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4. Ito, Japan: Laundry tub race
For 54 years, Ito residents have been going “rub-a-dub-dub.” Every July, hundreds of competitors squeeze their bums into a laundry tub and paddle furiously down Matsukawa River. The race is a tip of the hat to those who formerly washed clothes on the river banks. Some participants don costumes -- beer hats, Groucho Marx glasses -- and more than a few makeshift boats capsize.
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