Society | Nov 05

Karatsu Kunchi autumn festival reaches peak

Local residents and tourists have flocked to a traditional autumn festival featuring colorful floats parading through Karatsu City, southwestern Japan.

The annual Karatsu Kunchi festival dating back 400 years is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

14 decorated floats, modeled after the traditional "shishi" lions and samurai "kabuto" helmets paraded through the streets, pulled by teams of men.

On Saturday, the second day of the 3-day festival, the bearers pulled the floats through a sandy area while being loudly applauded by the spectators.

The organizing group says about 200,000 people attended the festivities on Saturday.

A woman from Kumamoto City said that she was impressed by the beautiful floats and the history behind the festival.

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