Aug 03 (NHK) - One of Japan's biggest summer festivals kicked off in the northeast city of Aomori on Wednesday. The annual event is being held without coronavirus restrictions for the first time in four years.
The Aomori Nebuta Festival features a procession of huge floats called 'nebuta' that depict historic warriors.
The parade began at around 7 p.m., starting with a massive float standing about five meters tall.
Dancers called 'haneto' jumped and shouted to the sounds of flutes and drums around the floats. Last year, the number of dancers was restricted to those who had pre-registered, as an anti-coronavirus measure.
The festival runs through Monday. A fireworks finale will light up the final evening, when floats will also be displayed on the ocean.
Source: Kyodo