UNESCO 14 Lacquered Floats of Karatsu Kunchi, Kumamoto Yatsushiro Myoken-sai & Okinawa Naha Hari Dragon Boat Races

Schedule: 2026 | Location: Saga, Kumamoto & Okinawa

Every November 2 to 4 in the coastal castle town of Karatsu in Saga Prefecture, the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage festival Karatsu Kunchi parades 14 colossal floats (Hikiyama) standing seven meters tall and weighing up to five tons, all crafted between 1819 and 1876. Each Hikiyama is a monumental masterpiece of ikkanbari lacquerware—hundreds of layers of handmade washi paper coated in urushi lacquer and gold leaf—sculpted into crimson lions, giant red sea bream (Tai), flying dragons, and the war helmets of samurai lords Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, hauled at a sprint across the deep sand of Nishino-hama Beach to chants of "En-ya! En-ya!". On November 22 and 23 in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, fellow UNESCO-listed festival Yatsushiro Myoken-sai stages one of Kyushu’s most colorful Edo-period shrine processions. Over 40 parade units stretching six kilometers feature the beloved Ga-ma (Kida, a mythical half-turtle, half-serpent creature that spins and leaps through riverbeds and arenas), lion dances, ornate Kasaboko parasols, and the thrilling spectacle of decorated horses (Kazari-uma) galloping through cheering crowds. Meanwhile across the turquoise waters of Okinawa every Golden Week (May 3–5) in Naha Port and on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month in fishing towns like Itoman, the 600-year-old maritime tradition of Naha Hari (Haarii) revives the seafaring pageantry of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Massive 14.5-meter dragon boats (Hari-bune) crewed by up to 42 paddlers, bronze-gong beaters, and flag bearers race across the harbor waves to pray to the sea gods of Nirai Kanai for safe voyages and bountiful catches.