Nebuta Festival

The Aomori Nebuta Festival is a summer festival held annually from August 2nd to 7th in the city of Aomori. The energetic with live music and intense festival welcomes over 3 million visitors every year from all over Japan and the world.

The bright-colored Nebuta floats parade through the streets. There are two types of nebuta (neputa) floats, a human-shaped nebuta and a fan-shaped neputa. The Aomori Nebuta is a human-shaped float.

The Nebuta Festival is said to be a change in customs such as the Tanabata Festival, which was introduced from China during the Nara period, and the traditional Shoro Nagashi; floating lanterns carrying the spirits of the dead.

At the Tanabata Festival, we prayed for good health and a good harvest in autumn, and we used lanterns and filth to flow into rivers and the sea. Eventually, with the spread of paper, bamboo, and candles, huge lanterns began to be made around the 16th century, and the style developed to imitate the floats of the Gion Festival in Kyoto.

There is also a record that there was a "dance" along with the festival in the 18th century.

There are various etymologies for "Nebuta", such as the theory that is derived from a farmer's event called "Neburi Nagashi" that dispels the sleepiness that hinders summer farming work, and the theory that it is derived from the Ainu word "Neptan" which means "mysterious".

It is called differently depending on the area of the prefecture like Nebuta, Neputa, Nemuta etc. In Tsugaru dialect, nemutai (sleepy) is said “neputee”, which is believed to have changed overtime to the currently known festival name, Nebuta/Neputa.

Size of the Lantern Float

It was in the late Edo period that dolls and large floating Nubuta were made. The current size is 5m (16 feet) in height, 9m (29 feet) in width, and 7m (22 feet) in depth. However, it was much larger in the past, and at the maximum in the early Meiji era, it was about 20m (65 feet) in height and carried by 100 people. It weighs 4 tons (8818 lbs). It is said that it could be seen from 4km away. After that, the size was restricted by the festival rule and also the introduction of the electric wires on the streets.

How to Make the Nebuta Float

The creators of large nebutas are called Nebutashi, or nebuta masters. Every year after the Nebuta Festival, the masters start planning the next year’s nebutas, completing the first draft of design during the winter. A dedicated hut will be set up for each unit, and about 40 people will make new ones every year. The nebuta is a gigantic bamboo framed lantern.

Firstly, design it on paper, and prepare for each part separately such as face and hands with wire or thread in advance. Then, make the framework from rectangular lumber, assemble parts, and shape them. After installing light bulbs and fluorescent lights, cover the skeleton with traditional Japanese paper. Outlines are drawn in black charcoal ink, and patterns are drawn with melted candles. Lastly, colored with paintbrushes and sprays to complete the nebuta. Placing the nebuta on a 2m (6 feet) high platform by 40 to 50 people, it will become about 5m (16 feet) float.

In fact, the Nebuta Festival is held in more than 40 areas in Aomori Prefecture, and the name varies depending on the accent. "Aomori Nebuta" is famous for Nebuta, and "Hirosaki Neputa" is famous for Neputa. In fact, the Nebuta Festival is held in more than 40 areas in Aomori Prefecture, and the name varies depending on the accent. "Aomori Nebuta" is famous for Nebuta, and "Hirosaki Neputa" is famous for Neputa.

Anyone can join the dance as long as they wear a haneto costume, which is part of the festival’s appeal. Hanet's costumes can be found at department stores for around 10,000 yen. There are also stores that can rent and dress costumes.

Add the Nebuta Festival to your vacation with Japan Deluxe Tour's flexible range of custom Japan tours. You can also add the Nebuta Festival before or after a Hokkaido Tohoku Tour with our pre or post stay options.