Johana Hikiyama Kaikan

This museum in the old town of Johana is devoted to the Hikiyama Festival, held each May 4 and 5. The main hall displays the festival's ornate floats behind glass in a humidity-controlled room, and every few minutes the lights dim to show what the procession looks like after dark. The floats are dressed in gold and bright color, many incorporating carved woodwork from the nearby Inami craft tradition. A converted storehouse called the Kura Kairo holds documents and historical records from the festival. The iori-yatai floats, designed to resemble the elaborate teahouses of Kyoto, also carry musicians playing shamisen and bamboo flute.