The rain finally stopped completely around 5:30, though it happened so gradually that most people probably thought is was nothing more than a lull. According to official weather forecasts, however, it seems to be a long-term break. Tomorrow, the last day of the festival, is calling for fair skies most of the day, and though we’ll believe it when we see it, we’ll also accept it.

As perhaps proof of that, when we walked outside around 6:30, the sky was a strange tint of pink, as if the sunset orange that normally would grace the sky this time of summer in the mountains of Japan were trying its damnedest to get through. Weird, but reassuring. Hopefully, this photo gives you some idea.