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Bookmark & shareOn 3 January at the shrine, Hakozaki-gū, young men clad in loincloths raucously chase a wooden ball in the name of good fortune. The Hakata Dontaku Matsuri on 3 and 4 May rings to the unique percussive shock of shamoji (wooden serving spoons for rice) being banged together like castanets, accompanied by shamisen (a three-stringed instrument).
The city's main festival, Hakata Yamagasa Matsuri, is held from 1 to 15 July. The climax starts in the early hours of the 15th, when seven groups of men all converge at Kushida-jinja, just north of Canal City, and then race on a 5km (3.1mi)-long course through the city carrying huge mikoshi (portable shrines). Participants supposedly follow a strict regimen beforehand, including sexual abstinence. According to legend, the festival originated after a 13th-century Buddhist priest was carried aloft, sprinkling holy water over victims of a plague.
The Kyūshū Bashō sumō tournament is held at the Fukuoka Kokusai Centre during mid-November. Limited tojitsu-ken (same-day tickets) are available from , and people start lining up at dawn. Good luck.
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Ganjitsu (New Year's Day)
1 Jan
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Seijin-no-hi (Coming-of-Age Day)
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