This was the reason why I set to go to Nara on the same day I travel back to Kyoto from Tokyo.

When I reached Wakakusayama, the event haven't started yet.


I was initially told by the nice lady at tourist info reception on certain grounds to be a good place to view fireworks but I wanted to see the event as well. So I lingered around Wakakusayama.

Around the festival area, there were heaps of food stalls.


Hehe... I caught sight of taiyaki and wanted a snack :P


I wanted to try taiyaki with other fillings but unfortunately only left red bean left. I bought it anyway.

The other thing I aimed to get was these cute little deers.


I was so determined to get them that I went in shops after shops and scanned for them. Very focused that I went in the shops holding my taiyaki fish snack. When I finally saw it in one of the shops, I put my fish on one of the food box on display and grabbed a couple of them. Someone came along and wondered who left a fish there :P Hehehe.. this is call glutton shopaholic in action :P

When I came out of the shop with my loot, I saw a procession arrived at the base of mountain, carrying the torches.


The prayer was in session for quite a while and together with all other people, I was standing in the cold waiting for it to end.

Imagining the prayer still going on... Yamayaki is a event originally due to boundary disputes among temples. It is held on 4th Saturday of January yearly and postponed to the next Saturday if the weather does not permit.

Then came the fireworks!


It actually went on for a while, among the fireworks were shapes of animals and everybody trying to guess what was it :) I didnt get any of those though.. cos I was trying to have a guess too :P



After fireworks ended, fire from a bonfire is used to set the grass on the mountainside alight.



Everybody was watching in awe.


Another one.. from roadside.

I barely get any good shot, it didn't help as I am short and it was at night. Almost all of the photos I got are with people's head or camera
= ="

On my way back, I thought I would just grab some food along the stalls and skipped a big proper dinner.


Then I saw karaage, thought I might not have other time to try, so I grab a small one (300 yen). Somehow I got butter-fingers-syndrome and dropped a piece = =" (it MUST be the cold weather... and not because I was clumsy)


My first experience of a festival in Japan :)
It was a good one


Side note: *yawn*