Harvest Moon Festival

The steam rose from the hot springs surrounding the beautiful crimson wood architecture of the resort, the decorations for the harvest moon festival littered the landscape as many danced, sang, and mingled in merriment of the night. There was a massive banner across the front of the results ‘50% off all drinks and food for the Harvest Moon Festival!’ a calling to the visitors and residents alike to enjoy one another’s company in the delights of the night.

As the night began to crawl to the peak of the evening, a rather tall athletic man with long brown hair and coarse beard could be seen seated in the hot spring as the steam rose around him. Takashi was leaning back, the back of his head on the stone behind him as though his face was looking to the sky. Though his eyes and nose were covered by his sandagosa, sticking from his lips was his kiseru as the smoke from the bowl and his lips intermingled with the steam around him and rose into the atmosphere. Dangling from his right hand index and middle fingers was a bottle of warm sake, he would occasionally lift it and take a sip as he embodied the aspect of relaxed sitting here listening to the sounds of the instruments playing.

It was a wonderful start to the evening and only time would tell what or who would come as the event carried on.