News Head priest to resign over serving food and drinks at Gion Festival

This year, the premium seats, targeted at wealthy domestic or foreign visitors, cost 150,000 or 200,000 JPY. The Yamahoko procession is scheduled for 17 July, during the first half of the festival. According to Yasakajinja shrine, located in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward, Nomura earlier asked the association not to serve booze or food at the festival and sought a response to his request in spring. "The chief priest doesn't oppose the premium seats or the prices for the seats," an official at the shrine said. "He is insisting that he disagrees with people's attitude of thinking it's OK to eat or drink while watching the Shinto ritual Yamahoko procession," Nomura told the association through another priest on 6 and 11 June that he intended to vacate the director's post.

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Controversy Hits Kyoto’s Famed Gion Festival over High-Priced Spectator Seats; Shrine’s Chief Priest Says Festival is ‘Ritual,’ not ‘Show’

<p>KYOTO — A conflict over the selling of “premium seats” for Kyoto’s famed Gion Festival has led the chief priest of the shrine that puts on the festival to consider resigning from his seat on the board of directors of the Kyoto City Tourism Association, it has been learned.</p>

japannews.yomiuri.co.jp

Majestic said:

Heaven forbid alcoholic beverages should be associated with a shinto shrine. Meanwhile, every other shinto shrine in Japan...

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