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Viewing Guide
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Necessaries / What to pack? (2025 Updated Edition)
Hakata Gion Yamakasa is held once a year. If you are going to go to the trouble of watching the festival, you will want to be well prepared and comfortable. Here are some items and clothes you should prepare to enjoy the Yamakasa festival.
Heat protection items, such as hats, etc.
As you know, sunny days in June and July in recent years are accompanied by the harsh heat of the sun’s stinging rays.
Therefore, be sure to take proper measures to protect yourself from the heat.
First of all, a “hat” is a must. Just blocking direct sunlight will make a big difference in the strain on your body. Even if you don’t wear a hat, you should always have something to wear on your head, such as a towel wrapped around your head like a pirate bandana.
It is also helpful to wear long-sleeved shirts and arm bands to prevent sunburn and to protect against direct sunlight.
However, parasols, which have become fashionable in recent years, should not be used during the viewing.If you use an umbrella, you may not be able to see the spectators behind you, and the umbrella may come in contact with a Yamakasa participant, resulting in serious injury.
Please use parasols only when coming to or leaving the Yamakasa sightseeing area.
Learn more about umbrellas in “The Manners of Seeing That You Need to Know”.
Small foldable raincoat
In recent years, June and July, we have encountered more and more so-called “guerrilla downpours,” in which heavy rain suddenly begins to fall.
Prepare one portable raincoat that folds up into a small size so that you can be prepared for a sudden rain shower. Portable raincoats can be easily purchased at convenience stores and 100 yen stores.It may be sold out in the vicinity of Kushida Shrine, so be prepared in advance.
Please do not use umbrellas when viewing.。 As you can see on the “Manners” page, the official announcement by the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Promotion Association requests that “umbrellas should not be used when watching the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival”. If you use an umbrella, you may not be able to see the spectators behind you, and your umbrella may come in contact with a Yamakasa participant, resulting in serious injury. Please use umbrellas only when coming to or leaving Yamakasa.
Learn more about umbrellas in “The Manners of Seeing That You Need to Know”.
Towels
This may seem obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to forget. It can be used to wipe away sweat and of course water when it flies off.
We recommend that you prepare two types of towels: a long face towel or muffler towel, and a smaller hand towel, which is very convenient.
A hand towel can be used to wipe sweat immediately, while a longer towel can be used to wipe sweat, to prevent momentum water, or to wrap around the neck to prevent sunburn on the neck.
Water and tea fluids, salty foods, etc.
In recent years, the term “heat stroke” has been heard more and more often. Heat stroke” is a condition in which the body is unable to adequately cope with a hot environment, which occurs when the body’s ability to regulate temperature goes haywire due to exposure to high temperatures or when there is an imbalance of water and salt in the body.
First, take “environmental measures” with hats and towels, and for “physical condition” measures, be sure to stay hydrated.
Along with hydration, salty candies and tablets can be taken for better protection.
Course Map
A course map showing the Yamakasa course and the location of the huts is indispensable for Yamakasa viewing, and free guidebooks with maps of the course and huts are distributed free of charge at public transportation facilities in the city from mid-June, and the “Hakata Gion Yamakasa Official Guidebook,” which is released in early May every year, is available at bookstores in the city. The “Hakata Gion Yamakasa Official Guidebook” is on sale at bookstores in the city. Please be sure to get a copy of the guidebook.
We also have a page on this site that provides detailed information and explanations of the routes for each event and the locations of mountain lodges. Please take a look at these pages as well.
