Chichibu Night Festival

Also known as Chichibu Yomatsuri, the Chichibu Night Festival in Saitama, is considered one of Japan’s top three festivals to feature floats, and it is the principal festival at Chichibu Shrine, the main shrine in Saitama’s Chichibu region.

Taking place annually on the 3rd of December, the Chichibu Night Festival is an astonishing matsuri, with its climax taking place in the evening when kasaboko and yatai floats, weighing 10-20 tons each and lit up with countless lanterns, climb up a steep slope with a mikoshi (portable shrine).