The most popular festival in Japan, “Gion Matsuri”, has started today. It is scheduled to take place over the entire month of July.

The Gion Matsuri is not only the most famous but also one of the oldest & greatest in Japan.
The origin is said a Goryoue or Mitamamatsuri (a religious service for the spirit of the dead) held in A.D.869, more than 1100 years ago. There are many different events. The very enjoyable part is “Yoiyama”, held from July 14 until 16. And the grand procession of floats (Yamahoko Junko) on July 17 is particularly spectacular.
You can watch the highlight of the festival through the following video.


From 2014, a second procession of floats was successfully reintroduced on July 24 after a hiatus of 48 years. The second procession features fewer and smaller floats than the main one. The route is completely opposite of the main one.

If you have a chance to come to Japan in July, we strongly recommend to see the festival.

Thank you for reading and best regards!

All the Hocho-Knife staff
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“Hocho” represents Made-in-Japan (Sushi / Sashimi) Kitchen Knives,
that is the soul of the cook!
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