#AURPEvent

[aurpevents]

Close Shop

Ever so slowly, the mall began to put an end to the holiday festivities. Store employees took inventory and began to wrap things up within their store as customers were now being ushered out. The night was getting late and money had to be counted, but it was clear that they had made more money than they could have ever expected. It would be a great joy to donate to charity!

As the stores locked up and the lights were turned off, there was only the outside displays that were still running but even those were slowing down. The night ended with a final light show to beat all the others and the cool night air erupted in cheerful echos of laughter and clapping. It was time to embrace the coming new year.

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That is the end folks! The event has officially ended and no more starters can be made concerning the event. See you for the next event turtleducks! 

[shizuka--chan]

[01:02:14] Matantei: Claire's most prized possession being taken [01:02:15] Aya Anderson: What? [01:02:19] Shizuka Kawai: OH [01:02:24] Compa: oh dear [01:02:26] Shizuka Kawai: LORD HELP US ALL [01:02:31] Matantei: Yup [01:02:43] Shinichi: ,,,, no mass killings in town please [01:02:44] Matantei: Thought angry!Shizuka was bad? [01:02:45] Shinichi: omfg [01:02:54] Compa: WHOA WHOA WHOA [01:02:55] Shizuka Kawai: *grins* [01:03:05] Compa: Does this mean rail tracer mode activate? [01:03:06] Matantei: You should have thought about that BEFORE you took Claire's most prized possession [01:03:10 | Edited 01:03:14] Shizuka Kawai: She and Claire should team up. XD [01:03:16] Aya Anderson: I SHOULD RUN [01:03:19] Shinichi: omfg [01:03:20] Matantei: Yup [01:03:23] Aya Anderson: EVERYONE SHOULD RUN [01:03:25] Shinichi: I [01:03:29] Shizuka Kawai: XDD [01:03:30 | Edited 01:03:36] ʀᴀʙʙɪᴛ ɢᴇɴᴛʟᴇᴍᴀɴ: Claire, Shizuka, and Arthur; the three who'd go on a killing spree [01:03:36] Shinichi: No kIlliNG S ALloWEd

*insane laughter*

[falcondetective]

Hakuba Saguru was a detective. A quite respectable one at that. He cared to keep an open mind and not let himself be carried away by presumptions. At the same time he also knew not to be deluded by silly fantasies. Someone had pulled a prank on him and he was not at all amused. Of course he knew about the mythological creature known as Zashiki Warashi: he would however lose any pride he had in himself if he for a moment believed in the existence of any such creature. It just wasn't possible logically speaking. No it was much more plausible that someone had found it amusing to have him lose his composure by grabbing what was precious to him, and he could think of at least one person who could be thought to benefit from this, both personally and professionally. On the other hand he also doubted the thief could be behind it, because blatantly involving himself with a detective of Saguru's calibre was unthinkable. The raven haired Moonlight Magician usually preferred to have as little to do with a person such as Saguru whom he saw as nothing short of a pest that kept getting in the way.

Saguru was, however, going to get to the bottom of this. Who could the perpetrator be? It would take a certain amount of skill to abduct an item the young detective so often stole a glance at and at all time carried on his person. But before he knew what was going on, it had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Even the chain that connected the silver case to his pocket was missing, and dismantling that without even catching his attention was quite a feat. Even though he had searched all of his pockets in an attempt to find it he already knew it was going to be pointless from the very beginning. It was gone. His silver pocket watch with the Hakuba family's emblem decorating the cover had mysteriously disappeared and a taunting card left behind.

Of course he still had other means of checking the time, but that watch was his life and pride. Only losing 0.001 seconds every year you almost couldn't get a more precise mean of time observation and the watch itself was the finest quality. Another one of its kin could not even be found in Japan and would be a rarity even on a worldwide scale. And some insolent thief had taken the freedom to snatch it right under his very nose in such a mocking fashion? This was something he would not stand for! Halloween night was another eleven days away, but there was no way a detective of Saguru's calibre would sit by idly and just watch his most prized possession in the hands of some unknowing fool. No, this detective was going to get to the bottom of this case, and that as soon as possible!

[spiritualrunaway]

Autumn was falling over the city of Bunkyo. With hastening steps Halloween was closing in on the citizens and many people especially amongst the younger parts of the population seemed to be greatly looking forward to this event. One person however would be far more excited about the festivities if not for the fact that Halloween also brought more youkai activity along with it. Natsume Takashi didn't exactly know what it was in particular, but maybe it really did have something to do with the whole 'fest of the spirits'. He wouldn't doubt something like that being the case because the Ayakashi had always enjoyed celebrating at any given opportunity and especially with as much alcohol in their company as possible. He would have to ask Sensei about it later.

For now he just wanted to rest. Most of his nights were spent awake, trying to drown out the noises from various youkai inhabiting his dormitory room, leading their life of go-lucky. How he wanted to just kick them out right there and then, but there was no way he could throw a tantrum when he had to share the room with someone else. No, the less he had to do with his room mate in general the better. When he had realised that he wasn't alone in the room the first of Takashi's problems had begun. The reason he had run away in the first place was to not put anyone around him in danger again, so it definitely was an unpleasant surprise to realise that he had another human so close. But if he made as little attempts at contact as possible, the other would probably become disinterested and distance himself from him. It was better that way.It was too scary having anyone dear to him.

With a sigh Takashi let himself into the room muttering an 'I'm back'. A nice nap now and then studies in the afternoon, that was the plan. It didn't seem like his room mate had returned yet, but a voice still greeted him. "Natsume! Did you buy me some grilled squid?" Barely had he even stepped inside the door and the youkai stuck in the form of a strange maneki neko was already making unreasonable demands from him. "I came straight from school, Sensei, there would be no time for something like that," he retorted, not at all finding the mysterious creature to be anything out of the ordinary. "Beside kitty cats shouldn't be eating so much." "Idiot!" the cat immediately shouted at him, "how many times do I need to tell you that I'm not a cat?!" Dismissing the youkai as he was far too tired to argue right now, Takashi ventured further into the room getting rid of his belongings in the process. Halfway through he noticed a small piece of paper on the table. Did this belong to his room mate? He hadn't seen it when leaving in the morning. Curiosity overtaking him, Takashi gave in and read the words on the paper:

As the message processed within his mind the adolescent teen's face became paler and paler.This had to be a practical joke right? He had never heard of any youkai leaving a note like that to announce their presence - usually they would either wait for him or track him down or threaten him with 'I'll curse you' - but on the other hand he didn't recall ever having met a Zashiki Warashi before. Wait, that wasn't the important matter here... If this note was not just a practical joke this was bad. Rushing back to pick up his bag Takashi frantically searched through it only to figure out that what he was looking for was not there. Although he was sure he had put it in the bag this morning never daring to leave it alone with Nyanko-sensei, he ran to his room to continue the search although futilely.

Finally he sank to his knees as exhaustion kicked in. "It's gone..." The cat who had seemed too amused by the human's sudden almost obsessed actions to even question them now finally took an interest in the situation. "The Book of Friends... It's gone!" The horror was evident on Takashi's face as he reached this impossible conclusion, and even the cat seemed to have realised the gravity of the situation. "What?! You lost my Book of Friends?! Imbecile!" This was not good. Not good at all. The existence of the Book was dangerous in the first place being a forbidden existence, but even worse was it if it fell in the hands of the wrong person. Or youkai for that matter. Whoever had it had control over a small army of youkai and it was only too easy to misuse it. He had to get it back no matter what. Not only because it was the only thing left to remind him of his grandmother, but also because of the duty he had taken upon himself as the guardian of the Book.

[theautomailgeek]

"It looks like it's gonna be a fun weekend!"

[thearmlessartist]

"I am ready now."

[karuuta]

Doumeki Shizuka

Tahno

Hikaru Hitachiin

Rukia Kuchiki

Natsume Hyuuga

Raven

Chrome Dokuro

Erika Kurumi

Emil Castagnier

Yuuki Asaba

"New people..." She stared at her group, seeing some familiar faces while the rest was almost vague to her. Karuta took out her box of pockys and took out a stick, observing everyone while mumbling, "I hope we can get along..." She was hoping that she could make some new acquaintances during this event- who knows? Maybe she will find someone that shared her interest with pockys. 

[aurpevents]

Santa's (Mall)shop

Although Christmas isn’t celebrated with gifts and presents in Japan, it is celebrated with elaborate displays throughout the major cities. Giant trees that overlook shopping centers have lights that illuminate, not just the tree, but everything around it. Bridges have elegant lights strewn though the posts and hang wires that align the bridge inspire awe from passerby’s. Oceans of LED lights lay in small groves underneath giant skyscrapers that promote good will and cheer from the cities occupants. Christmas in Japan is about spreading cheer to the people and creating inspirational fixtures that were thought to only exist in one’s imagination.

This year, the great and ever growing city of Bunkyo has decided to follow in the footsteps of cities like Tokyo and Shiodome in creating an elaborate Christmas  display. Although the entire city will be lit up with killer LED fixtures, the shopping mall will be the center of attention. Christmas trees will zigzag the sidewalks and lamp posts will have lights of green, blue and red spiraling, and intertwining from the base, to the bulb. These crazy displays will be placed in such a way that’ll lead the cities occupants to the doors of the shopping mall.Not only that, but these light displays will provide for an excellent show later into the evening. 

When entering the shopping mall, you will find that the store fronts have been completely transformed. Some stores have workshops in place that allow it’s customers to experience the life of one of Santa’s elves; building toys, stuffed animals and making candy. Small games and contests will be in place outside of stores that will invite people to throw pies in each other’s face, compete for the best build snowman, remote control reindeer races, and karaoke. All of the proceeds will go to charities.

Now, as awesome as the light displays are, and the games, there is also an indoor ice skating ring set up for people to spread cheer. The ring will have giant candy canes lining the perimeter and snow will be lining the edge of the ice to create a more authentic atmosphere.  

「Roleplaying Rules 」

First and foremost, be sure to tag your posts correctly. In order to distinguish threads from normal roleplays going on, tag any and all threads for this event as ‘AUWinter’.

The event will run from December 21st to December 29th.

Once the time is up you are allowed to continue threads from the event but you are not allowed to make new starters set during the event.

This is not a mandatory event and participation is optional. 

Lastly, have fun! 

「Safety and Etiquette Rules 」

Make sure to not touch the burning LED lights set up all over the park.

Take caution around the ice skating rink, as the ice can be very slippery and dangerous. 

Try not to aim for the head when throwing snowballs at people. 

Since the park is family friendly, avoid doing anything inappropriate. 

「Activities 」

Many shops are offering classes such as knitting, sewing, creating ornaments, baking treats, and making plush toys for personal touches on gifts.

Cafes such as Tinker's Delight are holding holiday sales and discounts on their desserts.

Each evening there is a strawberry shortcake throw, where people pay for a slice of shortcake to throw at someone of their choosing.

Snowman building contests are held twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening with prizes for the top three entries.

For 1000 yen, people are able to enjoy the ice skating rink that has been set up.

Food stands have been set up all along the park for hungry visitors.

Alongside the food stands, there are many booths with games for anyone to play - win a goldfish, shoot a plate, toss rings onto bottles, etc. 

Once the sun goes down, the LED Ocean strung up along all of the trees turn on. Walk under the lights with a loved one. 

Snowball fights are sure to start amongst visitors. Make friends (or even enemies) and see who becomes the all powerful Snowball Fighter. 

[aurpevents]

Mountain Departure

As sad as it it, the trip to Arashiyama was finally coming to an end. Students and citizens alike were counted and brought to the buses as they lined up outside the hotel. It had been an eventful week up in the mountains and no one was happy to leave; not even the staff. 

The surroundings had been so relaxing from the maple trees to the cooling mountain air. Ouran and Spica were even more pleased that nothing bad had happened and that the students were all well-behaved. Such behavior made them feel proud and though they didn't take trips out of the city often, it showed them that they could do it again in the future. 

Maybe someday they would...but they would have to wait for when they could spare the expense. 

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That's it everyone! The Thanksgiving even has officially ended and no more starters can be made concerning the event. See you for the next event turtleducks!

[aurpevents]

A Thanksgiving in Japan

In Japan, it is formerly known as Kinro Kansha No Hi. This special holiday is meant to not only commemorate labor and productivity, but also to give thanks to each other. This annual holiday is the one time when everyone is encouraged to do nothing but relax and have fun; no work, no school, just unwinding and being at peace. 

This year, Bunkyo is providing an excellent opportunity for both citizens and students alike: a trip to Arashiyama located in Kyoto. 

At this particular time of the year, Arashiyama is a popular tourist attraction during the Fall season and it provides visitors with many fantastic opportunities that they cannot normally encounter back in the city. One of the trademark landmarks around Arashiyama is the Togetsukyo Bridge. It is free to cross and melts into the background perfectly, adding to the beauty of the area. 

Even though this trip and holiday are all about resting, you will find that there will be plenty of activities you can take part in should you so desire. There are shops and restaurants and even pleasure boats to rent to go up the river. It doesn't stop there though. This particular location provides multiple attractions to appeal to various people, just check out the activities below to see some of the options! 

For those who do not like the touristy feel, heading north of Arashiyama will lead you into a more rural atmosphere with a few scattered temples at the base of the mountains. This area that is north of the Bridge is also referred to as Sagano instead of Arashiyama. Traveling through this area can be much easier with the rental of a bike and it is highly encouraged as you can go through fields, residential areas, and scattered temples. It is a most enjoyable experience that everyone should try. Pack a lunch and set out with friends to enjoy the beauty that this Fall season offers as the maple trees turn red. 

As for Bunkyo residents, Ouran and Spica along with some other generous patrons have offered only the best for your stay. Consider it a make-up for all the craziness that happens occasionally. Students and citizens will be given the opportunity to stay at the Hanaikada Hotel; an authentic Japanese style ryokan hotel. This hotel is only a fifteen minute walk from the Bridge and the perfect place to stay. The cost of the hotel is covered, but all other expenses will not be included during your stay. 

「Roleplaying Rules 」

First and foremost, be sure to tag your posts correctly. In order to distinguish threads from normal roleplays going on, tag any and all threads for this event as ‘AUThanksgiving’.

The event will run from November 23rd to November 30th.

Once the time is up you are allowed to continue threads from the event but you are not allowed to make new starters set during the event.

This is not a mandatory event and participation is optional. 

Lastly, have fun! 

「Safety and Etiquette Rules 」

Fees: rental for a bicycle-1000 yen; Okochi Sanso Villa-1000 yen; Monkey Park-550 yen and 100 yen for bags of food; Tenryuji Temple-500 yen for gardens and 100 yen to enter buildings; Saga Scenic Railway- 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children

Be careful to not stray far from people and if you decide to go hiking, bring a friend. 

If you visit the Monkey Park, be mindful that the monkeys are wild so take care when feeding them! 

Curfew is at 10pm and everyone must be inside their hotel rooms by then. 

「Activities 」

Tenryuji Temple is high in the rankings for most zen and it is the largest one located in Arashiyama with gardens and walking paths to enjoy. Inside, the landscape features a central pond surrounded by rocks, pine trees, and the wooded mountains of Arashiyama in the background. 

The Bamboo Groves are a place for a leisurely stroll or bike ride. Pathways are built to cut through the large stalks of bamboo and give everyone a great sense of peace when the wind causes them to sway every so gently. 

Okochi Sanso Villa is located in the back of the Bamboo Groves and consists of many gardens and buildings like living spaces and tea houses. Admission will grant guests matcha green tea and a snack. 

Monkey Park is located further up the mountain, just south of the Togetsukyo Bridge. The hike up can take about ten minutes and once there, guests will be among over 170 macaque monkeys that roam freely. Food that can be purchased to feed the monkeys are: bags of banana and apple slices, biscuits, chestnuts, and or peanuts. 

Saga Scenic Railway runs from Arashiyama to Kameoka, just above the Hozu River. The train ride last for about 25 minutes and goes at 25km/h so that passengers can enjoy the scenery.

Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street was once full of town houses that served as a private residence, but is now transformed into shops and restaurants. 

Go fishing, take a hike up the mountains, shop, and have fun. It is not often you get to take a trip out of Bunkyo. 

[aurpevents]

Ah~ The season of spirits is just so eventful every year. But on the bright side, Bunkyo has been...free of death for a solid two Halloweens in a row! Truly it is a record that will go down in history. Once all of the strange happenings going around Bunkyo disappeared, the residents were finally at ease and able to enjoy the care-free day. Children were dressed up costumes, store windows were done up in colorful displays, and candy was dispensed to all who said the word "trick or treat." 

All traces of what happened the previous week have all vanished - no cracked windows, stray spider webs, or any traces of the red water. Even the spirit sightings have disappeared, and no one seems to even remember that there were supernatural beings walking among the crowded street corners of downtown Bunkyo. Strange, isn't it? As if people forgot the spiritual business that went on. Or, they chose to simply not talk about it. Whatever the case, the city has finally returned to its peaceful state. 

Have a Happy Halloween, turtleducks! 

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There you have it, everyone! Our Halloween event is officially over! With the event at a close, no more new starters can posted that pertain to the event or use of the AUTidings tag. But threads where all parties have replied may continue as they see fit! See you for the next event, turtleducks! 

[aurpevents]

Ah~ The time of Halloween has finally settled over Bunkyo. Businesses have begun to place jack-o-lanterns out in store fronts and children are patiently waiting for the ensuing night of candy and colorful costumes. But the spirits that lurk beneath Bunkyo have other plans for the citizens. Strange things have been reported all over the city - whole neighborhoods going dark for no apparent reason, an influx of missing pet reports, and officers have been called to investigate mysterious sounds in the middle of the night.

Moreever, parks and public areas have been filled with statues of humans seemingly overnight. These statues, all signed with the name "Bijyutsu" on a body part, have been written aside as the ever-growing pop-up art culture that is steadily making headlines across the world. Complaints have been made of the statues more eerie nature. Parents report that their children refuse to go to the local parks now, their children believing that the statues house spirits somehow, or body parts of a statue moving when no one seems to be looking. 

Throughout the week, even stranger things appear to happen to the public.

The first day, all water turned red in color. While it did not have any adverse effects on the quality of the water, it caused enough of a scare for children and adults alike.

The second day, water returned to normal but the skies were filled with clouds and bats assaulted the city, clamoring against windows and surrounding anyone that dare step outside.

Come the third day, the bats disappeared as if they had not ever appeared and spiders took their place. Webs were everywhere around the city - on cars, in front of doors, even in the corners of ceilings inside of apartments. 

By day four, all spiders and their webs were gone without a trace. In their stead came the fluctuations in the electricity. Hours would go by and traffic lights would go haywire, changing between the colors in rapid succession for no reason. Even more power outages followed until the fifth day. 

The fifth day came with no electricity throughout the ward. Bunkyo was left in darkness.

Electricity finally returned on the sixth day, but numerous reports had been made regarding Bijyutsu's statues all over the ward. Many of them were reported to be in different positions in an almost eerie fashion - their head were turned in the opposite direction, arms in a different position than before. And the pictures people took with them! Photographers claimed that the heads of the statues turned to look at the camera. 

Then on the seventh day, everything disappeared. Over night, Bijyutsu's pop-up art exposition had ended and everything was packed up before the 31st of October. All in all, it was a peaceful day of jack-o-lantern carving and preparations for the following day.

Clouds filled the skies yet again on Halloween night. Children and parents were alike going out, ready to have a fun on the special Friday night Halloween. Even during the day, people had already donned elaborate costumes and began their evenings of fun. And once night fell, that was when the real fun began. Just, don't look in any of the dark alleys. Surprises lurk beneath every shadow. 

Happy Halloween, turtleducks!

「Roleplaying Rules 」

First and foremost, be sure to tag your posts correctly. In order to distinguish threads from normal roleplays going on, tag any and all threads for this event as ‘AUTidings’.

This event will run from October 23rd to October 31st

You may continue any threads you have once the event is over, but you may not create new ones for this event.

Participation is optional

And of course get your spooky hats on and have fun! 

「Safety and Etiquette Rules 」

Please refrain from having real weapons as part of your costumes! You wouldn't want to hurt anyone.

That said, do not try to fight the statues, we cannot be held accountable for anything that may happen.

Anything triggery will need to be placed under a read more whether it is smut or extremely violent.

「Activities 」

Pictures are always a great way to record memory of anything! Whether for pleasure or as proof this wasn't all in your head. 

Try out some ghost hunting! You never know what you may find.

Do some classic Trick-or-Treat! Though, you may end up with a trick more often than a treat.

Go out and about all around Bunkyo! Maybe you can find a place the bats or spiders do not reach. Or maybe you can find the cause of the blackout. Or even find out the secrets to the moving statues! If any of that is possible that is.

On the 31st, without anything plaguing the city, participants are free to choose how they wish to spend their Halloween night. However, keep in mind that there have been reports of spirits of friends, family, and even pets who have passed on being seen around the ward - especially in areas they used to frequent when they were alive.

[aurpevents]

Final Send Off

It was a wonderful evening and everything went off perfectly from the parade to the many performers in their celebratory outfits. There were thousands of guests and each stall was reported to have made more money than estimated. This was a perfect example of the amazing talent Spica and Ouran have when they put their minds together! 

Each bamboo tree was decorated wonderfully! The folded pieces of paper were tied to the tree and all around it were decorations of paper cranes and various other ornaments and origami. All the talent was displayed in these wishing trees, it was sad that now that the festival was coming to an end, all of it was meant to be burned. The fireworks were slowing down and employees were gathering around different bamboo trees to carry to the water. Lying just on the surface were small wooden rafts to carry each tree out further. There was only one thing left to do and that was to light it all up. 

May the wishes reach the night sky and drift to the stars above. 

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That's it turtleducks for AUStars. This post means the event has finally closed and there can be no further starters made following this. Any threads that have been ongoing are free to continue but again, if someone has made a starter and it has not been replied to, now is too late. Only those who have had responses made can keep this up. It was wonderful to see all the participation for this event and we hope you all had a lot of fun! 

[aurpevents]

Reminder

Make sure you have read the roleplaying rules of the event and tag any and all posts that deal with the current event as 'AUStars' please. Failure to tag means the mods cannot track who has participated. Other than that, enjoy yourselves! ^_^

-Mod Team-

[aurpevents]

Festival of Stars

Tanabata, or Evening of the Seventh, was made to celebrate when the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi were able to meet. Orihime was known for weaving the most beautiful clothes by a river and her father was obsessed with her clothing so each and every day she worked hard. Unfortunately, her work kept her from a dream of hers; a dream to fall in love. Her father loved her so much, he arranged for her to meet a man by the name of Hikoboshi who was known to work on the other side of the river. When they met, it was love at first sight and they soon married, but it was then that they both neglected their work and her father separated them and never wanted them to see each other again. Orihime's tears eventually broke her father down and he agreed that once a year they would be allowed to meet.

Today, these deities are represented by the stars Vega and Altair while the river is said to be The Milky Way. It is in celebration of these lovers that the festival Tanabata was created. At this festival, it is typically celebrated by writing wishes on small pieces of paper. Some choose to write in the form of poetry, but it is not necessary. Once the wish is written, it is then hanged on bamboo with any other decorations that are desired. Once everyone has finished hanging them, the bamboo is set out onto a river and burned when the festival ends. 

Throughout the festival it is not uncommon to hear people singing a song specifically written for this special evening:

"Sasa no ha sara-sara               "The bamboo leaves rustle, Nokiba ni yureru                         Shaking away in the eaves. Ohoshi-sama kira-kira                The stars twinkle Kingin sunago                            on the gold and silver grains of sand. Goshiki no tanzaku                    The five-colour paper strips watashi ga kaita                         I have already written. Ohoshi-sama kirakira                 The stars twinkle, sora kara miteru"                       They watch us from heaven."

This festival is being held at the Rikugien Garden and it has been made extra special for this celebration. Hanging from trees and poles there are colorful streamers that have been worked on for months in advance. This festival is going to be the best one yet as Ouran and Spica have put their money together to make it only the best for everyone. A parade has been assembled along with many contests, games, and food stalls for all to enjoy. 

「Roleplaying Rules 」

First and foremost, be sure to tag your posts correctly. In order to distinguish threads from normal roleplays going on, tag any and all threads for this event as ‘AUStars’.

This event will run from August 12th to August 24th

Once it is over, you are allowed to continue threads from the event but you are NOT allowed to make new starters set during the event. This means that if you have made a starter and no one has replied to it by the time that the event ends, then no one can reply to it any longer. 

Participation is optional

Have fun! There are many activities and games so take advantage.

「Safety and Etiquette Rules 」

Tanabata starts at 5p.m. and is free to everyone. There will be a show of fire-swallowing on the main stage followed by dancing and music.

Do not litter! If you are caught, security will escort you off the premise.

Fireworks are going to be displayed near the end of the festival which will end at 11p.m. If you want to stay and see the send off of the bamboo along with the various wishes to the water and set ablaze, then that will have to wait until midnight.

Keep an eye out for little children who might be running around.

To avoid long lines, various bamboo trees have been placed all around in certain areas. Maps will be provided upon entering so you can find them with ease. 

「Activities 」

Miss Tanabata beauty pageant for the lady who is dressed in the most beautiful yukata and whatever accessories that may be involved. 

Make paper kimonos and cranes to later be hung along with your wish

Kingyo sukui, goldfish scooping, is where you pay for a flat paper net to try and scoop for a fish and get it in a bowl. Be careful not to let it sit in the water too long or use too much force!

Ring Throwing is a game where you are given five plastic rings with the goal of getting it around a bottle. Sounds easy, but has its own challenge. Depending on the amount of rings you can get around the bottle, a prize will be distributed that ranges from a small key chain to a big stuffed animal.

In the center of the garden, there is a stage that has been placed there for music and other various acts to be performed throughout the festival from fire swallowing to dancing to music.

A platform is also centered around the stage where anyone can join in dances like the Bon-odori. 

Food stalls are scattered all over the gardens. There is Yakisoba, Taiyaki, and Takoyaki. For a more convenient and less-messy form of food, there are various foods sold on sticks such as cucumbers, pineapples, candied fruits, and meat. For more fun, one of the stalls has a build-your-own stick. Pick your fruits and dip them in whatever you like from caramel, chocolate, to vanilla dip and then decorate it with sprinkles. 

Buy a mask in the form of one of your favorite characters and when you're not wearing it on your face, wear it on the back of your head to confuse people. 

Enjoy the parade as the floats and various people in costumes come drifting by.

[aurpevents]

Special Finale

As the week wore on, more and more visitors explored Housen Aquarium and experienced adventures with sea life. From the penguin feedings to the late night sleeping exhibitions, guests of all ages were immersed in sights and sounds few have had the ability to experience. Yet all good things must, unfortunately, come to an end. Many visitors have been taught the most appropriate ways to help save their oceans and beaches through changing small things such as their diet to being mindful of what they throw away into the waste bin. 

The week has finally come to an end and Housen Aquarium's week of education on conservation must end. Discounted ticket prices now back to their regular prices of 2500 yen ($25) for Adults and 2000 yen ($19) for Students. Their special exhibits including the white otters and white dolphins have also been closed for the time being to allow exhibit upgrades and repairs have a slight water pump malfunction. But don't fret, for the rest of the aquarium is still open to the public! 

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That's all, turtleducks. Our AUAquarium event has officially ended! Keep in mind that no new starters can be made, but any threads that were started before this post can continue. In addition, if you posted a starter that was never replied to, it can no longer be made into a thread past this point. We hope you all enjoyed this event and thank you to everyone who participated! See you for the next event, turtleducks!