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Performers pull carts with creative designs made by local students in Higashinada Ward, Kobe, to pray for good health.

MATSURI: The Heartbeat of Japan

Higashinada Danjiri: Kobe

Teams of around 150 people carry "taikodai," large parade floats housing a huge taiko drum. They compete to give the most powerful synchronized performance.

Niihama Taiko Matsuri: Niihama

The filmmakers shed light on a major kagura event in Buzen, Fukuoka Prefecture, featuring 24 music and dance performances to entertain the gods for two days.

Buzen Kagura Matsuri: Buzen

Onomichi Betcha, a three-day festival in Hiroshima Prefecture, features masked figures who torment spectators with sticks.

Onomichi Betcha Matsuri: Onomichi

The filmmakers showcase the traditional Japanese night of the oni, Oniyo, where people are cleansed of troubles.

Oniyo: Kurume

The filmmakers explore Inami Shishimai, a type of lion dance performed in Toyama Prefecture.

Inami Shishimai: Inami-chiku, Nanto

11 districts in Yatsuo, Toyama Prefecture, parade along different routes to celebrate the Owara Kaze no Bon Festival, a 300-year-old event that features elegant music, dancing and singing.

Etchu Owara-Kaze-no-Bon: Yatsuo-machi

The host takes a look into the training and preparations for the Onabare festival, which include parading a portable shrine through the streets and performing along the way.

Onabare: Kami

The host explores the process of making ryusei rockets that carry prayers from people in the community to the sky.

Yoshida Ryusei: Chichibu

The filmmakers take a look at the history of Gojinjo Taiko, a powerful performance by masked drummers that originated hundreds of years ago in Japan.

Gojinjo Taiko: Nafune-machi

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A diverse selection of matsuri, traditional festivals found all over Japan, and the preparations leading up to them.