Japan’s traditional Motsuke Festival culminating with its tug-of-war tournament in the snow and fireworks was held in the city of Aomori on Saturday.
Footage shows participants in loincloths taking part in the contest as spectators cheer them on.
“In the Aomori local dialect, we have an expression known as ‘motsuke,’ which indicates a person who is enthusiastic about something, a person who is passionate about something. So ‘the Motsuke Festival’ tonight is the event that expresses this word with bodies,” said Komatsu Hibiki, a tourism officer with the city authorities.
