"Kanazawa City's New Year's Fire Department Ceremony took place at Kanazawa Castle Park on Sunday, where around 50 fire engines performed a water-spraying display. Around 1,300 people participated, including members of the city's fire department and fire brigade. Footage shows firefighters clad in twisted headbands and loincloths braving the strong winds, blasting jets of water into the cloudy skies. Some can be seen holding the 'matoi', a symbol of the firefighting district, shouting encouragement. The annual ladder climbing performance, using the traditional technique of 'Kaga Tobi' firefighters from the Edo period, was cancelled this year due to the strong winds, the first time it has not been held since the Second World War. On the eve of the event, the brigades had been dispatched around the city, amid reports that the powerful winds were threatening to blow tin roofs from buildings."