The Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages), which began in 1895 (Meiji 28) to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the relocation of the capital to Heian-kyo, is the grand festival of Heian Jingu Shrine. The highlight of the festival is the historical costume procession (Jidai Fuzoku Gyoretsu), where approximately 2,000 citizens dress in styles from various eras and parade through the streets of Kyoto, showcasing 1,000 years of history from the Meiji Restoration back to the Enryaku era when Heian-kyo was founded.

In this historical procession, changes across eras in costumes, hairstyles, and ceremonial implements are meticulously and accurately restored. Even among women of the same Heian period, distinct differences can be seen: for instance, Sei Shonagon wears a juni-hitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial robe), while Murasaki Shikibu wears a kouchiki (a simpler outer robe). Admiring the historical fashion as the parade goes by is one of the great joys of the event.

While famous figures from history textbooks appear one after another, the procession offers much more. It also features the "Muromachi Rakuchu Fuzoku-retsu," which recreates the elegant furyu dances of Kyoto's townspeople, as well as processions of traditional occupational groups like the "Shirakawa-me" and "Ohara-me" (female peddlers). The common people who brought color and life to their respective eras are also vividly revived in the streets of Kyoto.