10月24日。今日は亀岡にある鍬山神社の例祭「亀岡祭」の宵宮に行ってきました。「丹波の祇園祭」とも呼ばれるこの祭では、24日の宵宮に11基の山鉾が建てられ、翌25日の本祭では山鉾巡行が行われます。宵宮である今日は、朝から各地で山鉾が組み上げられ、夕方になると駒形提灯に明かりが灯り、お囃子の音が響きます。

午後6時過ぎにJR亀岡駅に到着し、パンフレットの地図を片手に山鉾町へ向かいました。最初に目にしたのは「鍬山（くわやま）」の山鉾。駅から歩いて5〜6分ほどの距離です。山鉾は祇園祭のものと比べるとやや小ぶりですが、間近で見ると十分な迫力があります。これは、亀岡の城下町の町並みに合わせた大きさなのだそうです。

そこから11基すべての山鉾を見ようと、写真を撮りながら歩きました。急ぎ足なら1時間ほどで巡れる距離ですが、途中、御神酒や甘酒、昆布茶などの接待に誘われ、ついつい一服。飲みながら、食べながら、ゆっくりと歩いて回ることになりました。

それでも、山鉾の装飾やお囃子の音色をじっくりと楽しみ、初めての亀岡祭を存分に満喫することができました。明日は本祭。山鉾巡行が行われます。朝から天気が良ければ、また見に行こうかと思っています。ではでは。


Kameoka Festival 2025 — The Eve of the Festival: Floats and Festive Music Coloring Autumn in Tanba

On October 24, I visited the eve of the Kameoka Festival, the annual celebration held at Kuwayama Shrine in Kameoka.
Often called the “Gion Festival of Tanba,” this event features 11 beautifully decorated floats (yama-hoko) assembled on the 24th for the eve festival (yoi-miya), followed by a grand float procession on the main festival day, October 25.

Throughout the day, each district sets up its float, and as evening falls, paper lanterns (komagata chōchin) are lit, casting a warm glow while the sounds of hayashi festival music echo through the streets.

I arrived at JR Kameoka Station a little after 6 p.m. and, with the festival map in hand, headed toward the float streets.
The first float I saw was Kuwayama, located about a five- or six-minute walk from the station.
Compared to the massive floats of Kyoto’s Gion Festival, the Kameoka ones are a bit smaller—but standing up close, they are no less impressive. I later learned that their size is designed to suit the scale of Kameoka’s old castle-town streets.

From there, I set out to see all 11 floats, camera in hand.
If you walk briskly, you can visit them all in about an hour, but I couldn’t resist the friendly hospitality along the way—locals offering omiki (sacred sake), amazake, and even kombucha.
So I took my time, sipping and chatting, enjoying the warm, relaxed atmosphere of the festival night.

The elaborate decorations, the rhythmic music, and the welcoming spirit of the people made my first Kameoka Festival truly memorable.
Tomorrow is the main day, when the float procession takes place.
If the weather is fine, I might just have to go back and see it again.

Until then—see you at the festival.