Hakata Gion Yamakasa, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event in Fukuoka City, will be canceled this year due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The annual summer festival attracts approximately three million international visitors each year and offers exciting scenes of giant floats racing past the streets of Hakata. The leaders of the seven participating ‘Nagare’ groups will hold a meeting on April 20 to officially announce the first cancelation of Hakata Gion Yamakasa since the festival revived in 1948 (after WWII.) Source: NHK and Asahi
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