The planning for a summer trip to Japan often begins with the desire to experience the country's vibrant summer festivals, which typically take place from mid-July to mid-August.

The first week of August is a particularly auspicious time for those who love and appreciate festivals that reflect Japanese culture.

The planned Summer in Japan trip will overlap with the first week of August, allowing for participation in multiple festivals between August 4th and 9th. The journey begins with the Nubuta Matsuri, a grand lantern-float parade festival in Aomori Prefecture.

The walrus will take you on a journey to see a magnificent event that the entire city has dedicated their lives to.

Aomori is easily accessible due to its status as a major city.

If you are coming from Tokyo, you can take the Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori Station and then transfer to the JR Ou Line to Aomori Station. The journey takes approximately 3.5 hours.

The JR Pass covers all of this.

One-time payment for nationwide travel, the best value.

Today, the seals traveled from Hirosaki to Aomori to see the Tanbo Art, rice paddy art, in the village of Inakadate. The journey took only 40 minutes on the JR Ou Line from Hirosaki Station.

A seal took a train from Hirosaki around four o'clock in the afternoon.

A sizable crowd of people of all ages and genders gathered in Aomori to participate in the festival's final day.

Everyone dressed to impress, especially the young men and women who donned yukatas, wore geta sandals, and styled their hair and makeup in adorable, kawaii ways. It made me want to dress up too!

Upon arrival at the bustling Aomori Station, which could be considered the heart of the city, visitors are greeted by a dazzling display of Nebuta lanterns adorning every corner. This vibrant spectacle creates a truly immersive atmosphere for festival attendees.


What is NEBUTA Matsuri?

Nebuta Festival

The Aomori Nebuta Festival is a traditional festival held in Aomori Prefecture, located in the Tohoku region of Japan. It is a major annual event for Aomori and is considered one of the largest festivals in Japan, attracting over a million visitors each year.

The Nebuta Festival is believed to have originated from the practice of floating lanterns on the Tanabata night to ward off disease. These ceremonies in the Tohoku region were called "Neburi Nagashi" (floating lanterns), which over time became "Nebuta" due to a mispronunciation of the word for lantern.

After the mid-Edo period in 1716, the festival evolved into a dance event with participants carrying floating lanterns. Dashi (decorated floats) were also introduced during this time. By the late Edo period, the festival had become more lively. Over time, the lantern puppets grew in size.

Current Size of Nebuta Lanterns:

Each Nebuta lantern puppet currently stands approximately 5 meters tall and 9 meters long.

The Nebuta lanterns are constructed with a wooden frame, covered with patterned and colored Washi paper. Over a thousand light bulbs illuminate the lanterns, creating a vibrant spectacle. Each lantern is equipped with a transformer weighing over four tons to ensure continuous illumination throughout the nightly parades during the festival.

The puppets used in the Nebuta Festival are often inspired by kabuki plays or Japanese mythology. In an interview, a Nebuta puppet designer revealed that they design the puppets during the winter, when Japan is covered in snow. They crave color during this time, which is the inspiration for the vibrant and striking colors of the Nebuta puppets, a stark contrast to the summer festival season.

Today is the last day of the Nebuta Festival. Although there is no parade in the evening like every other day, the parade days offer a different kind of excitement. Each Nebuta lantern float is led by a dance team called Haneto, accompanied by drums and flutes.

You can even join the Haneto and be part of the parade!

Tourists attending the Nebuta Festival can participate in the parade as "Haneto" by renting a costume for approximately ¥4,000.

With people and costumes ready, join the parade and chant "RASSERA RASSERA".

To learn more about this festival, you can visit the Tourist Information Center located opposite JR Aomori Station.

English-speaking staff will be available to provide comprehensive information. ^^

I'm starting to feel hungry, but I haven't had any real food yet. Let's see what interesting food Aomori has to offer.

Aomori, a coastal city, is renowned for its seafood, particularly its large scallops, known as "Hotate" or "Scallop." These scallops are significantly larger than those found elsewhere, with some reaching the size of a human palm. A popular restaurant specializing in Hotate dishes is Hotate Goya, conveniently located near JR Aomori Station.

This restaurant offers a unique dining experience where customers can catch their own oysters for 500 yen for 3 minutes. The catch is all yours! However, if you don't catch anything, the restaurant will generously provide you with 2 top-quality oysters as a consolation prize.

This restaurant offers a variety of options, including grilling, frying, and even sashimi for those who prefer their seafood raw. Due to its popularity and convenient location near the station, be prepared for potential wait times.

While there were many other shops, I was primarily focused on the Nebuta festival today, so I wasn't able to explore the city as much as I would have liked.

Today, there are many food stalls set up near the Nebuta Warrase Museum, which houses the Nebuta floats. However, we are here to see the real floats in the festival, so we will not be going inside the museum.

(***If you are not visiting during the Nebuta Festival, you can see the Nebuta floats at the museum. After the festival, the individual floats are disassembled and displayed here. You can also try making your own Nebuta float and dress up as a Haneto dancer.***)

Outside, there is a zone selling a variety of food, mainly Japanese cuisine.

Everything looks so delicious!

This includes Aomori's famous seafood, such as grilled scallops, which had such a long line that we gave up and didn't eat.

I went to try another famous Aomori product, the apple, which I got as apple gelato.

And that's all for the fragrant apple juice. The other queues are too long.

The attendees were dressed to impress, with many sporting elaborate outfits.

Even dogs are not spared.

Some people are reserving seats near the water's edge to watch the highlight of the Nebuta lantern puppet festival tonight, when the puppets will be floated out to sea and fireworks will be set off.

Some families arrived early to secure their spot and set up their picnic supplies, eagerly awaiting the start of the event. As it was a Sunday, a day of rest for many families, the atmosphere was relaxed and convivial.

The Nebuta lantern parade will be held for six days, from August 2nd to 7th. From August 2nd to 6th, the lanterns will be paraded in the evening, while on the final day, they will be paraded during the day and prepared to be floated in the sea around 7 pm. Not all lanterns will be floated in the sea. There will be over 20 Nebuta lanterns in total, but only 5 or 6 will be awarded prizes and selected to be floated in the sea on the final night, the finale of the event.

The venue offers designated seating areas for visitors to enjoy the illuminated lanterns floating on the sea and the spectacular fireworks display. Reservations are required for these seats and cost 7,000 yen. Visitors without reservations can spread out mats and watch the fireworks for free from outside the designated areas. However, prime viewing spots fill up quickly, so early arrival is recommended.

Lanterns that did not win awards will be displayed nearby for tourists to take pictures.

The lantern-making process involves brainstorming and collaboration among multiple individuals. Upon completion of the lanterns on the final day, the teams gather for a celebratory meal, marking a joyous occasion.

The place is extremely crowded.

The path was lined with food stalls reminiscent of a temple fair, bustling with people and long queues at every stall.


As dusk settles in, around 6 pm, the illuminated lantern figures come alive, casting a captivating glow.

People began to gather in greater numbers near the docks.

The darker the sky, the more beautiful the light from the Nebuta floats.

The light show on the robot was captivating. The vibrant colors illuminated the entire space, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

The construction of giant lantern puppets is a truly magnificent spectacle. Each year, the designs change, often depicting deities, legendary tales, or prominent Japanese figures. Each puppet has its own sponsor, and the process is taken very seriously, sometimes even becoming a family business passed down through generations.

The people of Aomori adore this festival.

At around 7:15 PM, fireworks and nebuta lanterns began to be lit and floated on the sea. However, we only saw them briefly because the area was crowded and the paid viewing zone was fenced off quite high.

We spent the day at the festival until evening, but chose to leave before the end because we had to catch the last Shinkansen back to Sendai. Due to the festival season, all accommodations near Aomori were fully booked. We tried to book more than half a year in advance, but they wouldn't let us. By the time we tried to book, it was too late and all the rooms were gone. So we had to settle for staying a bit further away. It was also more convenient for our travel plans the next day, as we planned to visit Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture.

(It's traveling! Tokyo - Sendai - Hokkaido - Aomori - Sendai - Nagano. It's crazy…)

We left the event while it was still lively to avoid the crowds. Before going up to the platform, we had some time to spare, so we decided to look for souvenirs. The souvenirs related to Nebuta were quite interesting.

Nebuta Festival Mask

Aomori's renowned apple juice, featuring Nebuta festival designs on the cans, embodies the region's iconic offerings.

Worthy of being a souvenir

Gachapon Nebeta, but it might require a bit of luck. ^^

Before boarding the train, I caught a glimpse of something in the distance.

We will take the JR train from Aomori and transfer to the Shinkansen at Shin Aomori Station to reach Sendai. We will rest there and continue our journey the next day.

Anyone interested in Japanese festivals, I must say that this festival is not to be missed. It is an event that brings together colors, magnificence, and the great importance that the people of the whole city place on it. And everyone who attends the event has fun, with smiles on their faces. Everyone is happy. 😄

Schedule of the Aomori Nebuta Festival (2017)

The festival takes place from August 2nd to 7th, 2017, with different activities scheduled for each day.

  • August 1st: A pre-festival event is held in the evening, but there is no lantern parade.
  • August 2nd-3rd: A lantern parade featuring small lanterns carried by children (15 lanterns) and giant lanterns (15 lanterns) takes place from approximately 7:10 PM to 9:00 PM.
  • August 4th-6th: A parade of 20 giant lanterns is held (the festival becomes more lively than the first few days).
  • August 7th: A parade of 20 giant lanterns is held during the day. In the evening, from 7:15 PM to 9:00 PM, the giant lanterns are placed on boats and a lantern-lit boat procession takes place on the water near Aomori Port, accompanied by a fireworks display.
(Information credit: Matcha Japan Travel Magazine: https://matcha-jp.com/th/3970?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=thfb&utm_content=20170527)

There is still one month left, which is enough time to plan a trip.

A day trip to three cities, following the route of a seal.

Hachiko at Odate Station / Tanbo Art rice field art at Hirosaki Station / Nebuta Festival at Aomori Station

Located on the JR Ou Line, with direct access, eliminating the need for transfers! You can also visit the Neputa Matsuri in Hirosaki during the same period.

The next article will shift focus to the Chubu region, specifically Nagano Prefecture, located in eastern Japan. The highlight of the next article will be Matsumoto Castle. While Matsumoto Castle is a popular tourist destination, the article will explore what makes it truly special.

You will see Matsumoto Castle in a way you've never seen before 😊

Follow Seally-go-round, the cat chef, for more travel, food, and cooking adventures at the following link:

https://m.facebook.com/seallygoround/?fref=ts


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