Man Dies at Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival in Fukuoka City

the Yomiuri Shimbun

12:25 JST, July 15, 2023

A man who participated in the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival was run over by one of the Yamakasa floats, which weighted about one ton, early Saturday morning on a street in Fukuoka City.

The man was taken to a hospital but was later confirmed dead, according to the Fukuoka prefectural police.

According to the festival organizer, the man was one of the people carrying the floats, and to the best of their knowledge, there has never been a case in which a participant was killed as a result of being run over by a float.