'festival Of The Ages' Parade Returns To Kyoto After 2 - Year Break
A major festival has returned to Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto after its procession had been canceled for two years in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.
About 2,000 people paraded along a route from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Heian Jingu Shrine as part of the Jidai Matsuri, or the Festival of the Ages, on Saturday.
They wore costumes representing each era in Japanese history, from the Heian period that began in the late eighth century to the Meiji era that started in the 19th century.
The participants walked in descending chronological order. They included people dressed as historical figures, such as a 19th-century samurai, Sakamoto Ryoma, and a female member of the Imperial family in the Edo period.
People gathered along the route of the procession, applauding and taking pictures.
A college student from another city in Kyoto Prefecture says she thought she had slipped back in time when she was taking a close look at the costumes and horses. She says she was glad to be able to visit the festival because the pandemic has made it difficult for her to do things that are unique to Kyoto.
The festival started in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the transfer of the Japanese capital to Kyoto. It is one of the city's three major festivals, along with the Aoi Festival in May and the Gion Festival in July.