Naha Great Tug-of-War

Okinawa doesn't do small tug-of-war ropes. The Naha Ōtsunahiki is Guinness-certified as the largest tug-of-war rope in the world — about 200 meters long and 40 tons — and every October, half the city splits into east and west teams to pull it apart in the middle of Route 58.

The morning starts with a flag procession down Kokusai-dōri, where district flag-bearers show off with poles over 10 meters tall to the sound of drums and gongs. Then in the afternoon, the two halves of the giant rope get joined together at the Kumoji intersection, and the crowd — tourists included — grabs on and pulls.

It's one of the rare "world record" attractions where you're not just watching it happen, you're part of the record. Fireworks close things out at night.