The Lanterns of Aomori

For five nights each August, the usually quiet streets of Aomori become bustling with light, colors, and riotous noise of the Nebuta Matsuri. It is one of Japan’s three largest and most distinguished celebrations, attracting millions of revelers from far and wide. The pièce de résistance of the festival is the parades of the illuminated floats. They are constructed of painted washi paper over wireframes and might take up to a year to complete.

These delicate marvels vividly depict gods, heroes, demons, and other mythical figures from Japanese and Asian folklore. Yet the scale and style of the lanterns vary from town to town. Wherever the floats roam, they are accompanied by teams of taiko drummers, musicians, and Haneto dancers who entertain the crowd with their skipping while enthusiastically chanting “Rassera! Rassera!”.

Though Nebuta Matsuri is fascinating, it’s not always possible to be there during this busy period. Besides, seeing the parades while jostling for space among a sea of people is not an easy task. For these reasons, three museums were set up across Aomori Prefecture to bring the extraordinary festival closer to visitors. These year-round exhibits feature dozens of elaborate lantern floats, costumes as well as other cultural specialties.

A distinguished summer festival.

Resting on the waterfront of Aomori City, the Nebuta Museum Wa-Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ) is unmistakable thanks to its deep red facade formed by a series of steel ribbons. Each is twisted and bent individually to form openings for light, views, and passageways. The screen-like exterior evokes the visual sensation of a theater drapes, separating the contemporary milieu of the city from the world of history and myth within.

Luminous giants from paper and light.

Visitors first pass through the Nebuta Tunnel, where the festival’s 300-year history is unveiled. They can also see how the techniques and styles used in float construction have changed over the years. The tunnel then opens up to a dimly-lit hall that houses four full-sized floats that participated in the last August. Here, you can closely examine the impressive scale and intricate details of the Nebuta – luminous three-dimensional giants created from paper and light. Some objects are even touchable, and visitors can have a look inside to have a better understanding of the technical work that is otherwise difficult to grasp.

At Nebuta Museum Wa-Rasse, the atmosphere of the festival is also recreated, with experienced musicians playing flutes and taiko drums on stage. They are accompanied by Haneto dancers, who will show visitors the joyful dance steps. Alternatively, visitors can try their hands on the taiko drums, which are the same as those found in the actual parades.

About forty kilometers southwest of Aomori City, the castle town of Hirosaki has its lantern festival called Neputa Matsuri – a result of the subtle dialect variation between the two towns. It originates from an old farming tradition to ward off sleep demons and celebrate the victorious return of troops. Parades of illuminated lantern floats are the highlight of the event. However, some features make Neputa Matsuri different from its Aomori counterpart.

In Hirosaki, most lantern floats (Neputa) are semi-circular, roughly the shape of a hand-held fan. They tend to be affixed on a base that can rotate and wheel out onto the streets. The floats are then decorated with vibrant scenes from kabuki, including drawings of heroic warriors in the front and beautiful ladies in the backside. In comparison to those in Aomori, Neputa are significantly smaller. But what they lack in size is compensated by numbers, with up to 80 floats parading around the town at the same time.

Fan-shaped lanterns decorated with scenes from kabuki.

To experience the thrill of Neputa Matsuri outside of the festival period, head over to Neputa Mura (ねぷた村), or Neputa Village. Every aspect of the famous spectacle is on display in this year-round museum, including the history, the musical instruments, and the glamorous fan-shaped lantern floats. There are also areas devoted to local handicrafts where artisans demonstrate their skills. Adding to that is a Japanese garden and a 19th-century teahouse where visitors can relax and enjoy Hirosaki’s flavors.

If you are impressed with the Nebuta in Aomori, you will undoubtedly be overwhelmed when seeing the lanterns of Goshogawara. In a hangar-like museum, three towering sculptures of washi paper proudly stand side by side. They depict a legendary samurai, a folk hero, and a Moon Goddess. Each weighs about 19 tons and reaches a height of 23 meters, equivalent to seven stories. These creations indicate an exceptional festival that occurs in this small town every August.

Dating back more than 100 years, Tachineputa Matsuri – which means “festival of the standing floats” is the youngest among the three lantern festivals in Aomori Prefecture. It features parades of illuminated floats, escorted by pounding taiko drums, ethereal tones of flutes and cymbals, as well as cheerful chants and cries. Tachineputa was thought to be lost forever when a fire broke out in the 1920s, destroying nearly all of the original float blueprints. Fortunately, a few survived and were found at the base of an old Neputa, leading to the revival of the festival in 1996.

A visit to Tachineputa no Yakata (立佞武多の館), or Tachineputa Museum, begins at a shadowy platform on the highest floor. From there, the expressive facial features of the Neputa are all the more spectacular. Visitors then wind their way through the galleries and educational displays, while admiring the scale and delicate details of the floats. Though the museum’s main focus is the Tachineputa Matsuri, it also provides information about lantern festivals in other towns.

The world’s biggest paper sculptures.