Kimiidera Tanabata & Gion Festival

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.