The Ise Shrine Dedication Fireworks Festival is an annual fireworks competition held along the Miyagawa River. This premier event invites pyrotechnicians nationwide to showcase the art they perfected throughout the year. Ranking among Japan’s “Big Three” fireworks shows, the contest features judged categories, including “No. 10 Shells” (testing symmetry and scale) and “Creative Fireworks,” offering viewers approximately 10,000 rounds of intensely precise, exploding artwork.

The Festima Mask Festival is the largest cultural event in West Africa dedicated to preserving and celebrating the culture of the traditional African mask. Its most famous attraction is the performance of hundreds of diverse traditional masks (made of materials like leaves, wood, and textile) from various ethnic groups across West African nations. During the festival, mask wearers perform energetic, ritualistic dances set to traditional music, which symbolize the communication with ancestors and spirits.

The Onbashira Matsuri – Log Riding Festival is an ancient, extremely high-risk Japanese Shinto event held every six years to spiritually renew the Suwa Taisha shrines by installing new sacred pillars. Its fame comes from the breathtaking spectacle of the Ki-otoshi (riding colossal logs down treacherously steep slopes) and the final Tate-onbashira (erecting the massive pillars to serve as new anchors for the deity’s spirit).

The Bosch Parade is a prestigious biennial event that pays tribute to the 15th-century master of the surreal painting, Hieronymus Bosch. It’s a dramatic aquatic theater, featuring spectacular floating art installations and silent theatrical performances. Visitors can enjoy a slow-moving procession of extravagant, semi-submerged sculptures, haunting musical soundscapes, and vibrant artistic celebrations within the temporary ‘Garden of Delights’ festival village.