Gyaru Mikoshi Parade on Tenjin Festival Eve

Jul 24, 2026 | News On Japan

OSAKA - Eighty women carried two portable shrines weighing about 200 kilograms each through Osaka’s Tenjinbashisuji shopping arcade, filling the streets with spirited chants ahead of the Tenjin Festival’s opening ceremonies.

The annual Gyaru Mikoshi parade is a popular feature of the Tenjin Festival, one of Japan’s three major festivals. Wearing brightly colored happi coats, the participants chosen through a selection process marched through the shopping district while repeatedly shouting, "Wasshoi!"

The lively procession brought intense energy to the arcade despite the summer heat.

"It feels fresh and exciting for all of us women to gather and do something fun together," one participant said. "I can really feel the Osaka summer."

The Tenjin Festival will hold its eve celebrations on July 24, followed by the main festival on July 25, when a fireworks display will illuminate Osaka’s summer night sky.

Source: YOMIURI

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