Majestic floats paraded at summer festival in western Japan

Floats adorned with intricate, colorful decorations were paraded through Oita Prefecture's Hita City in western Japan at a traditional summer festival.

The Hita Gion Festival began more than 300 years ago to ward off disease and disaster. It is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. On Saturday, people clad in happi coats pulled floats decorated with figures depicting scenes from the traditional performing arts of kabuki and joruri.