For Today’s Japan Photo, we shall take a look at the interesting Akita Kanto Matsuri 秋田竿燈まつり that was held over the last weekend.
The Kanto Matsuri (“pole lantern festival”) is a Tanabata related celebration in Akita City, held every year from August 3rd to 6th. The highlight of the festival is an impressive display of skill in which performers balance kanto, or long bamboo poles with arrays of paper lanterns attached to the end. The Kanto Matsuri together with Aomori’s Nebuta Festival and Sendai’s Tanabata make up the Tohoku Sandai Matsuri (Three Great Festivals of the Tohoku Region).
