Men standing on top of a float pulled during the Narita Gion Festival, waving fans

Float of Narita Gion Festival — Narita Gion Festival

I thought the Gion Festival in Narita was a simple affair. The festival was not particularly exciting when I got off the train at JR Narita Station and exited the ticket gate. However, the casualness of the festival seemed like a feint. As I walked along the approach to Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple, the closer I got to the temple, the higher the festival voltage rose. The festival reached its climax at a three-way intersection near the temple.

As I wandered around for a while at the three-way junction, which was crowded with people wearing happi coats, I heard cheers coming up from the bottom of the slope. Beyond the people pulling a thick rope, I saw a large float coming up the hill. The Narita Gion Festival is a festival in which a total of 10 floats are pulled around the city. One of them was coming from the other side. It was perfect timing, even though I had no idea what to expect.

The float that came up the hill was much larger than I had expected. The float itself was quite heavy, and there were people playing festival music and standing on the roof waving fans. It is impossible not to be impressed by the power of the float as it is being pulled around. The people standing on the roof also showed off their tall figures, as if they were adding a flower to the power of the festival.

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