Core Kyoto

In early October, Kitano Tenmangu shrine holds the Zuiki Matsuri festival. Sacred palanquins carry the spirit of the shrine's deity through the parish to its temporary abode. Enshrined there is a portable mikoshi shrine with a 400-year history. Residents spend a month festooning it with local produce and imbue it with gratitude for an abundant harvest. Discover their connection with nature through this festival that retains vestiges of bygone days when the district was a farming area.