Gozan no Okuribi

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Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火), more commonly known as Daimonji-yaki (大文字焼き), is one of the iconic festivals of Kyoto, Japan. It is the culmination of the O-Bon festival on August 16th.

Starting at 8PM, five giant bonfire designs in the shapes of Chinese characters are lit on the mountains that surround the city. The characters, their locations, and the lit times are:

• Daimonji (大文字) on Daimonji-Yama/Higashi-Yama, Nyoigatake at 20:00PM
• Myou/Hou (妙・法) on Matsugasaki, Nishi-Yama/Higashi-Yama at 20:10PM
• Funagata (舟形) on Nishigamo, Funa-Yama at 20:15PM
• Higashi Daimonji (左大文字) on Daihoku-San, Higashidaimonji-San at 20:15PM
• Toriigata (鳥居形) on Toriimoto, Mandara-San at 20:20PM

The most famous—and the first to be lit—is the character dai (大), meaning "large", on Kyoto's Daimonji-yama (大文字山, daimonjiyama^?). The other four fires are lit at five to ten-minute intervals, and by 8:30, all the characters can be seen. Each bonfire lasts for 30 minutes.

The best place to view the festival is from the Nakagyo Ward, in the center of the city. Many hotels have Daimonji specials where, for a fee, you can see all five fires. Many people also like to go to the Kamo River, between Sanjo and Imadegawa Streets, for an excellent view of the initial fires.