Photo/Illutration The No. 1 Yamakasa float of the Ebisu Nagare enters the Kushidajinja shrine grounds as spectators watch in Hakata Ward in Fukuoka at 4:59 a.m. on July 15. (Minako Yoshimoto)

FUKUOKA--The Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival reached its grand finale on the morning of July 15, with massive and colorfully decorated floats racing through an approximate 5-kilometer course through the city streets here. 

“I was delighted to see the magnificent figure of my acquaintance from the seats here," Eriko Sato, 40, a resident of Hakata Ward, said from the seats in Kushidajinja shrine. "It has been my dream for a long time."

The long-awaited festival returned for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seven "kakiyama" floats carried by men in traditional loincloths who race against one another served as the highlight of the festival.

It started to rain just before the festival began.

The first team carrying the No. 1 Yamakasa float of the Ebisu Nagare was at the starting point of Kushidajinja shrine at 4:59 a.m., accompanied by the sound of beating drums.

The team ran through the shrine grounds while spectators who filled the seats outdoors watched. After the team sang a festival song called “Hakata Iwai Uta,” they ran out into the streets of the city.

It was followed by six other groups every five minutes.

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa Promotion Association said participants were required to take their temperature every day, and those with temperatures 37.5 degrees or higher were not allowed to participate.

The association also created guidelines on when to wear a mask since bearers chanted without wearing one while carrying a float.

The guidelines said participants must wear a mask except when carrying a float and that they should change the people carrying the float within five minutes.

Related News