Defining images of Japan, Dashi parade

Among the many things that are unique to Japan, the Shinto festivals (matsuri) are surely one of the must see experiences... Photographed here at the Uchiwa Matsuri, a festival taking place in Kumagaya, Saitama, is one of the most spectacular types of matsuri, a dashi parade.

Dashi are multi-storied festival floats, with a doll on top and a trapdoor mechanism that allows the upper part to be retracted inside, originally designed to allow the float to pass through the castle gates...