Nebuta Matsuri

The festival

The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is one of the three major festivals in Tohoku and one of the most spectacular in Japan: from August 2 to 7 each year, 22 giant tanks illuminated from the inside — nebuta — parade through the streets of the city, attracting between 2.5 and 3 million visitors. These structures of washi wallpaper on wood and wire frame, five meters high and nine wide, feature gods, legendary warriors and kabuki hero; their artisans take a year to build them.

Around the tanks, the haneto dancers jump and chant "Rassera, Rassera!" to the sound of taiko, flutes and cymbals: everyone can join the dance, provided they wear the official costume, for rent in the department stores. The festival, heir to Tanabata's traditions intended to hunt drowsiness before harvests, is classified as an intangible cultural heritage of Japan since 1980.

On August 7, the parade passed during the day, and the award-winning tanks boarded boats in the bay of Aomori for a fireworks final.