(5 Dec 2019) LEAD IN: Japan's ancient indigenous religious tradition of "Shinto" is hard to define, and over the centuries it has mingled and merged with other religions like Buddhism.
But, with thousands flocking to a mountain town for a Shinto festival marking the end of the harvest this week (3 December 2019), it's evident that the tradition remains very much alive.
STORY-LINE:
As fireworks light up the dark winter night sky, scores of men, women and teenagers haul the last of six towering, lantern-covered floats up a small hill and into the town centre.
This event is the culmination of the Chichibu Festival, commemorated here in the town of Chichibu, 115 kilometres (70 miles) northwest of Tokyo, once a year.
It includes Kabuki performers, and a famous procession of moving floats, some of which tower seven metres (23 feet) and weigh 15 tonnes (157 stone).
There's a devotional element to the festival too: participants leave fortune papers and prayer plaques at this Shinto shrine, one of 80,000 that dot the country.
They also offer prayers in person, typically done by clapping their hands twice to get the attention of the gods and then bowing with folded hands.
While Shinto is Japan's indigenous religious tradition, it co-exists peacefully with Buddhism, which was introduced here around the 7th century.
"As far as Shinto and Buddhism are concerned, I think it's fine that we have both gods and Buddha together in our culture," says Reina Yamamoto, a festival participant and cook.
Today, the Chichibu Festival attracts 200,000 participants, and in 2016 it was registered by UNESCO as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.
"I've been participating in this festival since I was a child, so it feels like I ought to keep participating in it," says Hiroyuki Takano, a manufacturing worker.
Indeed, these days many of those who flock to it say the event holds no religious meaning for them - they come instead to maintain the tradition.
"Japanese people may not know the specifics of Shinto themselves, and things like Buddhism are often blended in. It's hard to explain. As far as religion is concerned, I can't really say much, but it's likely that people don't reverently hold the beliefs themselves," says Hiroyuki Takano.
Nevertheless, the tradition is cherished - especially the procession of the floats.
In the original story, dating back 1,000 years, the festival would be held to celebrate the god of nearby Mount Buko coming down to help the villagers grow and harvest their crops.
The community would hold a festival to celebrate, honouring the god and sending the god back up the mountain.
But, as time passed, the story became more complex, evolving over time to become the story of the male dragon god of Mount Buko coming down to meet the female goddess Myoken.
Myoken is said to be the goddess of the Chichibu shrine, and the two are only able to meet once a year after harvest season.
At the festival, the goddess is carried through the town on this portable shrine, born on two large beams of wood, called a "mikoshi".
Once the "mikoshi" is carried to the meeting place, the two gods are finally able to meet - a moment commemorated with the night time fireworks.
The spectacle is what draws the crowds, participants say.
But for many, it has a religious significance too.
In many senses, the Chichibu festival is a good example of the unique roles religion and tradition play in the lives of many in Japan.
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