In November 2018, ten festivals in eight prefectures from Tōhoku in the north of Japan to Okinawa in the south were officially added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list under the title “Raihō-shin, ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes”. Raihō-shin are bizarre-looking deities who come to drive off evil spirits, ward off disaster and herald good fortune and an abundant harvest. The ten rituals that have been inscribed on the UNESCO list are all ancient folk beliefs and religious concepts that continue to be observed today. Similar beliefs are found in all over the world.