Photo and Video Collection from Jidai Matsuri
It's been too long since my last post! I'm sorry! It's been exam and mid-term project season over here!
A short while ago, I was able to go to Jidai Matsuri (festival of the ages). This festival celebrates the history of Kyoto - from the city's first emperor to the rapid modernization of the Meiji era. It's probably no surprise that I love Japanese history, so I made sure to get there early enough to find some "premier seating," if you will. Four hours early to be exact. I probably got the best seat that wasn't paid for. I was in the shade and the one row of paid-seats in front of me were on a mat on the ground - unlike the folding chairs everywhere else.
I got to walk around and see the venders, too. They were selling all the expected souvenirs and snacks. Knowing I would be in the heat for most of the day, I bought a bottle of water from the first vender I saw. They were "open" when I walked up to buy it, but they had yet to get change. One of the women handed me a bag of individually wrapped senbei (biscuits) because I waited for one of them to get change at the bank across the road. (I insisted it was no trouble at all, but I was thankful to have the snacks during my long wait!) I kept myself occupied with my vocabulary cards for the long wait.
I have a philosophy when taking a video of an event. I never look at the screen of the camera/phone. I understand wanting to get a nice video, but then you miss the real thing happing right in front of you! I rather have gotten to watch something incredible with my own eyes and have a shaky video than having a great video but having missed seeing what happened. (I encourage you ask yourself if you're watching the event or your phone the next time you take a video!) But, if you're wondering why my footage is shaky, now you know why.
And here are some photos from the day:
