Kimiidera Tanabata & Gion Festival
Kansai

Kimiidera Tanabata & Gion Festival

Kimiidera, Wakayama City, Wakayama

Venue: Kimiidera Temple

Jul 7, 2026

Kimiidera in Wakayama City is a celebrated temple known as the second site of the Saikoku Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage, where the Tanabata & Gion Festival is held every July 7. Starting in the evening, the festival lines the approach and grounds with stalls and fills with yukata-clad worshippers. Around 18:00, sutras are chanted before the Tanabata bamboo into which people have placed their wishes, followed by a solemn ritual fire that sends those wishes to the heavens. Perched on the slope of Mt. Nagusa, Kimiidera offers sweeping views of the city and Wakanoura coast, drawing many for a cool summer evening.
Ritual burning of wish-laden bamboo
Access

About 10 min walk from Kimiidera Station on the JR Kinokuni Line

Hours

Evening to night (ritual fire from around 18:00)

Admission

Free (approach and events)

TanabataGion FestivalKimiideraRitual Fire

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