TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Massive lanterns featuring fabled creatures paraded through northern cities of Japan as part of the festival. Each one is newly crafted and painted by hand each year, and requires about 20 to as many as 200 people to pull through the streets depending on its size. The classic Nebuta lantern is usually flat shaped and can measure as wide as nine meters, but the style of floating lanterns varies across different regions. The event draws almost three million visitors every year, and is also known for its booming drum beats.