The annual Spring Takayama Festival holds in central Japan

The annual Spring Takayama Festival, featuring elaborately decorated floats and “karakuri” mechanical puppets, has been held in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. On Tuesday,12 floats were paraded through Takayama and lined up on a street in the central part of the city. Meanwhile, Karakuri puppet performances were staged on three of the floats.

The Takayama Festival, held every spring and autumn, is one of the float festivals in Japan registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.