On July 21, 2023, the "Mitarashi Festival" began at Shimogamo Shrine in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, where people put their feet in the pond on the grounds to pray for good health. While the maximum temperature in the city was 35.8 degrees, which was a severe heat of midsummer, families and others felt the coolness of the moment and offered lanterns.
A festival at Inoue Shrine (Mitarai Shrine) near Mitarai Pond on the grounds. It is also called 'Ashitsusuke Shinji', which is said to have originated from the Heian era aristocrats' rituals to prevent summer epidemics.
On the first day, many people visited the shrine from the morning, dipped their feet in the cool water of the pond, walked, put candles on the lighthouse, and put their hands together. A 7-year-old second-grade elementary school student from Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, who visited with his family, said with a smile, "The water was cold and it was a lot of fun."
