MATSURI

So the 2 weeks of preparation and hardwork minus caring about homework has finally lead up to this, University festival!

Day 1 - Parade

We got up at around 9am and headed down about 30mins by bike. The place is a park in the middle of the city (that's Japan for you).

This isn't ours but it was pretty awesome. Not only did it look like a real one, the felt like one too!

This one is ours, whoop whoop!

Another club built a car, it was pretty darn awesome as well!

4 clubs participated this year... only?

Everyone getting ready...

Briefing

Doing some final adjustments

It's ready to go!!

Wasshoi! Wasshoi!

I couldn't take anymore photos because I had to help carry the Omikoshi (float), and it was pretty darn heavy. Overall we walked for about 1.5 hours in a loop from the park, down to the station, across the busiest intersection. It was extraordinary! We had policemen blocking off one lane of the road, directing traffic, etc. It was insanity! Can't imagine something like this happening back in Australia.

Well done everyone!

Waiting for the ranking of the parade... we came 2nd for the 1st round!

Packing up the toys

Otsukare!!

What a day!!

Day 2 - Matsuri + Omikoshi Popularity Ranking

The real matsuri started today, and it started with a pretty big bang

Wooo! Guys dancing to Anime music with lightsticks...

 ...attracts all kinds of people and...erm...animals?

Main area

Another stage with performances

I was tempted to insert money into this thing but I had to save it for food.

BINS!!

Boards showing various activities and stores throughout the uni. 

More stores

Then we got here...

Tetsuko's room, people with massive train fandom 

Various trains that runs different lines and at different stations. Damn these guys are hardcore.

Live broadcast of uni-radio station

Just before the announcement of the final results.

Again, I didn't have photos of a critical event (= =") as I had to participate in it, but we somehow made it to first place! The girls went nuts. 30,000yen prize, WOOT!!

What happens next is quite sad... the destruction of the Omikoshi!

Seeing the guys taking down was pretty interesting, the framing they did was pretty sweet.

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Then, it is time to CELEBRATE!

Congrats on first place!! WOOOO!!

We had a nabe (hot pot) party!!

Some people got a little extra excited, as per party

Day 3 - Matsuri

Since there wasn't any more club activities, we could use this day to fully enjoy the festival, or at least try to, as the weather wasn't doing us any favors. That simply just means eating a lot of food. Most of the stores were that same so I didn't take more pictures, besides it was raining. The performances didn't stop today even though they were yesterday due to similar weather, guess they have to keep the matsuri alive somehow.

A fellow club member's performance. They look nothing close to uni students.

View from the greener side of the university

See something fishy?

It's Darth Vader!!

This mass of condensation has shaken the festival up pretty good, thanks a lot!

More music!

5:00pm, it's finished! People start to pack things up and do silly things, like this:

It was great fun while it lasted!

Thank you Gidai!!

There was just 1 thing left to do, clean up!

This part of the uni is back to its lonely, empty state. Quite sad actually.

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*drum roll*

It's that part of the post again!!

Here's what I got this time...

An envelop from FamilyMart?! What could it possibly be?

A ticket!

To TeamOgi Matsuri !! 

(live cinema broadcast only, but still, FULLY SICK!!)