Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival

If you're planning a ski trip to Japan, it's worth timing it to coincide with the wild and slightly alarming Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Matsuri. Come winter, the beautiful Japanese town of Nozawa is half-submerged in powder snow, making it not only excellent for skiing, but the ideal place to watch the lighting of a towering pyre and a fire-fuelled battle between villagers. Held on the same day every year, the festival lasts around four hours and is of cultural significance to the locals, as the wooden shrine is endowed with a dosojin (a deity who presides over roads and borders) before being set alight. A mock battle then breaks out, to ensure the coming year's good fortune. Don't worry, though, you won't be drawn into the fray, as only men of the specific ages of 25 and 42 can take part.