The Mitarashi Festival, where people soak their feet in the water to pray for health and long life, began on July 18, 2025 at Shimogamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. Many worshippers came from the morning, wading up to their knees in the cool water of the pond and feeling a moment of coolness.
It is said to have originated as a purification ritual started by aristocrats in the Heian period to prevent epidemics, and spread to common people praying for good health. It is held around the day of the Ox in the Doyo period, and is also known as the "foot-soaking ritual."
As the temperature rose from the morning, families entered the Mitarashi pond barefoot, with their clothes rolled up to their knees. They walked carefully so as not to let the candles they were holding go out, and gently placed them on a platform and prayed.
The Mitarashi Festival will be held from 9 am to 8 pm until July 27.
