Note: Hachioji Festival has been cancelled due to the recent spike in Covid-19 infections.
Around 19 floats and portable shrines are carried around the north side of Hachioji at this summer festival. It is one of the top events of its kind in the Kanto region, held traditionally on the first weekend of August.
When rival floats pass one another, their bands attempt to throw each other off their groove in a musical face-off known as buttsuke – a distinctive Hachioji tradition. While the floats and portable shrines appear on Saturday and Sunday, also look out for ice sculptures (Aug 5, 3pm-5.40pm), taiko drummers (Aug 6, 2pm-4pm), lion dance (Aug 7, 4pm-6pm) and more in the course of the three-day fest, which attracted over 800,000 spectators every year before the pandemic.
For the festival programme, download the official pamphlet (in Japanese only).