At the crest of a steep slope, dozens of men clamber atop a felled tree. Once a mighty fir reaching tens of meters high, the stripped, multiton log perched on the hill is draped in as many sacred, ...

If you show a human being a very large, very steep hill, said human being will eventually invent some dumb-ass ridiculous way of going down that hill. You could watch the following video and think, ...

CHINO, Nagano -- Large crowds have turned out for the Onbashira Festival in the Suwa district here to experience traditional -- and potentially dangerous -- events including lowering hefty fir tree ...

The Onbashira Matsuri is a festival where men climb on and slide down a mountain side on large timber logs, a holy tradition dating back 1,200 years. The lumber is then used to build the one of the ...

Occurring only once every six years, revelers celebrated the Onbashira festival by riding huge logs down a steep hill and across a river. It is not uncommon for fatalities to occur during the ...

You’re bombing down a hill on top of an 18m (60ft) tree trunk. One wrong move and you could lose a limb, or worse, be crushed under its 12-ton weight. There is no slowing down, and people are ready to ...

The Onbashira festival has confirmed its status as the most dangerous religious rite in Japan with the deaths of two participants over the weekend. Japanese festival participants ride a giant fir tree ...

The Suwa region of Nagano Prefecture is famed for its Onbashira festival, taking place every six years. A documentary filmmaker takes a look at lesser-known aspects of the ancient faith underpinning ...

Lake Suwa is nestled in the mountains of central Nagano Prefecture, about three hours by train from Tokyo or just over two hours by train from Nagoya. This makes it a great weekend getaway for ...

The Onbashira Matsuri is a festival where men climb on and slide down a mountain side on large timber logs, a holy tradition dating back 1,200 years. The lumber is then used to build the one of the ...