kinekosa matsuri

here are some photos of a local festival that happened yesterday. there was a riverside portion that looked really cool, but we arrived too late to see it. supposedly a bunch of old men and a 12 yr old boy wade out into a river with a bamboo pole. the old men hold the pole while the boy tries to climb to the top. if the pole snaps in half the fortune (i'm not sure what, but maybe the new year) is bad and if the pole doesn't break the fortune is good.... anyway we missed it :(

next year we'll be on time. however, here are some photos of the rest of the excitement: