Danger, death and devotion: Japan’s festivals face crisis after fatal accidents

Japan’s centuries-old festivals are facing renewed scrutiny after a series of fatal accidents in recent weeks, raising questions over how communities can preserve their cultural traditions without putting lives at risk.

Three people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in accidents at autumn festivals across the country in recent weeks. Meanwhile, organisers of another major festival, where two men died in February, have cancelled next year’s event, citing public safety concerns.

The fatalities have fuelled calls for some festivals to be scrapped, even as experts warn that abandoning them would erase an important part of local identity and cultural heritage.

On October 10, a danjiri (wooden festival float) toppled over while rounding a bend in Izumisano, near Osaka, killing a 51-year-old man who was helping balance the vehicle. On the same day, a 48-year-old man died after being trapped beneath a float in nearby Izumiotsu.