Hotaru matsuri: The fireflies festival!

Last saturday was the day of Yamaguchi city's fireflies festival. I never thought I would see this many people at the same time alongside that river - especially around the stalls where you could hardly walk!

It was very interesting to me that although it was a fireflies festival, people were much more excitted about getting to weat their yukatas (summer kimono), meet up with friends and eat festival food (I must say I was pretty happy myself getting to eat a taiyaki, a fish shaped cake filled with sweet beans paste :D ).
For exemple, I first got there with a japanese friend, but we couldn't see the fireflies yet because it was too early. So we bought some food, ate it, and my friend said "Well, I don't have much interest for fireflies, so I'll go back home right now. I guess you could come back with the other exchange students when the sun is down." I thought, what's the point of coming to this festival then?! Oh, well.
I did come back afterwards and the fireflies were really pretty! But I'll go back again when there is less lights on.

Oh, and here is a bowl I made in my japanese pottery class! :D (It actually is a chawan, a cup to drink tea from in traditional japanese tea ceremony.) The diameter is about 15 cm.