Editorial photo #13957682 Human Interest

Kakiyama Teams Take On Oiyama Narashi Rehearsal In Fukuoka

Kakiyama teams compete in the Oiyama Narashi rehearsal during the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 12, 2026. The official timed rehearsal for the festival's final Oiyama on July 15 follows most of the festival's official course through the main streets and narrow lanes of Hakata's historic district. Held annually from July 1 to 15, Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a more than 780-year-old festival dedicated to Kushida Shrine and is part of the Yama, Hoko, Yatai, Float Festivals in Japan, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (Photo by Ryo Chi/NurPhoto)