Nebuta Matsuri

What to know

Nebuta and Neputa are summer festivals related to Tanabata, held in towns across Aomori Prefecture. The largest is the Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori City, running annually from August 2 to 7. The highlight is a daily parade of enormous lantern floats, accompanied by large taiko drums, musicians, and dancers. It is one of the three great festivals of the Tohoku Region (Tohoku Sandai Matsuri), alongside Akita's Kanto Matsuri and Sendai's Tanabata.

Local teams build the festival's two dozen floats, constructed from painted washi paper over a wire frame. Each float takes a full year to design and build. They can be up to nine meters wide and five meters tall, often depicting gods, historical or mythical figures from Japanese and Chinese culture, kabuki actors, and characters from the popular NHK Taiga Drama historical TV series.

Every night during the festival, the floats are wheeled onto the streets of downtown Aomori for a parade, except on the last day (August 7), when the parade is held in the afternoon. The floats are pushed by human power, weaving back and forth and spinning for the crowd. Each float is accompanied by teams of taiko drummers, flute and hand cymbal players, and hundreds of dancers called haneto, who follow the procession chanting "Rassera, Rassera" while performing a skipping-like dance.

There is plenty of free seating on the ground along the nearly three-kilometer parade route, as well as reserved seats available through Ticket Pia, convenience stores, and a website for international tourists. Participation in the parade is encouraged, and people come from all around to join the dancing. The only requirement is to wear the traditional haneto dancing costume, which can be bought at grocery stores and shops around the prefecture for about 10,000 yen or rented from rental shops around town for about 4,000 yen.

On the first two nights, the parades are smaller, with only about two-thirds of the lantern floats participating. However, from August 4 to 6, the parades are in full swing with every float appearing. All floats are also displayed in the afternoon parade on the last day, before some are put onto boats and paraded around the bay in the evening. Finally, a two-hour fireworks display along the waterfront closes the festivities.

Various events are held during the festival at Rassera Land next to the ASPM building along the city's waterfront. The festival floats are stabled at Rassera Land during the day, and visitors are encouraged to see them up close, take pictures, and meet some of the designers and builders. There are also singing and dance performances at ASPM, as well as vendors selling food and festival-related goods.