Kaze no bon

Kaze-no-Bon (風の盆) is a Japanese festival held every year from September 1 to 3 in Yatsuo, Toyama, Japan.

The streets are decorated with paper lanterns, and long rows of young men and women, their faces covered by low-brimmed straw hats, dance simultaneously to melancholic music.

The hats, worn with matching kimono, cover the dancers faces to hide them from the wrath of the god they hope to appease.

However, these are considered to be superstitious reasons, with other, more modern explanations - such as the dancers performing to meet other young unmarried people - also existing.

Aside from the dance,[2] games, trinkets and other traditional foods and services are also offered from the tiny shops lining the streets.