Day 60 Kyoto continued

Imperial Traditions, Sacred Boars, and a Very Different Kyoto Festival 🐗🏮

We began the day at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, once home to Japan’s emperors, before returning to our Airbnb for a late lunch and some rest. Both of us have been fighting colds, so we were trying to pace ourselves.

In the late afternoon, we headed to Goō Shrine for the Inoko Festival, an ancient celebration associated with the imperial court, the arrival of winter, good health, and protection from misfortune.

We weren’t quite sure what to expect. After some of the lively festivals we’ve attended in Japan, we imagined lanterns, music, and enthusiastic crowds. Instead, we found something entirely different — a solemn, remarkably disciplined Shinto ceremony.

There were lots of people, almost all Japanese, gathered to watch. The ceremony unfolded over roughly an hour, with young women dressed in beautiful historical court-style robes performing extraordinarily slow, precise movements. They were likely shrine attendants or specially trained ceremonial participants, rather than Buddhist nuns. Every movement seemed carefully rehearsed, requiring considerable balance, concentration, and practice.

There was very little sound beyond the occasional striking of wooden objects and the deliberate movements of the participants. No music or lively commentary. Just an extraordinary sense of ritual.

A male officiant waved sacred branches decorated with white paper streamers over the women’s heads as part of the purification ceremony. Later, the women presented fresh green branches as offerings. These natural elements were a lovely reminder of Shinto’s close relationship with nature.

We were fascinated by the contrast between the ceremony’s rigid choreography and the unpredictable rhythms of the natural world. Yet there was something beautiful about the care and precision with which these traditions have been preserved.

The festival is also famous for its little boar-shaped rice cakes, called inoko mochi. The boar symbolizes protection, and sharing the cakes is associated with wishes for good health and prosperity. The tradition even appears in The Tale of Genji, connecting this small neighborhood celebration with more than a thousand years of Japanese history.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try one of the little boars! We also missed the later lantern procession toward the Imperial Palace, although we had paid ¥1,000 each to wear ceremonial robes and participate in the festivities.

By then our bodies were telling us it was time to call it a day. We returned the robes, headed home, and went straight to bed.

Japan continues to surprise us. We came expecting a spirited festival and instead witnessed a quiet, intricate ceremony that gave us another glimpse into the country’s remarkable cultural traditions.

Not every memorable travel experience has to be loud or spectacular. Sometimes the quiet ones leave the deepest impressions.

And perhaps those medicinal little boar cakes would have cured our colds! 🐗😂Read more