In early October, Kitano Tenmangu shrine holds the Zuiki Matsuri festival. Sacred palanquins carry the spirit of the shrine's deity through the parish to its temporary abode. Enshrined there is a portable mikoshi shrine with a 400-year history. Residents spend a month festooning it with local produce and imbue it with gratitude for an abundant harvest. Discover their connection with nature through this festival that retains vestiges of bygone days when the district was a farming area.

In Kyoto, people regularly buy sweet treats at stores, which specialize in seasonal sweets that are also used in festivals. Some purveyors continue to use age-old ingredients and methods, and the lines outside their stores are proof of their popularity. People believe eating red adzuki beans wards off evil, as well as providing nutrition and energy, so they are a favored ingredient for ritual sweets. Discover Kyoto's beating heart in the sweets and treats that embody the everyday wisdom of old.