

An incredible 760,000 spectators are expected for one of the Tohoku region’s biggest fireworks festival. To put that in some perspective, the total population of Akita Prefecture is less …
Held at Mt. Taihei Miyoshi Shrine every year, the Miyoshi Bonden Festival is a spirited, sometimes-violent race to place offerings at the shrine for health, a bountiful harvest, and business …
Held every year on February 10, this local festival sees dozens of large paper balloons set off into the night sky. With over a century of history behind it, the origins of the traditions are not …
A festival in which locals dress up as demons and scare the bejesus out of young children. There are also bonfires, a dramatic explanation of the reason for the festival, taiko drumming, and …
A kamakura is a hollow carved out from a mound of snow. This festival, in Yokote City, Akita, usually features more than 100 large kamakura and numerous smaller ones. Sizes range from small …