On the 24th, the procession of floats (Yamaboko Junko) also starts at 9:00 and last to about 11:30. This is the second procession (Atomatsuri) featuring only 10 large floats. It follows a different route along Shijo, Kawaramachi and Oike streets (starting from Karasuma-Oike. As the procession takes place over quite a long route and duration, it’s usually not too difficult to find good viewpoints without too much trouble, except for the spots there the floats proceed to turning. This time, it was very sunny and extremely hot.
The Atomatsuri (the later festival) feels like a smaller scale remake of the first festival (the Sakimatsuri). It has just been revived last year after half a century. Indeed, in 1966 and for almost 50 years, both processions were combined into one large one, with the Atomatsuri procession following the Sakimatsuri one.
We enjoyed both processions, one under rain and one under heavy sun and extreme heat. Both were enjoyable in their own way. We look forward to them again next year!
