At Karo’s Nakizumo Festival, babies are brought into the sumo ring and coaxed to cry – a seemingly comic rite rooted in the old belief that loud tears bring health, strength, and good fortune.
Matsuri
Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Nada Fighting Festival)
At Nada no Kenka Matsuri, lavishly ornamented floats are driven hard into one another to the beat of taiko drums, turning neighbourhood rivalry into a spectacle of impact, noise, and brute teamwork.
Misasa Onsen Hanayu Festival (Misasa no Jinsho)
In Misasa Onsen, Hanayu Matsuri builds slowly – rope-making, prayer, procession – before the town gives itself over to the jinsho, a colossal tug of war between east and west fought beneath the lights of the main street.
Tottori Shan-Shan Festival
Each August during Obon, thousands of dancers carrying jangling umbrellas sweep through central Tottori in choreographed waves, transforming the city into a shifting field of colour, bells, and collective rhythm.
Nakada Hadaka Matsuri
In Nakada, on the edge of Nagoya, men scramble again and again up slick bamboo poles in a muddy paddy field, sliding back into the mire until the poles finally give way – a small, rough-edged purification rite aimed at driving off bad luck in the yakudoshi years.
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri
Each autumn, Kishiwada’s danjiri carts come hurtling round tight corners at a near-impossible pace while roof dancers balance above the charge, in a display of skill, nerve, and split-second timing where any mistake risks serious injury or death.
Miya Festival
In Gamagori, the Miya Festival reaches its astonishing climax at the water’s edge, where decorated floats are hauled into the sea by teams of men straining against surf, weight, and ritual obligation.
The Great Bonfire of Toba
At Toba’s fire festival, two giant burning towers become the focus of a fierce village contest, as men hurl themselves at the flames to wrench out the sacred trees hidden within and read the fortunes of the year ahead.
Takisanji Oni Matsuri
At Takisanji Oni Matsuri, a fire ritual of startling theatrical force is performed not for spectacle alone but for purification – a prayer in flame for peace, protection, and a good harvest.
Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Man Festival)
Held in Inazawa and rooted in rites once performed to drive off plague, the Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri draws thousands of nearly naked men into a punishing crush of cold, contact, and purification.