Local Guide
[2025 Edition] Enjoy Aomori's summer to the fullest! Information on traditional festivals and events overflowing with excitement

Aomori has many unique festivals and events for every season, such as summer festivals where huge, vividly colored "Nebuta" floats sway in the darkness and excite people, traditional autumn festivals held to pray for a bountiful harvest, and fireworks displays held in the snowy winter.
The size and gaiety of the floats are unique to Aomori, a land that loves festivals. We will introduce you to Aomori's festivals and events that attract festival lovers from all over the world.

The Aomori Nebuta Festival is one of Japan's leading festivals. Tourists from all over the country visit the festival, with 2.8 million people attending over the six days. Every year from August 2nd to 6th, about 20 Nebuta floats are paraded through the center of Aomori City. Measuring 9m wide, 7m deep and 5m high, the beauty of their vividly colored decorations, which recreate historical figures and scenes from mythology, is unique to this festival. Every time a Nebuta approaches, loud cheers erupt from the spectators.

The highlight is the night of the 6th, when the festival comes to a close. Each Nebuta float is accompanied by 500 to 1,000 dancers, who dance around to the shouts of "Rassera!", creating a frenzy throughout the town. The night festival on the 7th brings the Nebuta to a spectacular finale with a sea parade and fireworks display.

Comments Local Guide
The Aomori Nebuta Festival is a festival that you should see at least once! And once you see it, you'll want to see it again (and participate in it).
At Aomoriya by Hoshino Resorts 's show Restaurant Michinoku Matsuriya, you can enjoy shows from Aomori's four major festivals, including the Aomori Nebuta Festival, all year round.
See the detailed article on the Aomori Nebuta Festival

Aomori Nebuta Festival
  • URLhttps://www.nebuta.or.jp/
  • 住所Aomori City Center (Nebuta Parade)
    Aomori Port (Aomori Fireworks Festival, Nebuta sea parade)
    "Nebuta Lasse Land" special stage in Aoiumi Park (eve of the festival) MAP
  • 営業時間(Sat) August 2nd to Thursday, (Thu) 7th, 2025 *Held on the same date every year, regardless of the day of the week.
    2nd and 3rd 19:00-21:00
    4th to 6th 18:45 to 21:00
    7th 13:00-15:20, 19:15-21:00 (Aomori Fireworks Festival and Nebuta Sea Parade on the night of the 7th)
    *The event will proceed rain or shine, with a pre-event party on (Fri) the 1st.
  • TEL017-723-7211（青森観光コンベンション協会）

Goshogawara City's "Tachineputa" festival is held every year from August 4th to 8th. The most distinctive feature of this festival is the height of the floats, which can reach up to 23m, equivalent to a seven-story building. A total of 15 floats, including three huge floats that take a year to build, are paraded through the town to the chant "Yattemare, yattemare!" It is a spectacular sight.
Goshogawara City's "Tachineputa" began in the Meiji era.

The festival was canceled for a time after the blueprints for the "Tachineputa" were lost in two major fires that occurred around the end of World War II, but in the late 1990s, volunteers from the local community restored the "Tachineputa," and the festival was revived. During the festival, the "Tachineputa" parades around the city for about two hours starting at 7 p.m.

Comments Local Guide
The best viewing spot is just past the curve of the float. The sight of the gigantic float peeking out from between the buildings is so impressive it'll give you goosebumps! Even if it's not festival season, you can still see the actual Nebuta at Tachineputa Museum.
Goshogawara Tachineputa
  • URLhttps://tachineputa-official.jp/
  • 住所Goshogawara City Map
  • 営業時間(Mon) August 4, 2025 - Friday, (Fri) 19:00-21:00
    *Held on the same day every year, regardless of the day of the week.
  • TEL0173-38-1515（五所川原観光協会）

The Hachinohe Sansha Festival, which boasts a history of around 300 years, is registered as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Highlights include the portable shrine procession of the three shrines, Ogami Shrine, Chojayama Silla Shrine, and Shinmei Shrine, and the parade of gorgeous floats. Approximately 27 floats recreating scenes from myths and kabuki plays will be on display. The floats are huge, up to 8m wide and 10m tall, but they are constantly changing, emitting smoke, moving mechanisms, and unfolding to fit the width of the road, so you'll never get bored of watching them.

The festival begins on July 31st, and attracts approximately 1.5 million tourists during the period. On the eve of the festival and the night after, all the floats are displayed in the Civic Square in front of the city hall and in the center of Hachinohe, and live music performances are held by the musicians.

Comments Local Guide
When the floats move, the mechanisms of the floats start to move! Smoke comes out, water comes out, and even the dolls start to move... You can't take your eyes off the movements of the floats!
See the detailed article on the Hachinohe Sansha Festival

Hachinohe Sansha Festival
  • URLhttps://visithachinohe.com/stories/sannshataisai_schedule/
  • 住所Hachinohe City Center MAP
  • 営業時間(Thu), July 31st to (Mon) August 4th, 2025 *The eve of the festival is on the 31st, and the after-festival is on the 4th
    *Held on the same day every year regardless of the day of the week.
  • TEL0178-27-4243 (Hachinohe Tourist Information Center)

The Neputa Festival in Hirosaki City is registered as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. Its distinctive feature is the fan-shaped "Fan Neputa" decorated with warrior pictures from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Suikoden. Approximately 80 magnificent "Neputa", painted in delicate colors, parade through the air and stand out vividly in the darkness of the night.

The Neputa floats are paraded around Dotemachi from August 1st to 4th, and in front of Hirosaki Station on the 5th and 6th. When the Neputa approach the intersection, they spin around, so don't miss it. Before the parade around Dotemachi, there is a performance of the 3.3m diameter Tsugaru Joppari Taiko drums and a Neputa departure ceremony. On the 7th, the festival finale is an event called Nanukabiokuri. After dozens of Neputa floats have paraded around the banks of the Iwaki River, they are set on fire on the riverbed and sent off in a purified state.

Comments Local Guide
The Hirosaki Neputa festival is characterized by its large fan-shaped floats. They spin around in circles, but the best place to see them is at the wide intersection.
Hirosaki Neputa Festival
  • URLhttp://www.hirosaki-kanko.or.jp/web/edit.html?id=cat02_summer_neputa
  • 住所Hirosaki City Center (The "Nanukabiokuri" on the night of the 7th will be held on the riverbed of the Iwaki River) MAP
  • 営業時間August 1st (Fri) to 7th (Thu), 2025 *Held on the same day every year, regardless of the day of the week.
    19:00-21:00 (may vary depending on number of vehicles)
  • TEL0172-37-5501（弘前市立観光館）
  • メモRain or Shine

Along with Awa Odori and Gunjo Odori, Kuroishi Yosare is considered one of the three major Nagashi Odori dances in Japan. The Bon Odori dances in Kuroishi, adjacent to Aomori City, became popular about 200 years ago. The sight of many dancers filling up the small store street that still retains the atmosphere of the Edo period is full of emotion, and you can experience the feeling of having traveled back in time.

The "Nagashi Odori" dance, in which 2,000 dancers walk through the center of town, is a hand dance to Tsugaru folk songs, accompanied by the lively sounds of the shamisen and the lively calls of "Etcha-ho, Etcha-ho." In between songs, the "Mawari Odori" dance, in which the audience gets involved and dance in a circle, begins all over the place, livening up the whole town.
Additionally, on the 17th and 18th, a "Mawari Odori" dance will be held around a tower in the square in front of the station, and anyone can join in.

Comments Local Guide
"Kuroishi Yosare" is said to have originally been a love song between men and women during the Bon Odori festival. "Mawari Odori" is a repetition of short movements, so you can learn it just by dancing by imitating the movements a few times. Please join in the dancing and enjoy the summer in Aomori.
Kuroishi Yosare
  • URLhttp://kuroishi.or.jp/event/summer/kuroishiyosare
  • 住所Kuroishi City Center (Ichinomachi, Kotokubeimachi, Nakamachi, Maemachi, etc.) MAP
  • 営業時間Nagashi Odori (Fri) August 15th and (Sat) 16th, 2025 19:00-20:30
    Mawari Odori: August 17th (Sun) and 18th (Mon) 19:00-21:00
  • TEL0172-52-3488(黒石よされ実行委員会事務局)

MAP

Nearby Hoshino Resorts Property
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