Nara's Struggle to Be Visited 奈良の戦い 京都に負けません

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I went to Nara and took this photo of the Tokae Festival. Many festivals are held across Japan in mid-August (i.e., the obon period) to honor the spirit of our ancestry, but this one is so beautiful and mystical. 

The Tokae (燈花会; meaning lantern flower) festival started in 1999, relatively recently, and the Nara city has another more famous festival for the same period, the Chugen Mantoro Lantern Festival, which has lasted for over 800 years. 

Both are worthwhile to go and although not being a Nara citizen, I'm so happy that so many tourists came to see this beautiful scene as I know Nara has been struggling to attract tourists, who usually stay, eat and shop in Kyoto, the prefecture next to Nara. If you are looking for a nice place to eat in Nara, read my another post about obanzai cuisine Koryoriya Nara.  

奈良の燈花会で撮った写真。幻想的だった。1999年に始められたこの行事、800年続く春日大社の中元万燈篭に比べれば新しいが、とてもよかったです。私、奈良とは何の関係もありませんが、結局、京都に泊まって、食べて、買い物する観光客を振り向かせようと努力しているのを知っていたので、観光客が増えて自分のことのようにうれしいです。奈良のお勧めおばんざいやさんを知りたい方はどうぞこちらをご覧ください。