Nursery school children and their parents took part in a festival featuring a Neputa float in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan.
About 50 participants, including 13 children ranging in age from 1 to 6, paraded around the town of Ajigasawa with a fan-shaped Neputa float.
The float measures three meters high and about two meters wide. It featured depictions of the Battle of Kawanakajima fought between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, two famous warlords from the 16th century.
The procession of children slowly wound its way over a distance of about 1.5 kilometers for about an hour amid the sounds of shouts, drums and flutes.
The nursery school has been staging the event with a local group. But Saturday’s event will be the last because the school will be closed by the end of this school year due to the declining number of children.
A girl who took part in the event said she is sad that the event was held for the last time. But she hopes to be able to take part in another Neputa event elsewhere next year.
The nursery school’s principal said she decided to hold the event with the hope that it could deliver a sense of the children’s vigor to the local community.
She also expressed hope that the children will take pride in having worked so hard together for the event.