Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is one of Japan's top three Tohoku festivals, drawing over 3 million visitors annually in early August. Enormous washi-paper floats (nebuta) — depicting warriors, demons and mythological figures — are dramatically backlit from within and paraded through the city streets. Haneto dancers in colourful costumes leap and shout 'Rassera!' alongside the floats, and ticket-holding visitors are permitted to join the dance. The festival culminates on August 7th with a sea-borne float parade in Aomori Bay.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Summer
- Month
- 2–7 August
- Region
- Tohoku
- Prefecture
- Aomori
- City
- Aomori
Highlights
- ◆Giant illuminated washi-paper warrior floats up to 9 metres wide
- ◆Visitors can join the Haneto dance with costume rental
- ◆Climactic sea parade finale on August 7th
- ◆One of Japan's top three Tohoku summer festivals
- ◆Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse open year-round for float viewing