Festival Time - Reisaitai / Yubasama in Kamakura

Today I went to Kamakura for the famous Reitaisai festival, with its highlight, the Yubasama (archery on horses).

The day started a bit late bacause I overslept, but still could make it to the hotel's breakfast.

At round about 11AM I left the hotel. I went to Ningyocho to go by TOEI Subway Asakusa Line.
I was unable to use the Exit/Entrance 1 and 2, the only had access to the Hibiya line.

When I got in finally, I went by Metro until Shimbashi, where I transfered to the JR Yokosuka Line.

I left at Kamakura - Kamakura is famous for its giant Buddha statue, which I didn't visit this time.

Next to the station there was a shopping street. There was a shop of "My neighbor Totorro" (thanks for telling me about the wrong title).

The street had some traditional shops, sweets, Yukatas...

And a statue, which I'd like to call Neko-Lord

When finally reaching the temple area one felt the spirit of old EDO (former name of Tokyo) - Taiko drums, a shrine, Mikos, shinto priests, men in Samurai cloths. - BTW, pidgeons tried to kill me!

After filming the hole area, the "starting ceremony" (?) began.

 

Then it finally started, the hole area was totally crowded, 3 archers had devine(?) arrows from the shrine in the middle of the temple. A few meters away from the shrine there was a track, which I guess was uses for 800 years for this ceremony at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine.

I harshly could see the 3 archers, because there was only a small range to see their ride.
After their "round" the track was opened to enable everyone to get a good angle.

The rounds were with other archers. Doing one ride, it was the task to hit 3 targets, many riders hit the first and the last, but for the second some of them didn't have enough time to get the arrow and aim correctly, especially, when the horses got that fast - some were so fast, that stones flew around, one hit my arm, now i got a bruise.

After all the arrows were shot, it was finally over and we went back to the station after taking the last pictures of the hole temple area.

When taking the Yokosuka Line back to Tokyo I fell asleep after 2 stations..., Yokohama was the last that I noticed. When I woke up I noticed some stations, which I didn't remember from the way to Kamakura - Osaki, Ebisu and others were Yamanote stops..., so we left the train at shibuya and decided to go to Hamamatsucho (Yamanote Line taken). We went into the Pokémon Center and went home after taking pictures and a small film.

We used the Asakusa Line from Daimon station - almost next to the Pokémon Center - to get to Ningyocho.

That's all for now

Trophies today:

found a Tanuki