On August 17, our annual summer festival was held!

The summer festival is held on the grounds of the primary school in my hometown, and I've attended it every year since I was a little kid, so I have a lot of memories of the festival. But I have some bitter memories too, like of setting off fireworks (which we were forbidden to do) and getting in trouble...lol

This is a picture of people gathered around the festival tower, called a yagura, and dancing to various songs.

The food in the picture (from left to right) is yakisoba (friend noodles), yakitori (grilled chicken on a skewer), and a frankfurter. The smell of all of them arouses my appetite, so the food is one of my favorite parts of the festival^^

My enjoyment of the festival used to be about going around to the different stalls, but as I grew older, it's become like a class reunion during which I can enjoy talking to my friends from my hometown. But as always, going to a festival makes my heart dance, the smell of the food from the stalls captivates my senses, and I find myself humming the music of the festival dances. Even if the way I enjoy the festival has changed, the spirit with which I enjoy it has not changed at all.

Just remembering it makes me excited and makes my stomach rumble, so there's great value to taking part in this event!