Yasaka Festival (Tenno Festival)
The Yasaka Festival, or more commonly as the Tenno Festival, is a festival held at Okoto Shrine where people go to pray for good health and to prevent the spread of illnesses during the summer. Participants in the festival carry and parade a portable shrine called the “Great Tenno-sama,” which weighs approximately 1 ton. Highlights of the festival include over ten stunning floats and mikoshi parading through the town, streets lined with stalls selling delicious food and unique crafts, and a grand gathering on the second night of the festival after 8PM. Here, all the mikoshi and floats come together for a spectacular display of traditional music and energetic performances.