Kishiwada Danjiri festival starts in Osaka

The centuries-old Kishiwada Danjiri festival kicked off in Osaka, western Japan, on Saturday. Spectators have been flocking to see massive carts being pulled through the streets at high speeds.

The festival dates back more than 300 years, and is held to ensure a good harvest. A total of 34 decorated "danjiri" carts from districts across the city took part.

Each of them stands 4 meters high and weighs about 4 tons. Spectators cheered each time a danjiri cart turned around a street corner, with a man perched on top shouting a command.

The performance is called "yarimawashi", and it will run through Sunday.