TEXT : HOI MUN YEE / IMAGES : 123RF, AIRASIA & WAI MINGbottom
Yo u n g p a r t i c i p a n t s o f
the Hakata Gion
Ya m a k a s a
top
View of the city at dusk
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Every year from 1 to 15 July, the Hakata
district celebrates the Hakata Gion Yamakasa
festival. Believed to be one of Japan’s oldest
festivals, the celebrations draw around one
million spectators annually. The festival is best
known for the 14 Yamakasa, or floats, being
carried at different points of the city. From 1
to 14 July, seven teams will practice for the
spectacular time trial float-race that falls on
the final day of the festival. Participants would
drag 5-metre tall floats through the streets
as water is spread in front to reduce friction
between the float base and the roads. Come
15 July, all teams would line up in front of
Kushida Shrine, the home of the festival, at 1
a.m. The first team would begin the race just
before sunrise at 5 a.m. Thousands of people