In December, when most festivals have long ended, Chichibu lights its winter sky. This is one of Japan's three great float festivals, alongside Kyoto's Gion and Takayama's. Six lacquered floats, some weighing more than ten tons and rising three stories high, are hauled through narrow streets by teams of chanting men. The festival grew from this mountain town's silk trade, a once-a-year offering of thanks. Its climax comes on the night of December 3, when the floats are pulled up a steep incline called Dango-zaka while fireworks detonate overhead in the cold, clear air. The carvings are so ornate the floats have been likened to moving temples. A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.