A UNESCO preliminary review panel has recommended that 33 traditional Japanese festivals be registered on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, according to the Cultural Affairs Agency.
Granting the status to the 33 festivals is set to be officially approved at a meeting later this month of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee, and the international body usually accepts the panel's recommendations.
The festivals, most of which date back to the Edo Period (1603-1868), are held in 18 prefectures and feature parades involving floats made with traditional woodwork and metalwork techniques and decorated with lacquered products and dyed fabrics, the Cultural Affairs Agency said Monday.