Nagasaki Kunchi

What makes this one special is that each neighborhood only performs once every seven years — genuinely rare, not a recycled routine.

It traces to 1634, when two courtesans dedicated a Noh dance called "Komai" before Suwa Shrine. Expect performances unlike anywhere else in Japan: a Chinese-style dragon chasing a golden ball while the crowd shouts "Motte koi!" for an encore, a massive drum platform tossed into the air by dozens of bearers, even a comic Dutch dance — living proof of Nagasaki's centuries as Japan's one open window to the world.

Designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1979.