Yamaga Toro Roman Festival 2014

Only two more nights remain to enjoy the 2014 Yamaga Toro Roman Festival. Held in the small town of Yamaga in Kumamoto prefecture, the celebration has echoes of the town's famous summer festival where thousands of women dance all night with lanterns on their head. A similar performance is enacted every Friday night in February at the famed Yachiyoza theater in the center of town but the real beauty of this winter event are the hundreds of bamboo luminaries and wagasa (traditional umbrellas) scattered about town. Things get started around 6pm or 7pm and shops and restaurants stay open late on the festival nights to accommodate the extra crowds. While by no means a massive festival, this is arguably one of Kumamoto's most picturesque events.