Aomori Nebuta Festival: Watching the Floats and Dancing as Haneto

Dancing as a haneto

The haneto are the festival's dancers. Their step is a light, skipping hop from one foot to the other, and they chant "Rassera, rassera" in time with the drums. Anyone wearing the proper haneto costume can join a group behind a float. You do not need to register. The costume is the one rule you cannot skip: a flower-covered hat (hanagasa), a white yukata tucked up at the hem, coloured sashes, and strings of small bells that jingle as you jump. Shops in the city rent and sell complete sets during the festival, and staff can help you put it on.

A few tips if you dance. Fix the bells firmly, as they come loose easily; locals say a bell you find on the street brings good luck. Wear comfortable footwear, because you will hop for an hour or more. Follow the group leaders, stay with your float, and do not drink while you dance.

Nebuta Museum WA-RASSE

If your dates do not match the festival, go to WA-RASSE, the nebuta museum next to Aomori Station on the waterfront. It displays several full-size prize-winning floats all year and explains how nebuta are designed and built. At set times it also holds performances of the festival music, sometimes with a chance to try the haneto step before the real thing. Nearby, the bay promenade and the Hakkoda-maru, a former Seikan ferry now a museum ship, are worth a short walk.

Getting there

From Tokyo, the Tohoku Shinkansen reaches Shin-Aomori in about three hours. A local JR train then takes a few minutes to Aomori Station, which is close to the parade route. From Sendai the shinkansen is quicker, and from Hakodate in Hokkaido the Hokkaido Shinkansen runs from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, outside the city, to Shin-Aomori. There are also flights to Aomori Airport, from where buses run to the city centre in under an hour. Book shinkansen seats early for festival week.

Where to stay

Hotels in Aomori City sell out months ahead for festival week. Hirosaki is a good alternative. It is under an hour away by train, has a castle town to explore by day, and holds its own Neputa festival, with mostly fan-shaped floats, in the same week. Hachinohe, on the Pacific side, is another option. Check the last train back before a late night.

Watching well: practical tips

• Paid seats along the route give you a guaranteed view. The free kerbside is fine too, but claim a spot an hour or more before the start.
• Stay behind the ropes and never touch a float, however close it comes. The teams steering them need clear space.
• Bring a light rain jacket rather than an umbrella. The parade usually goes ahead in light rain, and umbrellas block other people's view.
• Carry cash for food stalls, water, and a small bag for your rubbish, as bins are scarce.
• Aomori is cooler than Tokyo in August but still humid. Evenings are pleasant, and a thin extra layer helps if you sit late by the bay.

Around the festival

Northern Tohoku is packed with summer festivals. In the same part of August you can add Hirosaki Neputa, the towering Tachineputa floats of Goshogawara, or Akita's Kanto Festival, where performers balance tall poles hung with lanterns. Sendai's Tanabata Festival, with its paper streamers, overlaps the end of the week. Together with Nebuta, Akita Kanto and Sendai Tanabata are known as the three great festivals of Tohoku. Outside festival season, Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada in the south of the prefecture are Aomori's best-known nature trips.

Plan your trip

Book accommodation first, then transport, then decide whether you will watch or dance. If you plan to dance, sort out the costume on the afternoon you arrive. For dates, reserved-seat details and a fuller access guide, see our Aomori Nebuta Festival guide.