A giant kite festival has returned to the Japanese city of Kasukabe after a four-year absence due to COVID-19.

Footage from May 3 shows teams of dozens working together to get the huge kites up into the sky.

The two largest ones weighed around 800kg - the same as a small car.

The festival has been running since 1841 and was started by a visiting Buddhist monk who believed the locals flew kites to pray for a plentiful harvest of silkworms.

Participants fly an enormous kite during the Giant Kite Festival in Kasukabe City, on May 3, 2023, Saitama, Japan. Participants flew enormous kites in prayer for a bountiful harvest from their silkworm farming. The two most giant kites weigh 800 kg (the same weight as a small car) and are 11 meters wide by 15 meters high. The celebration had occurred yearly since 1841, except during the COVID-19 pandemic. It started when a visiting Buddhist monk informed the locals that a kite was flown to pray for a plentiful harvest of silkworms. The annual festival takes place this year from May 3 through May 5 for the first time in four years.