Aomori Nebuta Matsuri

For six nights in early August Aomori builds and burns through a year of work. The floats are wire frames skinned in painted washi paper, lit from inside, several metres high and wide enough to fill a street, showing figures from legend, folklore and kabuki with faces contorted and colours at full volume. Each is pushed by a crew who spin and tilt it at corners so the light swings across the crowd. Around them run the haneto, dancers in a distinctive costume hung with small bells, chanting a two-syllable call and hopping rather than stepping. Anyone in the correct costume may join them, and rental shops in town exist for exactly that.

History

A popular story links the festival to the flutes and drums that Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, shogun of the early 9th century, used against his enemies in Mutsu Province, but he is unlikely to have campaigned in what is now Aomori, and the festival most likely grew out of Shinto ceremonies such as Tanabata. In the Edo and Meiji periods large lantern floats were often banned because of the danger of fire (Wikipedia, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri).

Highlights

• The lit floats - painted paper over wire, glowing from within, turned and rocked at every corner.
• The haneto dancers - hundreds of bell-hung costumes hopping alongside, open to visitors who hire the outfit.
• The final day on the water - floats loaded on to boats in the bay, with fireworks over the harbour.
• Wa Rasse - the year-round hall by the station holding full-size floats from recent festivals.

When to go

The dates are fixed in early August and do not move. Book accommodation months ahead, in Aomori or along the Shinkansen line, because the city sells out. Parades run in the evening, with one daytime run near the end. Arrive well before the start for a free kerbside position, or buy a grandstand seat in advance.

Practical notes

Crowds are dense, kerbside positions are claimed hours early, and August in Tohoku is humid enough to make a costume miserable. Hotel prices multiply and last-minute rooms simply do not exist. Rain does not stop it but flattens the effect. Outside the six nights, Aomori is a quiet port city and the museum is the only substitute.

Nearby

The Hakkoda mountains and Lake Towada lie south of the city.

Key facts