Connect to The Tale of Genji
and the Aesthetics of the Heian Period

The Aoi Festival takes place on May 15th every year, and is best known for its parade.

It starts at the Imperial Palace at 10:30 AM, arrives at Shimogamo Shrine at 11:40 AM before departing again at 2:20 PM, and ending at Kamigamo Shrine at 3:30 PM.

It boasts a 1,500-year history that reportedly dates back beyond the Heian Period, and appears in Murasaki Shikibu’s novel, The Tale of Genji.

How does the literary classic depict the festival as it was in those days? Let us take the lore further as we dive into the story of the modern Aoi Festival.