Annual washtub race marks early summer in Ito, Japan

A unique early-summer event, a washtub race, was held in the Japanese hot spring resort city of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, in central Japan on Sunday. The event is held annually around this time of the year on the Ito Okawa River. About 270 people, including locals and tourists, took part in the race.

Some participants wore costumes, while others were dressed in summer kimono known as yukata. Seated in tubs about 1 meter in diameter, participants set off at the starting signal and paddled frantically with large wooden scoops resembling large rice paddles, racing to the finish line about 400 meters downstream.