The Morioka Sansa Odori Festival is Japan’s premier summer dance festival, originating from a local legend where villagers celebrated the sealing of a demon. It is fundamentally a massive taiko drumming and dance parade, featuring tens of thousands of participants processing nightly along the central street. The central highlight is the stunning, Guinness World Record-certified simultaneous taiko drum performance, showcasing incredible synchronized rhythm and scale.

The Akita Kanto Matsuri, or Pole Lantern Festival, is known for its unique and spectacular display of hundreds of towering lantern-adorned bamboo poles (kanto). These poles symbolize bags of rice, forming a friendly, traditional ceremony to pray for a successful autumn harvest. The main attraction is the breathtaking demonstration of balance by the sashite (performers) who shift the massive poles from their palms to their hips or foreheads.

The Yamagata Hanagasa Dance Festival is a major annual summer gathering celebrated for its spectacular display of synchronized traditional dance. This friendly, traditional event sees over 10,000 dancers parade through the city. The main attraction is the synchronized choreography, set to the classic Hanagasa Ondo folk song, which showcases diverse styles ranging from powerful shouts to graceful, flowing movements.

The Tokushima Awa Odori Dance Festival is arguably Japan’s most famous summer dance event, featuring thousands of ren (dancers) performing the unique, energetic Awa Odori style throughout Tokushima City. The main attraction is the non-stop street parade, set to a distinct traditional rhythm, showcasing contrasting high-stepping men’s movements and graceful women’s dances.

The Ballater Highland Games is a rugged Scottish sports and heritage event held in a green valley near Balmoral Castle. Since 1864, it has featured kilted athletes throwing massive logs, bagpipe duels, and traditional dancing. Known as “The Friendly Games,” it offers a raw, unpolished look at Highland culture, where local clansmen and elite competitors share the same field.

Kandy Esala Perahera is an event during which Sinhalese people show their appreciation for the Lord Buddha. The central element of the festivity is the Sacred Tooth – an alleged piece of the Buddha’s earthly remains. They start having this event more than 1000 years ago. During all these years many traditions were created and many others were forgotten. But because this event is so old, it manages, at least for 10 days a year, to keep alive the most important of them.