Tsuchizaki Float Festival

Tsuchizaki was Akita's port, and its shrine festival has been running since the eighteenth century. On 20 and 21 July each neighbourhood pulls out a hikiyama — a wheeled float carrying a mountain of rock and pine on which warrior figures are posed in a scene, with a satirical placard on the back commenting on the year's politics. The chant is joyasa. It is a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2016 as part of the Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals of Japan.

The 20th is the eve, when the floats are pulled round the neighbourhoods and taken to the shrine to be blessed. The 21st is the main day: the portable shrine processes to a resting place and every neighbourhood's float meets it in the street outside. The satirical boards are worth a look even without the language — they are pointed, current and often about national politics.