Related Article
-
Japan’s first ever burger chain celebrates with a whole fried crab burger
-
Panic Buyers Brace For Great Japanese Potato Chip Apocalypse
-
Meerkats vs. A Rake Is The Battle Of The Century
-
What is the difference between Okashi, Dagashi, and Wagashi?
-
Kyoto’s Sanjusangendo Temple of 1001 Buddhist Statues: An Antidote to Instagram Travel Culture
-
Inside Japan’s New Luxury Suite Train That Departs From Ueno’s Platform 13½
Japan and cosplay go hand-in-hand, so it's no surprise that every year the gigantic Halloween celebration in Shibuya (which unfortunately erupted into complete chaos last year) yields a mass of creative costumers. An often overlooked celebration in Kyoto, however, offers just as as impressive--and possibly more terrifying--assembly of costumes.
Source: Keiichiro Yasugi (@KeiichiroYASUGI)
Source: Keiichiro Yasugi (@KeiichiroYASUGI)
On the third Saturday of every October, Kyoto plays host to a recreation of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), where a massive swarm of Japanese ghouls and monsters are unleashed in pandemonium. To recreate the legendary event of yokai invading the human world, Kyoto's Taishogun Shopping Street (which already has dozens of yokai-themed shops and spooky sculptures) welcomes an event called the "Yokai Parade", where hundreds of people dress up in amazing costumes based off of ghastly creatures from Japanese folklore.
Photographer Keiichiro Yasugi (@KeiichiroYASUGI) took some excellent pictures of the frightful night and showcased them on Twitter.
Source: Keiichiro Yasugi (@KeiichiroYASUGI)
Source: Keiichiro Yasugi (@KeiichiroYASUGI)
Source: Keiichiro Yasugi (@KeiichiroYASUGI)
A video of the procession shows just how high quality the costumes were this year.
Events dates can vary from year to year, but the English language website should keep you up to date. Even when not going to see the parade, the area in general is a great pilgrimage to the monsters of Japanese folklore.
Address: 602-8374 Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Kamigyo-ku, Nishimachi, Tenjindōri