Today I planned to go to the Jidai matsuri. I still had time, so I decided to do some pull-ups at a children’s playground. As always this took longer than expected. Luckily the parade of the matsuri would pass by near to the hostel. I even had time to look into a bookstore around the corner. So many mangas in one place! But I didn’t find the book that I wanted to buy.
The parade would cross a bridge and an intersection. Police officers would either let the parade or cars pass. I wonder why they didn’t close the road completely for the cars, as the parade would take two hours. Many people gathered at the intersection. In the parade, all the people wore clothing from different times. Some of them rode horses, or carried coffers, or played weird instruments. A video says more than a thousand words.
I spent the afternoon searching for the book, post cards and postage stamps. Lessons learned: better buy postcards if you see them, than if you need them. Then I went to the Imperial Palace park, and had a walk, but the sun had already set, and it started to become dark. I went back to the hostel and met two Japanese women in their 30s. They went out for dinner. I stayed in the room to write post cards.
Around midnight I decided to search something to eat. Staying up late would prepare me for the time shift. I found a nice shrine, and took some night photographs. Afterwards I ate ramen. The two Japanese women and a friend of them came back to the hostel at about the same time as me. We went to the common room to have a beer together. They didn’t speak much English, so I could practice my Japanese.