The clothes of the men doing the work might seem odd, but they are practical in the summer heat, where even a black hat provides welcome shade. Midway along the route, cool sake wine is offered to the weary, raising their spirits. Every July 17th in Kyoto, Japan, gorgeous floats are paraded downtown during the Gion Festival. The largest handful are called hoko and weigh about ten tons. The wooden undercarriage has no steering mechanism, so a brute force technique is required to turn corners.