Towering Lantern Displays Held High as Akita Kanto Festival Kicks Off; Participants Pray for Bountiful Harvest

Tall poles adorned with lanterns are hoisted high as the Akita Kanto Festival kicks off Sunday in Akita. In the festival, which runs through Wednesday, 67 participating group lift 266 poles up to 12 meters tall and weighing 50 kilograms. They sway the poles in the night sky while praying for a bountiful harvest. Amid high rice prices and concerns over poor crop growth due to scorching heat and low rainfall, an Akita man who participated the festival said he hopes rice grown in the prefecture will reach many people.