Click here for photos from previous years.

One 9MB ZIP file with all my photos

20 sec video - coming down last hill

15 sec video - torches burning

First, participants must carry the torches to the site. This one is for the ladies.

The men have already started with theirs. They are smiling because it is only the beginning.

They walk at a brisk pace and it's hard to keep up to get photos.

This is a big photo, but it shows the whole torch as they cross an intersection just before going down and then up a big hill.	Here they are going down part of a hill. Notice all the people pushing it back so it doesn't fall forward. I would imagine that would be bad.

The torch leader rides on top. Some of the smiles have faded.

Still going up the big hill.

They aren't screaming at the crowd, you typically yell "wa shoi wa shoi" at these festivals.

At every festival there are the same festival booths. Check out my page about them.

Some of the torches are brought in by crane, only a few are paraded through the city.

Once they are at the site they are slowly propped up.

 I imagine in the old days they didn't use aluminum extension ladders.

Then they are all burned. It's a really cool site.
 

Some moron ran a stupid electrical cable across a perfectly good picture.
Another nice shot (nicer without the cable)	Camera Test: Long shutter
Camera Test: Quick shutter	Camera Test: Less Quick shutter

I thought I had the perfect location up on the hill with a tripod. Stupid cable.

Really stupid cable.

Only so many captions one can make for big torches burning.

© Ryan McDonald 2005, for information about using images or text please click here.