Kikusui Hoko

The other day, I went to the tea ceremony at the Kikusui Hoko.
The Kikusui Hoko is said to be named after the Kikusui Well, an old well that has long existed in the neighborhood. The child page who rides on the float is Makura Jido, who is said to have lived a long life by drinking the dew of chrysanthemums.

The sweet served with the tea is a brown sugar-based amber jelly called 'Shitatari'.

You can take home the sweet's plate, which comes in a different color each year.

I was also able to watch the tea being prepared by someone wearing a matching Kikusui Hoko yukata, which really got me into the Gion Festival spirit.

The sweltering days continue, but the 'Shiro Gion-mamori' rose of Sharon in my garden has started to bloom. The 'Shiro Gion-mamori' is characterized by its semi-double flowers, where the inner petals are smaller than the outer ones.
Although the rose of Sharon is a flower that lasts only for a day, it blooms one after another, making it a flower that can be enjoyed for a long time during the hot summer.