The Hida Furukawa Festival features beautiful festival floats (yatai 屋台)—three to four stories tall—gliding through the town’s old streets by day and glowing with lanterns by night. Yet what truly sets the Furukawa Festival apart is the dramatic nighttime ritual of the Okoshi Daiko, a fierce contest of drums and spirit between neighborhood teams.

The Okoshi Daiko (起し太鼓), a massive drum mounted on a wooden platform, is carried through the chilly night by half-naked men dressed in traditional white fundoshi. As it moves through the streets, each neighborhood’s Tsuke Daiko (付け太鼓) team joins the procession, carrying a smaller drum attached to a long pole. Their goal is to break through rival groups and the defenders of the Okoshi Daiko to “attach” their Tsuke Daiko to the main drum. These ritual clashes continues deep into the night as the Okoshi Daiko makes its way through Furukawa’s narrow streets, echoing with drums, chants, and the spirit of spring awakening.