Consisting of summer and autumn festivals,

Sawara Taisai conveys the vibrance and culture of Sawara as it was 300 years ago, to the present.

This area flourished thanks to the waters of the Tonegawa, one of Japan's most iconic rivers.

With a water link to the city of Edo, now Tokyo, the latest culture spread here quickly.

And views reminiscent of the town in its Edo Period heyday remain.

The summer festival is held in mid-July.

It features massive, elaborately decorated floats.

10 floats representing each Honjuku district neighborhood parade proudly through the streets.

It has been three long years, and so
safety is our number one priority.

The younger generation also haven't
been able to participate in that time.

We're hoping they'll take over and
continue this 300-year-old tradition.

The festival is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The decorated floats reach up to 9 meters in height.

Motifs include mythological and historical figures as well as carp and falcon designs.

From children to old folks,
it's a festival for everyone.

I couldn't help dancing!

I was born and raised here,
I'm a real Sawara local.

I don't usually participate, but after
all this time I couldn't help dancing.

The turning of the floats is one of the highlights.

They are turned clockwise in the shape of the Japanese character "no."

Rotating such massive floats without shifting the axis requires much skill.

Before, there were 10 floats all
together for the "no"-shaped turn.

But because of COVID-19,
large gatherings are a problem.

So, this time each district
is doing their turn separately.

Sawara's Ono River is the boundary.

Shinjuku is to the west,
Honjuku to the east.

The west guardian is in Suwa Shrine,
atop a mountain to the south of here.

Built over 400 years ago, it was
originally the Ino family shrine.

Eventually it became the shrine
for the whole area.

On day one, the deity is brought
into town in a portable shrine.

On day two, a float handover ceremony
will be held in front of that shrine.

The autumn festival is held
to honor Suwa's guardian deity.

The summer festival in July honors
the Yasaka Shrine deity of Honjuku.

The autumn festival is held in early October.

The 14 districts of the Shinjuku area take part.

This year, a new district will take over festival management.

The change happens every three years.

A new district takes over festival
management and float coordination.

There are 14 districts,
so that's once every 42 years.

It's a big responsibility.

That district plays the leading
role for the entire festival.

In general, young kids ride on the
lower part, older kids on the top.

And high schoolers help to push.
It's like a sort of youth club.

At each stage, there's something new
for participants to enjoy.

This is my last year in the youth group
but now my child is a member.

We're in it together,
so I want to make the most of it.

The colors of the traditional costumes
are so beautiful and bright.

It's so cool seeing them dance.
When I grow up, I want to do the same.

A friend invited me,
and I wanted to try.

With the festival on hold for three years due to the pandemic,

this year's event and the changeover of leadership overlap.

As night falls, the festival reaches its climax.

Sawara Bayashi, traditional music with flutes, drums, and bells, is played in the floats, enlivening the festival.

COVID-19 meant we couldn't hold
festivals for the past 2 years.

We were a bit nervous, but once
we started it was as fun as always.

Festival days are precious, and
we're happy the day has finally come.

I might be a bit too enthusiastic, but
we're lucky to have such good weather.

Nakagashi District completes their
duty this year, so it's handover time.

We'll take the reins
for the next three.

It's a big responsibility.

We're shouldering the history of the
festival and of our forebears.

We hope to carry out our duties well.