Onbashira Festival – Japan

Held every six years in Nagano Prefecture, the Onbashira Festival involves hauling and riding massive 10-ton logs down steep mountainsides. Men literally cling to the logs as they careen downhill, risking serious injury in a centuries-old ritual meant to purify and renew the Suwa Grand Shrine.

Participants train for months and view the ride as an honor and spiritual offering. The terrifying descent is accompanied by chants, drums, and prayers, while crowds cheer from below. Despite injuries—and even fatalities—the festival endures. It’s a stunning mix of devotion, danger, and straight-up WTF.

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