Aoi Matsuri procession

It's a nice weather. (It's unusual, I remember that there are much rain in Aoi matsuri day, anyway, lucky this year!)

A lot of foreign travelers come to Kamigamo Shrine to see it. They seem to like okonomiyaki Japanese (Osaka) style pizza!

Kamigamo Shrine is a goal point of the procession. The participants who had been walking from the Imperial Palace looked a little tired. I know! It's too hot to walk for about 3 hours. In addition its procession go very slowly.

As for me, It's a lucky situation! I was provided a best seat to see it as the privilege of the Futaba-aoi plants owner. Futaba-aoi plants are the symbol of Aoi-maturi, which are the spontaneous one and are threatened with extinction. I put up for raising them by the collection of Kyoto Prefecture Environment Agency.

Saio-dai who is a princess of Aoi Matsuri gets off the car and walks from the entrance of the approach to Kamigamo Shrine. Some Imperial costumed girls attend her and proceed to the the main hall of the shrine slowly. How are the successive princess chosen? Every Kyoto girl hopes to be the princess? I don't know, but the princess face looked quite tensed up. This is a cool expression, Japanese style.
Very surprised! When I came back to my office, located in front of the Imperial Palace, I encountered the bus on which the Aoi-matsuri costumed women was geting. They came back to the Palace, and changed the costumes. It's a unique accident!

本日は葵祭のクライマックス、御所から上賀茂神社までの大行列です！毎年、丸太町沿いのカフェから眺めるだけでしたが、今年はスペシャルな観覧でした！昨年末、京都府文化財寄付金の募集に乗っかって、ちょっとだけ寄付したらフタバアオイのオーナーに当たって、今年の葵祭はフタバアオイオーナー席という一等席まで用意してもらい、そこで目の前で行列を眺めて来た，，次第です。ラッキー。。儀式なのですねー、上賀茂神社の参道入口の鳥居からは、牛車や牛なんかは入れないのですね、斎王代も籠から降りて、歩いて行くのですよ。歩く斎王代を見たのは初めてでした。

、、しかし今日は暑かった、、葵祭と言えば、雨のイメージ。今日は素晴らしい五月晴れで上賀茂神社での観覧記念を祝して良く晴れました，ほんとに。でも行列に参加していた人達は、暑かっただろうと思います。御所から下鴨を経由し上賀茂まで。

欧米人が多かったですね、、ジャーナル英語版仏語版を配りまくりました、皆さん喜んでくれて良かった。

上賀茂神社からのオフィスへの帰りに御所を通ったら、大型バスから仕事を終えた葵祭行列の女人達が降りて行くところに出くわしました。

おもしろーい。