Bring on the summer heat by celebrating at Japan’s best
summer festivals. The Tohoku region is renowned for its
“Three Great Summer Festivals”, which are the Aomori
Nebuta Festival, the Akita Kanto Festival, and the
Sendai
Tanabata Festival. These lively festivals attract millions
of
visitors annually. Check out what makes each of them
unique and how you can join in all the excitement in one
Japan trip.
AOMORI NEBUTA
The annual fiery parade at the Aomori Nebuta Festival
revolves around huge lantern-lit floats accompanied with
high-spirited “haneto” dancers. The colorful three-
dimensional floats take after brave warrior figures
derived
from Japanese mythology and legends, and resemble to
kabuki characters. There are 20 enormous floats, all
pushed by human participants and are waved back and
forth. They each include teams of haneto dancers
dressed in formal wear, who chant “Rasse-ra!” along to
festival music and perform dances similar to skipping.
Musicians who play the taiko drums, as well as flute and
cymbal players also parade next to the platforms.
The Aomori Nebuta Festival takes place from August 2
to
7 annually, where the floats parade throughout the town
every night except the last day. Instead, the floats are
displayed during the afternoon on the final day of the
festival. This also includes a boat parade and fireworks
display to conclude the festivities. The first couple days
of
the festival are somewhat smaller displaying only two-
thirds of the floats, compared to the leading days
afterwards, where the celebration is at its peak and all
20
floats are displayed. You can find free seating on the
ground along the 3.1 km (1.9 mi) parade route, as well
as
tickets for reserved seating through convenience stores
or Ticket Pia.
AKITA KANTO
Drawing over 1 million people every year, the Akita
Kanto
Festival highlights stunning performances of “sashite”
who hold “kanto” poles. Kanto refers to long, vertical
bamboo poles attached with horizontal poles cross-wise
in order to hold stacks of paper lanterns, which are lit
with
real candles. The kanto pole itself represents stalks of
rice, while the festival takes place to pray for health,
safety, and wishes for a bountiful harvest. The main
attraction is the Night Parade, where numerous group of
kanto performers raise up approximately 250 poles at
the
same time after a signal is given. The festival is held
every year from August 3 to 6.
Kanto poles vary in size. One of the largest of these
poles reaches an astonishing height of 12m (40 ft.) and
weighs nearly 50kg (110 lbs). The “sashite” show off
their
impressive abilities by supporting these tall polls using 5
different skills. 4 of them include “palm”, “forehead”,
“shoulder”, and “hip”, where the performers support the
kanto poles on these designated parts of their body. The
5th, known as “nagashi”, consists of steadying the poles
so they may pass it on to the next sashite. The sashite
change every few minutes or so, adding extensions to
the poles until the kanto reaches its maximum height.
The event lasts around 90 minutes. Attendees are
encouraged to take photos and chat with the performers
afterwards.
SENDAI TANABATA
Giant, colorful streamers gracefully flutter the streets
during the brilliant Sendai Tanabata Festival. Ranging
from 3 to 5 meters in length, these vibrant decorations
are handcrafted by local communities, shops, and
schools. The streamers are made from various colors of
washi paper and bamboo, then hung from 10 meter tall
poles to parade the city’s shopping arcades. The festival
is held on August 6 to 8 every year, with a spectacular
fireworks show that takes place the night prior to the
start
of the festival.
Smaller decorations are also featured in the celebration,
each representing a different meaning. Ornaments that
include kimono are meant to ward off bad health and
accidents, a net symbolizes plentiful harvests, purses
are
for good business, trash bags stand for cleanliness, and
cranes express health, safety, and a long life.
Additionally, paper strips mean good handwriting, which
are often written with people’s wishes. When you are
finished strolling through the brightly-colored
decorations,
there are other festivities you can enjoy too. These
include lively stage performances, traditional
instruments
and music, various food vendors, and more.
