On the night of July 10, 2026, the "Mikoshi-arai" (portable shrine purification) ritual—in which a Gion Festival portable shrine is purified with water from the Kamo River—took place at Shijo Ohashi Bridge in Kyoto. As the portable shrine arrived from Yasaka Shrine (Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto) amidst the rhythmic chants of "Hoit, hoit," Shinto priests waved *sakaki* branches dipped in water, sending cool sprays of mist dancing through the humid night air.
Articles are excerpts from reports and news in the Kyoto Shimbun. Due to automatic translation, some expressions may not be accurate.
