Aomori’s three famous Nebuta festivals

Nebuta in Aomori

When I think of festivals in Aomori, the Nebuta Festival comes to mind. I had always wanted to see it at least once in my life, so I decided to take the plunge and visit the three major Nebuta festivals in one go. Before I went, I didn’t know the difference between Nebuta and Neputa, but now I can clearly see the difference, as each one is so unique. Here I will introduce the Nebuta Festival and what it was like when I actually went.

The other famous festivals in Tohoku region is the Akita Kanto Festival and the Sendai Tanabata Fesival.



What is the Nebuta Festival?

The Nebuta Festival is a festival held in Aomori Prefecture every August, and is actually held in several places throughout the prefecture. Huge structures called Nebuta are lit up and paraded through the town like a parade.

There are various theories about its origin, but it is thought to be an event called Neburi Nagashi on Tanabata. Neburi Nagashi involves lighting lanterns to flush away summer sleepiness and bad luck and letting them float down the river, and it is said that these lanterns developed into Nebuta. Neburi was then corrupted to become Nebuta. The way the word is corrupted varies depending on the region, with some places calling it Nebuta and others calling it Neputa. Therefore, Nebuta and Neputa can be said to be different names depending on the region.


What are Aomori’s Three Major Nebuta Festivals?

Among the Nebuta festivals held all over Aomori, the following three are particularly famous.

・Nebuta Festival: Aomori City

・Neputa Festival: Hirosaki City

・Tachineputa Festival: Goshogawara City

A small exhibit of these items is on display at Shin-Aomori Station.

three different Nebuta

From the left, they are lined up in the order of Neputa, Tachineputa and Nebuta. Looking at them like this, you can see that each of the three looks different. From here, I will introduce the differences between these three.


Aomori Nebuta Festival

Aomori Nebuta Festival
LocationAomori City
Duration8/2 – 8/7
(Daytime operation on the 7th only + night sea operation)
Participating groups23
Number of courses1(Aomori city area)
Type of NebutaDoll-shaped
CharacteristicsThree-dimensional and large horizontally
Contents expressedKachidoki(Victory cry)
CallRassera
Storage locationNebuta Hut Lasseland
Facilities available for viewingNebuta House Wa Rasse

Please see here for a model sightseeing itinerary for Aomori City, where the event will be held.



When you think of the Nebuta Festival, the first thing that comes to mind is the Nebuta of Aomori City. They are 9m wide, 5m high, and 7m deep, and feature a wide base. It is said that this feature was created as a result of regulations that took electric wires into consideration. They are also assembled in a three-dimensional doll shape, and are impressive not only from the front but also from the back. The Nebuta expresses a victory cry when a battle is won. They are actually made from Japanese paper, and a light bulb is installed inside. The power for the float is in the cart, and including this, it weighs 4 tons. There are also other smaller Nebuta that are paraded around the parade.

other smaller Nebuta


The eve of the festival is held on August 1st, and from August 2nd to 6th, you can see the illuminated nebuta floats paraded around Aomori city at night. The judging takes place from the 2nd to the 5th, and the Nebuta Grand Prize winner is announced on the 6th. The final festival is on August 7th, where the floats are paraded around town in the afternoon, and in the evening, four of the top-ranked nebuta floats are set afloat on boats along with a fireworks display. It is said that the origin of floating the nebuta on the sea is the Neburi Nagashi lantern floating ceremony, which was introduced in the Origin of Nebuta.


Another distinctive feature of the Aomori Nebuta Festival are the dancers called Haneto.

Haneto

These are people who dance along with the Nebuta, wearing special costumes including yukata and flower hats. Anyone can participate as long as they are wearing this Haneto costume, which is one of its features and attractions. Costumes are sold as a set, and some places offer rentals.

The Haneto dancers wear bells, which make a beautiful sound, but they also sometimes hand them out to the audience. When I saw them, many small children were receiving these bells, which are said to bring happiness.


Aomori Nebuta Festival Experience

I went to the daytime run and fireworks on the last day. The run started at 1 pm that day, but since it was a weekday afternoon, I didn’t have any trouble finding a spot. I sat in the shade just after turning the corner. There are paid seats, but it seems unnecessary on a weekday afternoon like this time.


After a while, the Nebuta arrived.

Nebuta in Aomori

As expected, it was impressive because it was large and three-dimensional. This is the only day that the unlit Nebuta parade through the town, so it is a rare opportunity. The Nebuta parade is done by groups, and on the final day, they were paraded in order of prize-winning order.


In addition to large Nebuta there were also small Nebuta, including a Nebuta for musician The Alfee.

Nebuta in Aomori

In fact, he also appeared wearing a lantern at the Akita Kanto Festival, apparently to commemorate his 50th anniversary since his debut.


In addition to the Nebuta, each group’s music and dancers also show their own unique style, so it always feels fresh.

group's music
Nebuta dancers

The dancers in particular looked like they were having so much fun, literally jumping around, that it made us feel happy just watching them.


Nebuta floating in the sea

After the daytime parade ended, there was a fireworks display on Aomori Bay. There is a park on the seaside, but even though I arrived an hour and a half before the start time, it was full of people and there was no space. As I mentioned earlier, at night, four Nebuta floats travel back and forth on the sea on boats. But from this distance I could only see something shining, and I couldn’t see which Nebuta they were. There were also fireworks, but from where I was, the Nebuta and the fireworks were far apart and I couldn’t see them together.

Nebuta Fireworks Festival

I think it would have been better to watch this from a paid seat, but even from a paid seat, it seemed like there was a chance that you wouldn’t be able to see both the fireworks and the Nebuta at the same time. In addition, the fireworks didn’t go up for 5 minutes and then continue for 5 minutes, which was frustrating.


Two shots of fireworks and Nebuta

Since I couldn’t enjoy the fireworks or the floating Nebuta, I left the area early. Then I went to see the Nebuta production site.

the Nebuta production site

In fact, all the Nebuta are made in the same area. Since it was the last day, everyone was drinking and relaxing in front of the production factory while watching the fireworks, but the lit-up Nebuta can be enjoyed freely and carefully, so I enjoyed it instead of the fireworks. I found a production factory close to the fireworks and was able to take a photo of the Nebuta and the fireworks together.

Two shots of fireworks and Nebuta


Hirosaki Neputa Festival

Neputa in Hirosaki City
LocationHirosaki City
Date8/1 – 8/7
Participating groups24
Number of courses2(Station front, Dotemachi)
Types of NebutaFan-shaped, doll-shaped
CharacteristicsFan-shaped, flat
Contents expressedDeparture
CallYa-Yado
Storage locationVarious squares within the town
Facilities available for viewingTsugaru-han Neputa-mura Village

Hirosaki City, located southwest of Aomori City, is a town where a castle remains and retro buildings remain. It is famous for its apple pies, which vary from shop to shop, and even has its own map. For detailed tourist information, please see here.


In Hirosaki, they are called Neputa, not Nebuta. The most distinctive feature is that they are painted on a flat surface. The front side is called Kagami-e, and features warriors from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Suikoden, and is characterized by dynamic, lively images, which are said to represent marching off to battle. The reverse side, on the other hand, is called Mikaeri-e, and features pictures of beautiful women and ink paintings that exude a sense of refined tranquility.

Neputa's back picture


Not only fan-shaped Neputa, but also many three-dimensional group Neputa participate, and it boasts the largest number in the prefecture, with 80 floats in total, large and small. Unlike Aomori City, there are no dancers, but instead there are groups that perform dances. Another unique feature is that the parade begins with a huge drum called Tsugaru Gojohari Daiko, which is 3.3 meters in diameter.

Tsugaru Gojohari Daiko

By the way, on the final day, the 7th, the floats are paraded along the bank of the Iwaki River, and at the end, they are called the burning Nanukabi or Neputa Okuri.


Hirosaki Neputa Festival Experience

The Neputa Festival in Hirosaki City takes place either in front of the station or in Dotemachi, located to the west of the station, depending on the day. When I visited, it was held in front of the station. I decided to watch it from the intersection just past the Hiroro shopping center.

the intersection just past the Hiroro shopping center

As in Aomori City, there are paid seats, but if you go early you can still get a spot. By the way, I got a spot an hour and a half before the start. What was interesting, unlike other cities, was that the moment the traffic control time came, many people rushed to sit on the road. I felt that only locals who have come to see the show many times would know this.


When the time came, the first thing to arrive was the Tsugaru Gojoubari Taiko which I introduced earlier.

 the Tsugaru Gojoubari Taiko

The sound of the huge drums was so heavy it sounded like giants walking around.


When the Neputa finally arrived, it was a maximum height of 9m, nearly twice as tall as the one in Aomori City, making it a very different kind of impressive.

Neputa and the people riding on it

Another big difference is that there is a person riding on top of it.


Also, since the intersections were large, many of them would rotate to show you both sides of the picture.

Rotating Neputa


In some places, the seats were tilted close to the spectators.

Tiltable Neputa

This happened in the other two cities as well, but it seemed to happen more frequently in Hirosaki because there were so many vehicles.


The three-dimensional Neputa floats were small, but there were some that were related to local mascots and the Paris Olympics.

Group of Neputas, Paris Olympics


There were no dancers, but instead there were dances and sword dances, which gave it a different feel.

Neputa Festival Sword Dance


This is a bit of a digression, but in Aomori City the Nebuta are stored and produced in one place, whereas in Hirosaki they are moved around in squares around the city and can be viewed during the day.

Neputa Factory

Therefore, we were able to see them being moved from their storage area for the night parade. Unlike Aomori City’s Nebuta, they are taller, so they have to be careful of electric wires, and there are people who help hold up the wires during the night parade, called Sashimata.


Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival

Tachineputa
LocationGoshogawara City
Date8/4 – 8/8
Participating groups16
Number of courses1(Tachineputa Hall to station front)
Type of nebutaDoll-shaped
CharacteristicsHuge nebuta, up to 23m tall
Contents expressedWartime
CallYattemare
Storage locationTachineputa Museum and others
Facilities available for viewingTachineputa Museum

The last thing we’ll introduce is the Tachineputa festival held in Goshogawara city, located north of Hirosaki city. Its biggest feature is the gigantic neputa that stands at 23m in height, equivalent to a seven-story building. There are only three floats of this size, and they are usually kept in a facility called the Tachineputa Museum and can be viewed. There are other Tachineputa floats in operation, but they are smaller in size.

The origin of this height dates back to the Meiji and Taisho eras. Wealthy merchants and large landowners of the time would enter floats at summer festivals as a way to show their power, but as this escalated, the heights began to increase, eventually reaching this height. In those days, when people met on the road, they would get into fights over who would give way, and sometimes the other person’s Neputa would be destroyed, and the chant “Yattemare” originated from this. Later, with the introduction of electric wires, the height was lowered and it fell into disuse during the war. In 1993, the blueprints for the base of the giant Neputa were discovered, and the following year a 7m Neputa was performed in a play, which sparked a movement to revive the Neputa of that time, and it was revived in 1998. As such, the festival in its current form is relatively new.


I went to the Tachineputa Museum

Like Aomori City and Hirosaki City, Goshogawara City also has a facility where you can see the nebuta even outside of the festival season.

This is the Tachineputa Museum.

the Tachineputa Museum

When you enter the building, there is a souvenir shop, and after purchasing a ticket at the reception desk, you can view the exhibits. As soon as you enter, you can see three giant Tachineputa floats.

Giant Tachineputa

When you see it up close from the feet up, you’ll be overwhelmed by its size.


If you take the elevator to the upper floor, you can walk around the Tachineputa Museum and see exhibits explaining the history of Tachineputa. It is recommended because you can see the detailed decorations behind the Tachineputa.

View of the Tachineputa Museum

Also, on the second floor, there are special exhibitions of paintings, and I felt that it was also attractive that you can enjoy various events depending on the season.


Experience of the Tachineputa Festival

First, when going to Goshogawara City, please note that if you go by train, you cannot use transportation IC cards such as Suica (at the time of writing). In fact, there are no automatic ticket gates, only manned ticket gates. Therefore, you need to buy a ticket at a ticket machine. It is important to buy a return ticket in advance. Otherwise, you will have to wait in line for the ticket machine on your way back, and then you will have to wait for the next train.

I had booked a hotel in Hirosaki City, so I had to go back, but the last train was quite early at 9:30 p.m., so the first thing I did when I arrived at Goshogawara Station was to buy a return ticket. As a result, I was able to return home safely thanks to that, so if you are coming by train from another city in the same way, be careful.

At 5:30 p.m., the sparse crowd suddenly began to gather in front of the Tachineputa Museum. They were not inside the building, but outside. Here’s why.

The Tachineputa Museum opens

What I thought was a window actually moved and opened up. This is where the Tachineputa emerge from.

We moved around after seeing the places that were open to the public, and decided to visit the intersection right next to the Tachineputa Museum this time. The reason for this was that we thought that in a wide place like an intersection, they would be able to perform spinning and other performances, just like they do during the Neputa Festival in Hirosaki City.

The operation finally began and was a small-scale Tachineputa.

a small-scale Tachineputa

This is also magnificent and beautiful, so I’m glad I got to see it.

There were also doll-shaped floats of the same type as the Nebuta floats in Aomori City, and as expected they rotated.

doll-shaped floats


The music and dancing continued, and finally, that figure appeared from the Tachineputa Hall!

Giant Tachineputa marches into battle

A super-sized Neputa parade. I was even impressed that the 20m-class Neputa was actually moved by human power. And the sheer size of it was overwhelmingly impressive, as if it was second to none. It was so tall that the surrounding buildings were below my eyes, and it felt as if a giant had come to town.

A Tachineputa Taller Than a Building



By the way, the Kanun(漢雲) on the base can be read from right to left and means Unkan = Milky Way, giving the impression that the festival originated from Tanabata.

Tachineputa Yama

The Tachi-neputa above is a new Enma made this year. It’s not made every year, so the timing was perfect.

The three giant Tachineputa were the last to finish, and the place where I was was the earliest to finish. It took about an hour. From there, I hurried to the station using the back streets I had researched beforehand. When I arrived at the station, the ticket gates were closed by station staff, so I had to line up to avoid the crowds. Since I had bought a return ticket in advance, I was able to get to the front of the line, and was able to safely catch the 8:30pm train back to Hirosaki. As long as you take your return ticket and the viewing position into consideration, you can get home almost an hour earlier than the last train. Please use this as a reference.


Goldfish Nebuta

Goldfish Nebuta

This concludes my introduction and experience of Aomori’s three major Nebuta festivals, but as a bonus I’d like to introduce the Goldfish Nebuta. Goldfish Nebuta are about the size of a handheld lantern and were often seen in the three cities, either carried by children during parades or displayed around town. They are modelled on a type of goldfish called Tsugaru Nishiki, and are said to have already existed at the end of the Edo period. There are various theories about their origin, but they were expensive and difficult to buy at the time, so common people made them into nebuta, and they became popular. They are said to bring good fortune, and in the summer, a train with many of these goldfish nebuta on display runs on the Konan Railway.


List of Three Nebuta Festivals

Here is a list of the overview and characteristics of the three Nebuta festivals.

Three Neputa
LocationHirosaki CityGoshogawara CityAomori City
Dates8/1 – 8/78/4 – 8/88/2 – 8/7
(Daytime operation on the 7th only + night sea operation)
Participating groups241623
Number of courses2(Station front, Dotemachi)1(Tachineputa Hall to Station front)1(Aomori city area)
Types of NebutaFan-shaped, doll-shapedDoll-shapedDoll-shaped
CharacteristicsFan-shaped and flatGiant nebuta, 23m highThree-dimensional and wide
Contents expressedDepartureWartimeVictory cry
CallYa-YadoYattemareRassera
Storage locationsVarious town squaresTachineputa Museum and othersNebuta hut Rasse Land
Facilities available for viewingTsugaru Neputa VillageTachineputa MuseumNebuta House Wa Rasse

The dates are different so if you plan well you can see them all.


Summary

This concludes my introduction to and account of the three major Nebuta festivals in Aomori. When you see them with your own eyes, you can see that Nebuta and Neputa are clearly different, and each has its own personality and characteristics that make you want to go again and again. By the way, all the hotels were fully booked at the end of April, so I had a hard time finding a room.


For more travel information, click here!

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