Summer Festival

 My camera is not very good so you will have to excuse the arty pictures. The orange lights are at the festival.

 This is a rope that is stretched across the river to keep the floating candles from going downstream and starting a fire.

 The area in front of the bandstand is now full of tents where they are selling food, toys, and souvenirs.

 This is the view into the shrine for the river god. On the left, they are serving sake, rice wine, to people.

 On the grandstand a group was playing traditional festival music, drums and flutes with a driving beat.

You can see that there are quite a few people here, even though it is early. Later when the fireworks start, there will be even more.