"Gozan Okuribi," a traditional summer event in Kyoto of bonfires to send off the ancestral spirits welcomed back during the O-bon holidays, was held at each mountain surrounding Kyoto City on the night of August 16. This year, all the fire beds were lit for the first time in three years since their number was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Citizens silently offered prayers to the flames floating in the night sky after the rain.

The rain became heavier at 7:00 p.m. and turned into a thunderstorm before 8:00 p.m., causing "Daimonji" and "Myoho" (both in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto) to delay their ignition times. "Daimonji" and "Funagata" (Kita Ward) were lit at almost the same time around 8:10 p.m. "Myoho" (Sakyo Ward), "Hidari-Daimonji" (Kita Ward), and "Toriigata" (Ukyo Ward) followed, and by 8:30 all the mountains were lit with characters and shapes.