Seika Minami's Culture Day

Some assorted pics I took from the Gion Festival in Kyoto, July 2004, and in the historical city Nara, which is right next to where I live.

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Some of the lanterns used in the festival, positioned along the side of the city street. More lanterns. They shut down car traffic on the streets and open it up to pedestrian traffic. It gets really full with people, as you can see. More of the city street. A festival booth.
Another festival booth. This one's for candy apples. Another festival booth, for iced chocolate bananas. As you can see, it was quite popular. People sit down on the center divider to enjoy their snacks... The popular fish-scooping game. Lanterns. Yeah.
Lanters at night. ...Yeah. Nighttime Kyoto city street. ...And yes, that is my perspective over the Japanese people. =/ A big platform that moves down the streets, with those people shouting and ringing bells. The platform again. A deer from the deer park in Nara
Aint he cute? A guardian from outside the entrance to Todaiji in Nara Some scenery outside of the temple More scenery... My friend KJ strikes a pose. None of us can escape giving the peace sign in pictures, it seems...
Well, I'm getting closer to the temple now... Yet more outside scenery... My friends KJ, Brooke, and me.></A> </TD> <TD align= One of these days, I'll actually enter the temple... Hey, look at that! I'm inside of the temple now.
This is Daibutsu, the *freakin huge* Buddha that resides in Todaiji. T tell you he's big, but you don't really comprehend it until you are personally dwarfed by him. More Daibutsu. Whoops, I'm outside of the temple again... ...But the scenery is awfully nice.
A temple in Nara, the name of which I have completely forgotten. Around Nara... Around Nara... Around Nara... Around Nara...
Around Nara... Around Nara... Around Nara... Around Nara... Around Nara...