Kyoto Day Trip for September! Local festival in Nashinoki shrine

What Kyoto citizen recommend for Kyoto Day Trip in September?

Talking about the special event for the early autumn, I recommend you to go to “Bush Clover” festival in Nashinoki shrine in Kyoto.

Bush clover festival is the annual event in Nashinoki shrine next to the east of the imperial palace in Kyoto.

It is held in the 4^th weekend in September.

It was the second time for me to join this after the interval of 10 years. Unfortunately, it was rainy today, but we enjoyed watching Japanese dancing, and the casual tea ceremony.

The bush clovers in September

We Japanese love the little white & pink bush clovers in September.

It has been described so often in the short poems from over 1000 years ago.

I could find only the few flowers because of the rainy day and the too hot summer this year(2016), and the rectangle cards the short poems are written seemed also less than usual. But it still makes the festival day warm up.

Seeing the bush clovers, I remembered my high school teacher who I had met just 10 years ago here by chance.

She had been enjoying volunteer work and her hobby after the retirement, but I’ve heard she passed away one years ago.

I always remember her when I come to Nashinoki shrine.

Japanese dancing dedicated to the shrine god by children

The ritual event was held in the morning of the 4^th Sunday in September.

Children who are learning Japanese dancing dedicate their performance to the shrine god.

Not only dancing but also Japanese flower arrangement, and dancing were dedicated.

They looked very pretty wearing kimono.

I could hear the sound of dancing until I walked through the path beside the east of imperial palace even in the rainy day.

The casual tea ceremony for the bush clover festival.

The traditional tea ceremony is held every month here, but today’s tea ceremony was more casual one to welcome the tourists and people who don’t learn tea ceremony as well.

We couldn’t see the way of tea, so just like the service for Matcha tea.

But I was happy to see the beautiful tea utensils and the alcove displayed courteously by the host.

On the fresh water container the plum, chrysanthemum, orchid, and bamboo are painted, a tea bowl of maple leaves, and the tea container made of lacquer with autumn flowers…

The sweets made by Tsuruya Yoshonobu was also great.

It is called “koborehagi” which means the overflowing bush clove.

Hearing the name, we could imagine the beautiful bush clovers in full bloom in a tea room even though it’s rainy today.