56. YouTube: Fukuoka
AT 4:59AM, on the 15th July, the whole of Fukuoka celebrates the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival.
The festival, shown left, has been around for 700 years. Participants don their loincloths (締め込み) and carry floats throughout the city. Spectators encourage them by shouting "Oisa! Oisa!" (オイサ！オイサ！) and splashing them with water to keep them cool.
This clip shows the seven teams, which I think represent the city's different districts: Doi (土居流), Daikoku (大黒流), Higashi (東流), Nakasu (中洲流), Nishi (西流), Chiyo (千代流) and Ebisu (恵比須流). There is an eighth float as well, which is housed at Kushida Shrine (櫛田神社).