Mino Akari Matsuri
Well, as I mentioned in the last post, we got the chance to go back to the Mino Lantern Festival again this year. Luckily, it lived up to all the expectations I had for it. It was definitely one of my favorite festivals last year, and it will be tough to beat this year as well.
The thing about this festival that is just amazing is the atmosphere. Old-fashioned Japanese streets are dimmed and the light from the lanterns illuminates the path and beckons onlookers forward. Each lantern provides an interesting new surprise and perspective. The spectators, even the littlest ones, are overcome by a sort of quiet, a peace, as they stroll down the streets admiring the paper works of art. It is so serene, despite the crowds, that I can scarcely recall any similar experiences in my life.
Even though I can talk about it and describe it in writing, it doesn’t do it justice. So, I will let you see some of the lanterns for yourself. Here is just a smattering of my favorites, we will post a complete set on Flickr hopefully this weekend.
I apologize that most of my photos are close-up details of the lanterns rather than showing off the whole lantern. I seemed to be really intrigued by the way the lanterns looked from different angles and I was really enjoying the macro mode on my camera. I hope that you, at least, find the perspective interesting.