111111

長野

Sendai Tanabata Matsuri This is one of the top three festivals in Tohoku. During the festival, central Sendai will be colored by elaborate bamboo and paper decorations.

Hanagasa MatsuriHeld every summer, participants wear straw hats decorated with paper safflowers—the prefectural flower of Yamagata--and don colorful traditional costumes while dancing in unison to the traditional Hanagasa song.

70

Nagaoka Fireworks Festival This annual fireworks festival held at Nagaoka City in Niigata Prefecture is one of Japan’s big three fireworks festivals. Over 20,000 fireworks are set off to the delight of over 1 million spectators.

Aomori Nebuta MatsuriThis is clearly one of Tohoku’s Top Three Festivals, and is also one of Japan’s Intangible Cultural Heritages. The giant and vibrantly colored handcrafted lantern floats and the passion and raw energy of the parade participants and cheering of the spectators make this a representative festival attended by visitors worldwide.

66

72

71

Akita Kantou Matsuri The Akita Kantou Matsuri harks back to the Edo era and is des-ignated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its highlight is the lifting of a 12m-long pole weighing 50kg onto the shoulders of the parade participants.

Onbashira Matsuri Held once every seven years by the Suwa Grand Shrine, selected fir trees aged over 150 years old are dragged down the mountain to be erected as poles around the Shrine. Don’t miss the next Onbashira Festival in April and May 2016!

65

6768

69Photocredit:Yamagata Hanakasa Association

Iwate Snow Festival This week-long festival takes place every February at the Koiwai Dairy Farm, which transforms into a fairytale world of white. Other than admiring the snow sculptures, one can ride on horse-pulled carriages and enjoy a barbecue in an igloo!

Unique Festivals

From vibrant summer festivals that light up the night sky with brilliant fireworks, to mesmerizing winter

festivals in a world of white, Tohoku’s unique festivals await you!

Aomori

Miyagi

YamagataNagano

Akita

Iwate

Niigata

Aizu Festival Every September, some 500 festival participants gather at Aizu Wakamatsu for this festival where they march from Tsurugajo Castle to downtown Aizu Wakamatsu dressed as Aizu Clan samurais, making for a grand sight.

Fukushima