The annual autumn festival at Hiwasa Hachiman Shrine in Minami Town, Tokushima , JAPAN

The annual autumn festival at Hiwasa Hachiman Shrine, located in Minami Town, Kaifu District, Tokushima Prefecture, is a historic and spirited event held to pray for bountiful catches, maritime safety, and abundant harvests.
During the festival, participants carry eight *chōsa* (ornate, drum-bearing floats)—one from each of the eight local districts—in a procession from the shrine to a temporary resting site (*otabisho*) set up on Ohama Beach, before eventually returning to the shrine. Ohama Beach is well-known as a nesting ground for sea turtles and has been recognized as one of the "100 Best Beaches in Japan."
When the sea is calm, the *chōsa* are sometimes carried directly into the water; however, in 2026, high swells caused by a typhoon made it impossible to enter the sea.