Sometimes, Nana and I feel like we're wasting our time if we go somewhere we've already been. Why settle for re-runs when there's so much world to see? At other times, though, this kind of living feels a little superficial. How can you really get to know a place if you're always dashing off to something new?
We hadn't planned on going to the Muromi Lantern Festival this year. Don't get me wrong: last year's festival was a highlight of our early autumn. But we'd already seen it, so as the appointed weekend rolled around, with work piling up fast, we figured we'd probably give it a miss. At the last minute, though, a fortuitous burst of productivity and procrastination found us pedalling upriver, like moths to the flame.
And boy were we glad we did! It was a beautiful night, with a slight chill in the air, and lanterns flickering away as far as the eye could see. There's something so charming in the thought of this community, for no real reason beyond the sheer joy of fire and light, should turn the river into such a spectacle every year.
The heck with novelty - if we're here next year, I'm going back.
So anyway, here's the highlight reel from the evening.
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| Hard to see, but that thing in the upper-right is a dragonfly. |
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| This is in honor of the Japanese women's soccer team, the "nadeshiko," which is also the name of the flower above. |
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| This was the grand finale, at the far end of the display. Seems to be some kind of boat. |
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| The sail had the kanji for "treasure" on it. |
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| Along the paths, they had little hand-colored lanterns, made by students at the local middle school. |
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| I was incredibly proud of myself for being able to decipher this one: Muromi River Lantern Festival. |
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