The Kyoto City Tourism Association will begin selling tickets for the "Roto no Gi" (procession ceremony) of the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto's three major festivals, on May 15th, starting at 10:00 AM on April 1st, 2026, online and at Seven-Eleven stores. A portion of the proceeds will be used for the preservation and continuation of the Aoi Matsuri.
Approximately 6,600 paid seats are planned for the south side of Kenreimon Gate at the Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City), and approximately 500 seats on the main approach to Shimogamo Shrine (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City). Some seats were sold in advance in February.
The front row of general seating is 6,500 yen, and seats from the second row onwards are 5,000 yen. Additional seats are available for an extra charge, such as "Learning Seats" where you can listen to commentary on your smartphone, and "Royal Seats" which include a commemorative gift.
All seats come with a bilingual guidebook in Japanese and English, and a commemorative ticket based on an original drawing by the imperial court painter, Yasukawa Jofu. Purchases can be made online through the Kyoto Tourism Official Website, "Kyoto Tourism Navi".
