Kiso Mikoshi Makuri Festival

Taking place in the picturesque Kiso township of Nagano Prefecture, the Mikoshi Matsuri is an annual event involving approximately 100 wooden mikoshi (portable, shoulder-borne shrines). The mikoshi, weighing up to 375 kilograms, are carried and flipped (!) end over end by groups of men.
The climax of the festival is in the evening of the 23rd, but if you’re there on the evening of the 22nd, you can enjoy a fireworks display.