Japan comes alive with matsuri, festivals that celebrate local culture and traditions throughout the country. From the icy ...

Core Kyoto narrator Gary Tegler gets a close-up look at the Gion Matsuri, which began over 1,000 years ago, as he unravels the mystery of the decorations and meets the foreign volunteers.

This time we introduce "Core Kyoto Special: Behind the Scenes of Gion Matsuri," which shows the eagerness of foreign volunteers who support the Matsuri among Japanese people including Kyoto locals.

But Japan’s biggest summer festival, the month-long Gion Festival, is probably the most famous of them all.

Spectators in the seats can get a close look at the float procession, called “Yamahoko Junko,” and the turns during the Saki Matsuri (the first climactic part of the Gion Festival) on July 17.

Eleven floats will participate in Yamahoko Junko of the Ato Matsuri (the latter climactic part) on July 24. The Gion Festival, one of Japan’s three largest festivals, returned to its normal form ...