of the mountain, sightseeing centered on Mount Fuji can be enjoyed. Combined with the summer Gion festival, it is an area where one can savor the scenery and culture distinctive to the foot of Mount Fuji.

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