# Jidai Matsuri

> A costume procession running backwards through Japanese history, from the Meiji era to the eighth century, every 22 October.

- Prefecture: Kyoto
- Type: Float procession
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: Held every year on 22 October.
- Official site: https://www.heianjingu.or.jp/

## Dates

- 2026-10-22 to 2026-10-22
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-08-20 from https://www.heianjingu.or.jp/

Jidai Matsuri is the youngest of Kyoto's three great festivals, invented in 1895 for the city's eleven hundredth anniversary, and it is essentially a history lesson that walks. Two thousand people in period costume move from the Imperial Palace to Heian shrine in reverse chronological order: Meiji riflemen first, then Edo, Azuchi-Momoyama, and back through the centuries until the Heian court closes the line. The costumes are the point. They are researched and reproduced rather than approximated, down to the dyes and the weaving, and the same families have made some of them for generations. It takes about two hours to pass.

## Where it happens
- Heian Shrine
- Kyoto Imperial Palace

## FAQ

### When is Jidai Matsuri?

On 22 October every year, the date Kyoto became the capital in 794. The procession takes about two hours to pass any given point.

### Is anything else happening that night?

Yes. The Kurama Fire Festival runs the same evening in the mountains north of the city, so some visitors watch the procession by day and take the train up to Kurama afterwards.

---
Source: Jidai Matsuri — Japan Voyage