Only during the Kawagoe Matsuri can festivalgoers view the enormous floats of old Edo (the old name for Tokyo). More than 20 richly decorated parade floats, thought to be reproductions of floats from Tokyo’s Kanda-jinja Shrine, are carried through the streets of Kawagoe. In the evening, the floats come together and bump into one another in the center of town. Hyashi bands—which play traditional Japanese music on the flute, drum, shamisen (three-stringed lute) and other instruments—also spar with one another, trying their best to interrupt the others’ rhythm. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary