Aomori Nebuta Festival

The Aomori Nebuta Festival (Aomori Nebuta Matsuri) is a summer festival held every year from August 2 to 7 in Aomori City, at the northern tip of Honshu. Its parades feature nebuta, huge illuminated floats of warriors, gods and kabuki figures made from painted washi paper over a wire frame. It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1980.

The large floats are about 9 meters wide, 7 meters deep and 5 meters high, and teams spend most of the year building them. Each float is pushed along the route with taiko drums, flutes and hand cymbals, surrounded by hundreds of haneto dancers. Watching from the street is free.

Aomori Nebuta Festival schedule

• August 1 (eve festival): an evening event at Rasseland, the float storage area on the waterfront

• August 2 and 3: night parade from 7:00 p.m. with children's floats and large floats

• August 4 to 6: night parade from 6:45 p.m. with about 20 large floats; the prize-winning floats parade on the 6th

• August 7: daytime parade from 1:00 p.m., then the sea parade and the Aomori Fireworks Festival over Aomori Bay in the evening

On the final night, several floats are loaded onto boats and carried around the bay while fireworks go off overhead. The festival goes ahead in the rain, with plastic sheets over the floats. Bring a raincoat rather than an umbrella, which blocks the view of people behind you.

The parade route and where to watch

The floats follow a loop of about 3.1 km through central Aomori. They travel down the car lanes while spectators stand or sit on the sidewalks. Paid reserved seats are set up along the route and sold in advance, with any remaining seats sold on the day. The organizers list seat sales for overseas visitors on the Nebuta Festival website in English.

How to join as a haneto dancer

Anyone can dance in the parade as a haneto if they wear the full haneto costume, and no booking is needed. Go to the starting area before the parade and join any float group. Costumes are sold at department stores and shops in Aomori, and some shops rent them and help you dress. Expect to pay around 4,000 yen for a rental, according to JNTO.

How to get to the Aomori Nebuta Festival

The Tohoku Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori in about three hours. From Shin-Aomori, take a JR Ou Line local train one stop to Aomori Station. The parade route and Rasseland are about a 10-minute walk from Aomori Station.

Hotels in Aomori sell out early for festival week. Many visitors stay in Hirosaki or Hachinohe and come in by train for the evening. If you are building a longer trip in the north, this one to two weeks in Tohoku shows how Aomori fits with the rest of the region.

See the nebuta floats outside August

If you cannot make the festival dates, the Nebuta Museum WA-RASSE next to Aomori Station displays four full-size floats from the most recent festival. It also runs short haneto dance sessions with live music several times a day. Admission is 620 yen for adults.

For the rest of your stay, see these things to do in Aomori, beyond festival week.