Aomori
Local Guide
[2026 Edition] Enjoy Summer in Aomori! Information on Traditional Festivals and Events Full of Excitement

Aomori has many unique festivals and events each season: summer festivals in which huge, extremely colored "Nebuta" floats sway in the darkness and send people into a frenzy; traditional autumn festivals to pray for a good harvest; and fireworks displays held in the snowy winter months.
The size and flamboyance of the floats is unique to Aomori, a land that loves its festivals. Here are some of Aomori's festivals and events that attract festival lovers from around the world.

The “Aomori Nebuta Festival” is one of Japan’s most iconic festivals. During the festival, tourists flock from all over the country, with attendance reaching 1 million people over the course of six days. Every year from August 2 to 7, approximately 20 “nebutas” parade through the center of Aomori City.Measuring 9 meters wide, 7 meters deep, and 5 meters tall, these floats feature stunningly colorful decorations that recreate scenes from history and mythology—a sight unique to this festival. Every time a “Nebuta” float approaches, loud cheers erupt from the spectator stands.

The highlight of the festival is the night of the 6th, when the festival comes to an end. On the evening of the 7th, the festival reaches a spectacular finale with the Nebuta being carried out to sea and a fireworks display.

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Aomori Nebuta Festival" is a must-see once! And once you see it, you will want to see (and participate in) the festival again.
At Aomoriya by Hoshino Resorts' show restaurant "Michinoku Matsuriya", you can enjoy shows of Aomori's four major festivals, including the Aomori Nebuta Festival, all year round.

Read more about the Aomori Nebuta Festival

Aomori Nebuta Festival
  • Address Aomori city center (Nebuta parade)
    Aomori Port (Aomori Fireworks Display, Nebuta Sea Rally)
    Special stage at Aoi Sea Park "Nebuta Russelland" (eve of the festival) MAP
  • Business Hours August 2 (Sun) – 7 (Fri), 2026 *Held on the same dates every year, regardless of the day of the week
    2nd & 3rd: Approx. 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    4th – 6th: Approx. 6:45 PM – 9:00 PM
    7th: Approx. 1:00 PM–3:20 PM, Approx. 7:15 PM–9:00 PM (On the evening of the 7th, the Aomori Fireworks Festival and Nebuta Boat Parade will take place)
    *The event will be held rain or shine; there will be a pre-festival event on (Fri), the 1st
  • TEL 017-723-7211（Aomori Tourism & Convention Association)

Goshogawara City's "Tachineputa" festival is held from August 4 to 8 every year. The most distinctive feature of this festival is the height of the floats. The sight of about 15 floats, including three huge ones that take a year to build, parading through the city streets with the call of "Yatte-mare, yatte-mare" is a sight to behold.
Goshogawara City's "Tachineputa" began in the Meiji period (1868-1912).

The festival once ceased to exist because 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, citizen volunteers restored the "Tachineputa" and the festival was revived. During the festival, "Tachineputa" parades around the city for about two hours starting at 19:00.

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The best place to watch the festival is a little further down the street when the floats round the bend. The huge floats that come into view between the buildings are so powerful that they will give you goosebumps! Even if it is not the time of the festival, you can see the actual Nebuta floats at the Tachineputa no Yakata.

Goshogawara Tachineputa
  • Address Goshogawara Urban Area MAP
  • Business Hours August 4 (Tue) – 8 (Sat), 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    *Held on the same dates every year, regardless of the day of the week
  • TEL 0173-38-1515（Goshogawara Tourist Association)

The “Hachinohe Three Shrines Grand Festival,” boasting a history of approximately 300 years, is designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and marks the 10th anniversary of its inscription on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage this year.Highlights include the mikoshi processions from the three shrines—Ogami Shrine, Chojayama Shilla Shrine, and Shinmei Shrine—as well as the parade of magnificent floats. Approximately 27 floats, each recreating scenes from mythology or Kabuki plays, take to the streets.Although the floats are massive—measuring up to 8 meters wide and 10 meters tall—they are constantly changing, with smoke effects, moving mechanisms, and adjustments to fit the width of the streets, so there’s never a dull moment.

The festival begins on July 31 and attracts about 1.5 million visitors during the festival period. During the eve of the festival and the night after, all the floats are displayed in the civic plaza in front of the city hall and in the downtown area of Hachinohe, and musical demonstrations by the Hayashikata (musicians) are also held.

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When the floats are in operation, the mechanisms of the floats start to move! Smoke comes out, water comes out, dolls start to move, and so on. You can't take your eyes off the floats!

View detailed article on Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival

Hachinohe Sanja Grand Festival
  • Address Hachinohe City Center MAP
  • Business Hours July 31 (Fri) – August 4 (Tue), 2026 *Pre-festival event on the 31st; post-festival event on the 4th
    *Held on the same dates every year, regardless of the day of the week
  • TEL 0178-27-4243 (Hachinohe Tourist Information Center)

Hirosaki City’s “Neputa Festival” is registered as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. A distinctive feature is the fan-shaped “Ogi Neputa,” decorated with warrior paintings from works such as *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* and *Water Margin*.These “Neputa,” painted in delicate colors and embodying both grandeur and splendor, take to the streets and stand out vividly against the darkness of the night.

The Neputa procession takes place in Dote-machi from August 1 to 4, and in front of Hirosaki Station on August 5 and 6. Don’t miss the spectacle when the Neputa reach the intersections—they perform spinning maneuvers.Before the procession in Dote-machi, there will be a performance featuring the 3.3-meter-diameter Tsugaru Joppari Grand Taiko drum, followed by the “Neputa” departure ceremony.On the 7th, an event called “Nanukabi Okuri” will mark the festival’s finale. After dozens of “Neputa” floats parade along the embankment of the Iwaki River, they will be set ablaze on the riverbank to purify and send them off.

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The Hirosaki Neputa is characterized by its large fan-shaped floats. The floats spin around and around, and the best place to view them is at the intersection, as they are held at a widened intersection.

Hirosaki Neputa Festival
  • Address Hirosaki City center (Nanukabi-okuri on the night of the 7th is held on the banks of the Iwakigawa River) MAP
  • Business Hours August 1 (Sat) – 7 (Fri), 2026 *Held on the same dates every year, regardless of the day of the week
    7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Times may vary depending on the number of vehicles)
  • TEL 0172-37-5501（Hirosaki Municipal Tourism Center)
  • Memo rain or shine

Kuroishi Yosare" is considered one of the "three major Nagashi Odori (floating dances) in Japan" along with Awa Odori and Gunjo Odori. The Bon Odori dance in Kuroishi City, adjacent to Aomori City, began to flourish about 200 years ago. The scene of many dancers filling the Komise Street, which still retains the atmosphere of the Edo period, is so full of emotion that it is like stepping back in time.

The "Nagashi Odori" dance, in which as many as 2,000 dancers dance through the center of the town, is a hand dance of Tsugaru folk songs, and the light sounds of the shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese banjo) and the shouts of "echaho, echaho" echo in the air. Between songs, "Mawari Odori," in which spectators dance in a circle, begins here and there, enlivening the entire town.
On the 17th and 18th, "Mawari Odori" will be held in the plaza in front of the station, and anyone can jump in and join.

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Kuroishi Yosare" is said to have originally been a love song sung between a man and a woman during the Bon dance. The "Mawari Odori" is a repetition of short movements, so you can learn it just by imitating what you see and hear. Please join the dance and enjoy the summer in Aomori.

Kuroishi Yosare
  • Address Downtown Kuroishi City (Ichinomachi, Kotokubeicho, Naka-machi, Mae-machi, etc.) MAP
  • Business Hours Parade Dance: Sat, August 15, and Sun, August 16, 2026, 7:00 PM–8:30 PM
    Circular Dance: Mon, August 17, and Tue, August 18, 2026, 7:00 PM–9:00 PM
  • TEL 0172-52-3488(Kuroishi Yosare Executive Committee Office)

MAP

Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.