Uploaded February 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As the bus started to approach Ohara, all we could see out of the window was white. Ohara was snuggled up in a thick blanket of snow and we were heading right under the covers.
On February 8th, Sanzenin temple in Ohara hosted their annual Daikon (white radish) Festival called Hatsuumadaikondaki. The four day festival is an event that prays for good health and prosperity, and what a better way to do that but to eat something extremely healthy. Daikon is extremely low in fat and cholesterol, but dense with nutrients. Growing up, whenever I was sick, my Japanese mother would always tell me 'You need to eat more Daikon!', I should have listened to my mother more.
About 3,000 Daikon are cooked and 10,000 dishes are served through the 4-days-event. The radish served at the event is organic and grown in the Ohara area. People huddled by the fire to enjoy their free, healthy meal. The Daikon served to us was soft and warm, and it went down very nicely on this cold, snowy day. After our meal, we pumped ourselves up before heading down back to the bus in the cold. Our body felt heavy but somehow we felt a little bit stronger with the daikon goodness we just consumed.
For details and more on this event, check out our website:
discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/february/daikondaki-ohara-sanzen
Music: "Reflections for Piano" by Richard Heacock
As the bus started to approach Ohara, all we could see out of the window was white. Ohara was snuggled up in a thick blanket of snow and we were heading right under the covers.
On February 8th, Sanzenin temple in Ohara hosted their annual Daikon (white radish) Festival called Hatsuumadaikondaki. The four day festival is an event that prays for good health and prosperity, and what a better way to do that but to eat something extremely healthy. Daikon is extremely low in fat and cholesterol, but dense with nutrients. Growing up, whenever I was sick, my Japanese mother would always tell me 'You need to eat more Daikon!', I should have listened to my mother more.
About 3,000 Daikon are cooked and 10,000 dishes are served through the 4-days-event. The radish served at the event is organic and grown in the Ohara area. People huddled by the fire to enjoy their free, healthy meal. The Daikon served to us was soft and warm, and it went down very nicely on this cold, snowy day. After our meal, we pumped ourselves up before heading down back to the bus in the cold. Our body felt heavy but somehow we felt a little bit stronger with the daikon goodness we just consumed.
For details and more on this event, check out our website:
discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/february/daikondaki-ohara-sanzen
Music: "Reflections for Piano" by Richard Heacock
![Things to Do: Maiko Theater [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FAYhoRnbdF4/mqdefault.jpg "Things to Do: Maiko Theater [4K]
For reservations at the Maiko Theater for your trip to Kyoto, see here:
http://maikotheater-rs.resv.jp/reserve/calendar.php?x=1493012476&pc=1
When visitors come to Kyoto, one thing is almost always on their bucket list: to see a beautiful geiko or maiko up close and personal. But outside of the annual dance season, hoping to see one on the street, or reserving a seat on the specific day a restaurant calls an entertainer… how do you meet one without breaking the bank or knowing the right people?
That is where the Maiko Theater comes in! At the Maiko Theater guests can choose between four different dining courses according to their budget/desired reservation time. During the course guests are treated not only to a delicious catered meal, but to explanations from staff in English or Japanese, an intimate hosted tea ceremony with sweets, and of course, a traditional dance performed by the maiko host(s). Like at expensive zashiki banquet parties, you can also try your hand at chatting with the young ladies, and a commemorative group photo will make sure you don’t forget meeting one of Kyoto’s beloved maiko!")
![Kyoto Event: Takigi Noh at Heian Shrine 2019 (Day Two) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FclgA6h4xZU/mqdefault.jpg "Kyoto Event: Takigi Noh at Heian Shrine 2019 (Day Two) [4K]
On June 1st and 2nd, 2019, the 70th Annual Takigi Noh performance took place at Heian Shrine in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. Honoring the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito, the theme for this year’s Takigi Noh was “Celebrating a New Era”. Noh is the oldest style of Japanese theater still practiced today, which makes it quite a fitting form to celebrate such a momentous occasion. Selected scenes from the plays “Heian”, “Sōshiarai Komachi”, “Shakkyō”, “Hagoromo”, and “Ema”, performed by the Kanze and Kongō schools of noh, as well as the more comedic kyōgen via “Fukube no Shin Tsutomeiri” and “Niō” performed by the Ōkura school, were performed to mark the occasion, mixing classic performance staples with rarely performed ceremonial pieces.
Takigi Noh is an event not to be missed if you find yourself in Kyoto in June, so make sure to check before you come or book your tickets in advance!
For more information and photos:
https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/june/takigi-noh-heian-shrine/
and
http://www.kyoto-nohgaku.or.jp/kyoto-takiginoh-en/")
![Things to Do: Kyoto Aquarium [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I_DqspUUGDw/mqdefault.jpg "Things to Do: Kyoto Aquarium [4K]
Kyoto is a paradise for those looking to take in the old capital’s traditional shrines and temples, but as a decently sized modern city in its own right, Kyoto is also home to a bevy of parks, museums, and more. Especially popular with families is Kyoto Aquarium, an aquarium in Umekoji Park that is home to twelve different themed areas exhibiting a variety of aquatic creatures that includes river-living Japanese giant salamanders, fish from the seas of Kyoto, playful seals, popular tropical fish, and spellbinding jellyfish. The Kyoto Aquarium is a staple with locals that makes for a fun afternoon for families, couples, or tourists looking for something to do indoors on a rainy day.")
![Beautiful Kyoto: Autumn at Kitano Tenmangū [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J6RAkVvRt0M/mqdefault.jpg "Beautiful Kyoto: Autumn at Kitano Tenmangū [4K]
To see more of Kitano Tenmangū and how to get there, check out our page: https://www.discoverkyoto.com/places-go/kitano-tenmangu
Kyotos autumn leaves (kōyō) are some of the most famous in the country, and one of the most popular places to view the changing colors is at Kitano Tenmangū. Located in northwestern Kyoto, Kitano Tenmangū is known as the shrine of Tenjin, the god of scholarship many students pray to for success in examinations. This shrine is also home to a sprawling maple garden called the Momiji-en that is opened for special viewings in the spring and fall, and both seasons offer breathtaking views in emerald green and falls warm palette. Cross the famous arched bridge and explore along leaf-strewn paths that once served as earthen fortifications around the ancient capital.")
![Kyoto Event: Kitano Odori Dance Performance [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K4Dcy69QFwk/mqdefault.jpg "Kyoto Event: Kitano Odori Dance Performance [4K]
The geiko and maiko of Kyoto, keepers of time honored traditional dance and music, are concentrated in five kagai (geisha districts), across the city. Each of the districts performs a large-scale dance for the public once a year, and Kamishichikens districts Kitano Odori runs from March 25th to April 7th to usher in the spring. Two performances are held each day, at 1:30pm and 4:00pm. and tickets cost 4,300 yen. For an additional 500 yen guests can enjoy a cup of green tea and a sweet before the play, which also comes with a commemorative plate. Tickets can be purchased online for those with Japanese credit cards, procured through travel agents, or reserved with assistance at the Tourist Information Center in Kyoto Station.
The Kitano Odori usually consists of three sections: a multi-scene story play, a collection of themed dances, and the ever popular Kamishichiken Serenade finale piece. With the exception of the finale, the other performances change each year. Recent story plays have included Enishi no Miya, a romance about two lovers trying to prove they are meant to be together, Naniwa Utazaimon, a comic adaptation of a classic love suicide tragedy, and Shijō Kabuki, a dramatic story about the woman who invented kabuki theater.
Celebrating its 65th year in 2017, the Kitano Odori was officially begun in 1952 to commemorate the 1,050th anniversary of the founding of Kitano Tenmangū, the shrine located next to the Kamishichiken geisha district. Kamishichikens elegant geiko, charming maiko apprentices, and skilled musicians come together on this scale only once a year to put on the Kitano Odori, so dont miss out during your spring trip to Kyoto!
Kitano Odori Ticket (Performance Only): 4,300 yen
Kitano Odori Ticket (Includes Tea Ceremony): 4,800 yen
Kitano Odori Program: 600 yen
For more information, check out Kamishichikens official page:
http://www.maiko3.com/event/ev-4.html")
![Kyoto Festival: Jidai Matsuri [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MI1jNveFN-w/mqdefault.jpg "Kyoto Festival: Jidai Matsuri [4K]
For more information, check out the Jidai Matsuri page on our website:
https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/october/jidai-matsuri
Considered to be one of the top three festivals in all of Kyoto despite its status as a relatively new tradition, Heian Shrines Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) is held on October 22nd from noon each year.
The festival is primarily composed of a two kilometer, five hour long procession of countless volunteers dressed in historical garb representing Japanese cultural history from the Meiji era all the way back to the Enryaku era in the 780’s. Painstakingly recreated and researched, going so far as to even make and dye the fabric using the same techniques as they used a thousand years ago, the procession is akin to watching a living history museum march by. Not only do famous historical figures and princesses make appearance, but warriors, priests, politicians, merchants, and commoners are all represented. With that many characters, the Jidai Matsuri gives a very comprehensive look in to the clothing and appearance of Japanese past.
00:18 - Meiji Imperial Army Drum & Fife Corps
00:52 - Patriots of the Meiji Restoration
02:33 - Edo Period Procession of Shogunal Deputies
03:25 - Women of the Edo Period
04:38 - Toyotomi Hideyoris Procession
05:15 - Oda Nobubagas Entry into Kyoto
06:40 - Muromachi Shogunate Procession
07:07 - Muromachi Customs & Daily Life
07:35 - Kusunoki Masashiges Entrance into Kyoto
08:12 - Ladies from the Middle Ages
09:05 - Yabusame Archers from the Kamakura Period
09:35 - Fujiwara Courtiers Procession to Court
10:04 - Ladies from the Heian Period
11:31 - Sakanoue Tamuramoros Victorious Return
11:59 - Procession of 8th Century Court Nobles
12:13 - Offerings to the Deities
12:30 - Portable Shrine Procession
13:40 - Shirakawa-me & a Company of Archers")
