The Mizukake Matsuri, or Water-Throwing
Festival, is an event that takes place in August at the
Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in Tokyo. Portable shrines,
known as mikoshi, are paraded through the streets,
in which the bearers are drenched by water thrown by spectators
along the route using buckets or water hoses. The festival's
origins stem from throwing water as a means to express
wishes for one's good health.
