On May 28, Hankyu Travel International announced its ranking of summer festivals based on the number of applicants for domestic summer festival-related tours in 2023. The top spot continues to be taken by the "Four Great Tohoku Summer Festivals." Luxury tours that "hop" between festivals that convey the traditions of Tohoku are a popular staple. The four great Tohoku summer festivals, which rank first, are the collective name for the Aomori Nebuta Festival (Aomori Prefecture), Akita Kanto Festival (Akita Prefecture), Yamagata Hanagasa Festival (Yamagata Prefecture), and Sendai Tanabata Festival (Miyagi Prefecture), which are held one after the other in early August. All of these festivals are unique, with the Aomori Nebuta Festival featuring giant nebuta floats, the Akita Kanto Festival featuring gorgeous poles with lanterns hanging from them, the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival featuring people dancing in yukata and holding hats decorated with flowers, and the Sendai Tanabata Festival featuring gorgeous bamboo decorations adorning the shopping streets. They were all very popular last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic ended. Second place, as in last year, was taken by Owara Bon Festival (Toyama Prefecture). The tranquility of tradition and fantasy allows you to feel the individuality of the region. In third place was the Gion Festival (Kyoto Prefecture), a seasonal summer event in the ancient capital of Kyoto, and in fourth place was the dynamic Awa Odori Dance (Tokushima Prefecture), swapping places from last year. In fifth place was the Goshogawara Tachineputa (Aomori Prefecture), known for its giant Neputa floats, with the top five remaining unchanged from last year. Following in sixth place was the Yosakoi Festival (Kochi Prefecture), in seventh place was Morioka Sansa Odori (Iwate Prefecture), and in eighth place was the Gozan Okuribi Fire Festival (Kyoto Prefecture). The survey covered the company's summer festival tours organised between July and September 2011. There were no restrictions on starting or ending points.