Plus the September 2018 Full Moon
It's not really called a Harvest Moon Festival in Okinawa, Japan.
Kangetsusai is what the festive event is named in this part of the world.
Tropical storms bouncing around the Asian oceans could have canceled this celebration.
A few hours ahead of time, I slipped out of the house to get my camera and lenses.
There was a good chance rain would hit on and off over the next few hours.
Accidentally, I left my iPhone at home in the charger so, nobody could contact me.
If it started pouring down rain, the wife would demand I get back in the house. Hah!
The first few performances on stage went smoothly and things were dry.
You can see the crowd sitting before the stage, watching some sort of royal dances.
The way lighting is set up on the stage makes photography challenging.
It's nice to get images of everybody but, zooming in on a few makes things easier.
Usually, I don't intentionally miss anyone, unless they are really ugly.
Just kidding. We can't say stuff like that anymore. Or, can we?
Look closely at this scene and, you may notice the angle of my camera has changed.
The red lantern in the center of the frame was overhead in my first few photos.
Climbing a flight of stairs, I found a balcony where I could stay dry if it rained.
All the kids doing Eisa had to be photographed so, I wouldn't miss someone special.
My granddaughter is up there dancing. She's not one of the ugly ones.
No expert on the performing arts, I just call these dudes, cupcake dancers.
That's because we aren't supposed to call folks fruitcakes anymore. Hah!
These ladies in green kimonos were easy on the eyes and, the stage was still dry.
People sitting on folding chairs in the audience didn't need umbrellas, yet.
One of these days I should learn the names of all the classic Okinawa dances.
This is one I've seen them do up north in the woods. Still, don't know what it's called!
The girls with the golden fans are posing in puddles on that wet stage.
A few umbrellas are visible in the audience but, most people ran away.
It started pouring like a typhoon hit us and, I'm glad I was sheltered on that balcony.
Somebody Tried Calling Me
That's when she discovered my phone was home in the charger. LMAO
Somewhere, I read that people who are forgetful are really geniuses. I must be one of them.
We'll just call this one "The Pink Ladies with Purple Hats."
Look at the reflections in the puddles on the plywood stage. It could get slippery.
These youngsters must attend some performing arts school. They are really impressive.
Some traditional Okinawa music is jazzed up and they dance to it.
The barefoot red bandana ladies, we'll call this group.
They're singing and dancing to an old Ryukyu tune, not YMCA.
Call them Real Men Do It with Spears Dudes.
They're barefoot in the puddles. I'm happy on my balcony, where it's dry.
Guys with white shoes and flowery hats are dancing in the plywood puddles.
The rain has stopped and, children are gathering in front of the stage.
This character called Miruku gets on stage and children go wild.
Miruku will toss candies throughout the crowd.
Notice the silhouettes of children with arms outstretched reaching to catch flying candies.
The grand finale is the Shishimai and his handler.
The creature is activated by two youngsters under that hairy lion's body.
After four hours of composing festival photos and dodging rain, I decided to leave early.
The moon never did stay clear of rain clouds, long enough to be photographed.
Walking home with the camera and tripod, the rain poured down again.
Just as I entered the gate at home, I noticed the moon peeking through the clouds.
It's not my favorite moon shot but, it's probably the only one I'll get this month!
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