Chichibu Yomatsuri

Held on December 2 and 3 each year, Chichibu's most famous matsuri – which ranks alongside Kyoto's Gion Festival and the Hida Takayama Festival as one of Japan’s ‘big three’ float festivals – falls on a weekend this time around, so you can expect it to be extra crowded. Six elaborately carved floats, each weighing in excess of 10 tons, are pulled through the streets, culminating in a dash up the steep slope known as 'dango-zaka'. However, the festival is just as famous for its climactic fireworks display, a two-and-a-half hour show that takes place on the evening of December 3.