Matsuri (祭) is the Japanese word for a festival or holiday. There is no specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer/early autumn, usually related to the rice harvest. Notable matsuri often feature processions which may include elaborate floats. Preparation for these processions is usually organized at the level of neighborhoods, or machi. Prior to these, the local kami may be ritually installed in mikoshi and paraded through the streets. One can always find in the vicinity of a matsuri booths selling souvenirs and food such as takoyaki, and games, such as Goldfish scooping [ref]. Every summer is held in Kagurazaka a festival during which locals perfom the Awa Odori Dance. The name of this dance originates from the Iwa province (now Tokushima) in Shikoku and is known as the « dance of the fools because of its accompanying lyrics : the dancers are fools , the watchers are fool, both are fools alike, so why not dance. Below the pictures I took during the Kagurazaka Matsuri.

HD Video from the Matsuri