Soma-Nomaoi is a festival that recreates a battle scene from more than 1,000 years ago. It is annually held for 4 days from July 22 to 25 in Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, in the eastern part of Japan. In this historical event, 600 mounted samurai in traditional Japanese armor, with long swords at their side and ancestral flagstaffs streaming from their backs, ride across open fields. Soma-Nomaoi has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

Photo: A young woman (C) clad in samurai costume leads other local poeple as she rides her horse during a parade at the annual Soma Nomaoi festival in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 28, 2012. The traditional full-scale festival kicked off for the first time after the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant following the massive earthquake and the tsunami on March 11, 2011. (Photo by Toru Yamanaka/AFP Photo)

The main feature of the Mitsuyama Taisai Festival, three 18 meters tall “mountains”. are displayed at the Itate Hyozu Shrine on March 31, 2013 in Himeji, Japan. The festival is held once in 20 years since 1593, Priests of Itate Hyozu Shrine welcome to all the gods across the country for top of the three mountains and treat with food seven days from today as to pray for peace and prosperity. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

“Itasha (痛車), literally “painmobile”, is a Japanese term for an otaku fad of individuals decorating the bodies of their cars with fictional characters of anime, manga, or video games (especially bishōjo game or eroge). These characters are predominately “cute” female. The decorations usually involve paint schemes and stickers. Automobiles are called Itasha, while similar motorcycles and bicycles are called itansha (痛単車) and itachari (痛チャリ), respectively”. – Wikipedia


Photo: A visitor takes pictures of an anime-decorated «Itasha» car displayed during the “Moe Fes in Washimiya” at Washimiya Town Hall on July 18, 2009 in Washimiya, Saitama, Japan. Itasha, a word derived from “itai” (painful) and “sha” (car), are vehicles decorated with mostly female characters from Japanese manga, anime and video games. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

Tattoo artist Tokyo Hiro draws a scorpion to be tattooed on a customer at the Tattoo the Earth Festival August 9, 2002 in Oakland, California. The Tattoo the Earth festival focuses on the tattooing culture and is the largest tattoo event of its kind. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A punks sticks out his tongue at the start of the annual Rebellion Punk Rock Festival on August 4, 2011 in Blackpool, England. This weekend a clash of musical cultures hits the famous seaside town as pogoing punks attending the annual Rebellion Festival at The Winter Gardens come shoulder to shoulder with traditional holidaymakers and the waltzing dancers of the Tower Ballroom. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Balloons participate in the Balloon Spectacular during Canberra Festival on March 10, 2012 in Canberra, Australia. The annual balloon festival in Canberra is considered one of the best in the world, and is unique in allowing patrons to float above Parliament, embassies and other government buildings. Canberra is celebrating its 99th birthday in 2012, with over 50 events in the 17 day Canberra Festival. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

A reveller sleeps on the pavement during the Sanja Matsuri festival in the Asakusa district of Tokyo May 17, 2015. The Sanja Matsuri festival attracts over about one million visitors over its duration of three days, when parties of revellers carry portable shrines through the Asakusa neighbourhood, rocking and shaking them in a belief that this intensified the powers of the deities that reside inside them. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)