Gaido Japan

Summer Sonic Osaka
2022-08-20 - 2022-08-21
Summer Sonic, one of Japan’s premier music events, is a two-day rock festival that’s held simultaneously in both Tokyo and Osaka. All-you-need-to-know for SUPERSONIC As with the previous years, the rock festival is held in both Tokyo and Osaka. For Osaka, the performances will be at Maishima Sonic Park (Maishima Sports Island). The Osaka venue is usually accessed via an event shuttle bus that leaves from Cosmosquare Station. Tickets are sold as 1-day or 3-day passes, with prices ranging from ¥13,800 to ¥39,000 (based on 2019 prices). The tickets will be exchanged with wristbands when you enter the venue and will serve as your access pass to the event — so don’t lose them! Other than performances, there will also be food and drink stalls around the venue for party-goers to fuel up before continuing the night’s festivities. More details will be announced on the official website. History of Summer Sonic Founded in 2000, the Summer Sonic rock festival has been held annually ever since. The festival was independently owned by Creativeman Productions Ltd but was bought over by Live Nation Entertainment in 2014. Star performers from previous years’ events include Coldplay, Zedd, BABYMETAL, The Chainsmokers, Radwimps, BLACKPINK, Perfume, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more.
The festival has historically attracted diverse lineups, from local rock musicians and indie bands to internationally-acclaimed pop/rock singers. With a star-studded lineup each year, it is no wonder how Summer Sonic attracted over 350,000 attendees in 2019 alone. Aside from Summer Sonic, the Fuji Rock Festival is another one of Japan’s biggest annual music events.

Earth Celebration on Sado Island
2022-08-19 09:00 - 2022-08-21 22:30 (Asia/Tokyo)
Earth Celebration is a superb three-day taiko and music festival on Sado Island where Kodo (legendary taiko drums troupe) holds open-air concerts, holds taiko workshops, and invites other musicians to collaborate on stage. Sado Island, located off the coast of Niigata, is renowned for its thriving arts and culture scene from kabuki to local artisanship and taiko drums. Taiko Japanese drums have been part of Japan’s summer festivals for centuries and their deep and cacophonous sound echoes the heartbeats of the local people. Take the matsuri (festival) atmosphere but change amateur drummers for professionals, put them on stage, and what you get is Kodo, one of Japan’s most respected professional taiko ensembles. In Japanese, kodo means “heartbeat”, which is considered to be the primal source of rhythm. Read in a different way, the word also means “children of the drum”. This reflects Kodo’s passion to play the drums with a kind of spiritual naivety. In previous years Kodo performers usually travel around the globe to play large concert halls showcasing its wild drumming but they make sure to be back at its Sado base in August when audiences usually come to them. People from all over Japan, and from around the world, venture to Ogi on Sado Island to share their passion for taiko and for music at Earth Celebration. Thousands of people usually come together on Sado Island, every year, to discuss music, create music and enjoy themselves. As this is an outdoor festival in a small seaside town, there is a close exchange with nature and with the local community. Earth Celebration is deeply rooted on Sado Island and in this particular area around Ogi, so much so that the festival has become part of the identity of Ogi and of Sado.

Gozan no Okuribi
2022-08-16
The locals call it Daimonji, the celebration during the height of the O-bon festival where the city’s surrounding mountains are lit up with five bonfires.
Three of the bonfires are lit in the form of Kanji, while the other two are the shapes of a boat and a Shinto gate. It is said that the deceased family’s relatives rise from the spirit world for visits during August 16th, therefore Okuribi literally means, “send-off-fire”. To get the best view of all the bonfires, head to the center of the city: Nakagyo Ward. Or, you can also head one of the five mountains – Daimonji, Daikokuten, Funa Nishigamo, Daihoku-San, Okita, and Mandara. The bonfire is lit between intervals of five minutes, starting at 8:00 PM on Daimonji mountain.
2022 will mark the first time that the event has not been scaled down or canceled since 2019.

Miyazu Toro Nagashi Fireworks
2022-08-16
Held on in the beautiful Amanohashidate area, this event features lantern floating and fireworks for a magical evening in Shimasaki Park. The floating of 10,000 Toro Nagashi lanterns takes place from 6 pm until 7.30 pm and the display of over 3,000 fireworks begins after that, continuing until 8.30 pm. The festival has a 400-year history and was originally held to see off the spirits of the deceased, with fireworks being added in 1924. The traditional Miyazu dance is performed among the ceremonies and stalls so we highly recommend you arrive in time for the festival as well as the fireworks!
For 2022, the fireworks are canceled, but the lantern floating is going ahead.

Sayama Sunflower Maze
2022-08-15 - 2022-08-31
There is a community sunflower field maze in the Horigane area of Sayama City every August. The sunflowers typically bloom during the last two weeks of August. It doesn’t feel like a huge sunflower field as you walk among the blooms, but supposedly there are about 10,000 sunflowers. Thanks to the height of the sunflowers and the density per square meter, the Horigane sunflower field makes the perfect sunflower maze. The sunflowers grow to about 1.7 meters. To be honest, for an adult it is pretty easy to get from start to finish. But children will delight in getting lost among the towering blooms. A dais is in the middle of the field to help people get their bearing. It also doubles up as a convenient place to take a photo. The sunflower maze is free, but if you want to take some home, it costs ￥100 for five sunflowers.

Daimonji Okuribi
2022-08-15
This is a memorial service for the spirits of fallen soldiers and to pray for peace which takes place on August 15th every year. A large 大 (the kanji symbol for great) is set alight on Mount Wakakusa using 108 flames to represent the traditional number of worldly desires possessed by humans. The event is the culmination of the O-Bon festival and fires are meant to guide the spirits back to the afterlife. You can see the fire from various spots in Nara Park which lasts around 30 minutes.
For 2021 (as with 2020 due to COVID-19), the fireworks display which usually follows Daimonji ceremony has been canceled. Also, anyone not directly involved in the ceremony will be barred from attending and Nara Park will be closed to visitors.

Hitoyoshi Fireworks Festival
2022-08-15
Taking place at the riverside in Nakagawahara Park in Hitoyoshi City, this fireworks festival would usually attract roughly 55,000 people to attend to ooh and ah at 5,000 pyrotechnics.
Unlike a lot of other festivals which sell tickets for seats in an exclusive seating area, this festival is completely free.

Shoro Nagashi Lantern Floating Ceremony
2022-08-15
For 2022 (as with 2020 and 2021), the ceremony will take place, but sightseers are discouraged. The ceremony is intended for those who have lost relatives since the last O-Bon.
The annual holiday of Obon runs until the night of Shoro Nagashi. During this time, the spirits of the dead come back to see their living friends and family; Shoro Nagashi wishes them well and sends them back to heaven. This religious festival is loud with firecrackers and gongs, a solemn and joyous seeing-off.
Families and friends who have lost loved ones since the last O-Bon build shoreline boats, while neighborhood associations and groups build moyaibune boats, of bamboo, grass, and wood. Each boat is decked with flowers and lanterns, sometimes with a picture of the deceased and often with a small memorial object. Some boats are designed in the shape of something the deceased particularly loved. These boats are paraded through the Nagasaki streets, past Nagasaki Station, Nagasaki Prefectural Office, and down Kenchozakadori, before being destroyed at the end of the parade in Nagashiba.
Festivities begin at dusk and carry on late into the night. Many streets are closed for the procession, so it is best to take the train or tram to Ohato, Gotomachi, or Nishihamanomachi Stations, and walk to the prime viewing spot at Kenchozakadori outside the Nagasaki Prefectural Office. The Shoro Nagashi attracts up to 190,000 visitors a year, so get there early—and, as this is a religious festival, be respectful!

Asakusa Toro Nagashi
2022-08-13 18:30 - 20:00
Summer sees the staging of the annual Toro Nagashi festival in Asakusa. Originally held to pray for the souls of the deceased, the practice was rekindled in the mid-20th century. Now a strong community event, the festival sees participants releasing of hundreds of paper lanterns from Shinsui Terrace near Azaumabashi Bridge in Sumida Park. The lit lanterns that glide gently along the currents of the Sumida River create a memorably beautiful occasion. With a much more congenial feeling than the high-energy celebrations of the more common fireworks shows held during summer, the Toro Nagashi festival is a more personal experience, particularly if you send off your own lantern. The Toro Nagashi festival is still held in the event of light rain. While the event itself is free, to send off your own lantern for 1500 JPY. Please check the official website for more information.

Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival
2022-08-13 15:30 - 20:00
The small city of Yanai in Yamaguchi Prefecture is famous for its lanterns, but they’re a little different from many lanterns you’ve likely seen in the past. The lanterns here are shaped like goldfish, and you’ll see them displayed outside shops, restaurants, and even personal residences in the area. The unique lanterns are said to have first been created by a Yanai merchant in the Edo period who was said to have been inspired by lanterns at Aomori’s Hirosaki Neputa Festival, and the rest is history.

Kanmon Straits Fireworks Festival
2022-08-13
This is a joint fireworks festival across the Kanmon Straits between Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Kita-Kyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture.
More than 1 million people on both sides of the strait are expected to watch the almost 1-hour long show in which 15,000 projectiles will be hurled into the night sky.

Summer Gagaku Performance in Sendai
2022-08-12 18:00 - 2022-08-13 18:30
On August 12th, the Gochinza-kinensai Ceremony is held at Osaki Hachiman Shrine in Sendai. This mid-summer ceremony is truly a traditional ritual, on the next day, the shrine performs a Gagaku music concert as part of a memorial dedicated to the Great Kanto Earthquake. Gagaku is a form of traditional classical music that has been played in the imperial court and in shrines throughout Japan. Gagaku music is mostly played on very formal occasions, however, the shrine presented a unique Gagaku concert with a casual style. The concert is held in a relaxing atmosphere, but that’s not all. You’ll even have the chance to experience singing songs along with the Gagaku performers! The highlight of the program is an authentic Kagura dance performed by Miko, shrine maidens, in elegant attire. On August 12, the event is held from 6:30 pm. On August 13 the memorial starts from 4 pm until 6 pm.

Minato Mirai Bon Odori Dance Festival
2022-08-12 16:30 - 2022-08-13 20:30
The Minato Mirai Bon Odori Festival will once again be held in mid-August in Rinko Park, Yokohama. Looking out over the evening waters of Yokohama Bay, Rinko Park provides one of the most pleasant locations for one of Japan’s most-loved summer traditions. As with previous years, the festival will feature beer gardens and a Yokohama gourmet yatai street food stall corner delivering festival staples like kakigori shaved ice and yakitori skewers of grilled chicken. Traditional taiko drummers will be beating out their summer rhythms while yukata-clad dancers dance the bon odori around the central yagura stage. A community tradition, the bon odori’s circle of dancers is open to anyone wishing to join in and participate. Free to enjoy and with its views of Yokohama Bay Bridge lit up over the bay, the Minato Mirai Bon Odori Festival is the perfect Japanese summer experience.

Tokushima Awa Odori Festival
2022-08-12 - 2022-08-15
Tokushima Awa Odori is rated by many as Japan’s top summer festival. It takes place in Tokushima – a prefecture on the island of Shikoku.
The dance festival (Odori means dance) has its origins as a summer Obon festival. ‘Awa’ was the pre-Meiji name for the area in which Tokushima city is located. The festival was renowned as a raucous and drunken event and over the years a distinctive dance style emerged. There are a variety of styles of dress for men and women and they typically dance separately or together in large choreographed groups. Many of the female dancers wear distinctive hats resembling folded tacos which are made from the tatami. The main dances are performed from the 12th – 15th, but the Evening Selection is held on the night of the 11th.
The streets of central Tokushima City are closed to traffic each evening of the festival. Dancing takes place in the street (which can be viewed for free) and at seven stages with reserved seating. Tickets for the reserved seats range from about ¥800 to ¥2,000 in price and can be purchased in advance at the Information Center in front of Tokushima Station and at local convenience stores.
The festival is said to attract 1.3 million visitors, so if you intend to stay nearby, you should book well in advance. Another option is to do a day trip from Kobe on the mainland. The quickest way from Kobe to Tokushima is the Awa Express (link in Japanese) run by JR Shikoku Bus. From Shin-Kobe Station, the journey takes approximately 2 hours and 8 minutes. Tickets are 5,940yen return for adults and half that for kids. The Salad Express (link in Japanese) from the Hanshin bus covers the same route and charges the same price.
At present organizers are planning to go ahead with COVID-19 countermeasures in place.

Kameoka Hozugawa River Firework Display
2022-08-11 | Kameoka, Kameoka, Kameoka, Kameoka, Japan
Part of the annual peace festival, this display is as famous for its fireworks as it is for the beautiful food stalls that are illuminated at night. The event takes place on the Hozu river banks and has paid seats as well as plenty of free viewing spots like in Oigawa Ryokuchi East Park. The show draws crowds of around 75,000 so if you want a good spot head over a little early. If you like, you can take a boat from nearby Arashiyama. If postponed, it will take place on the 13th of August.

Yosakoi Festival
2022-08-10 10:00 - 2022-08-11 22:00
Summer is prime time for big festivals in Japan, and Kochi City is no exception. The highlight of the local year is a three-day dance/parade extravaganza in August, called ‘Yosakoi’. What the word means exactly is open to interpretation, but the general sense is ‘let the good times roll, and there’s a strong hint of, um, nocturnal naughtiness to it. During the Japanese holiday, obon, over 10,000 dancers in many dozens of teams throng the main streets and thoroughfares, beating time with small wooden clappers called naruko. The costumes are colorful and fantastic, and a highlight is the decorated trucks that head up each team, staffed by hard-core carnival party animals and blasting out music from their huge speakers. Every team is free to arrange its own style of music from Japanese ballad to big-Afro funk, but it must include at least part of the festival’s official song, the “Yosakoi Naruko Dance”. Things wind up with a grand parade down Otesuji-Dori Avenue and a huge fireworks display, lasting 90 minutes. Especially good dancers proudly wear ribands awarded by the judges, and there’s an overall winning team each year. Teams are organized by companies, businesses, and localities, and a lot of them are put together by izakaya – informal pub/restaurants, that Kochi City center is packed with. A festival is really a way for a town to bare its soul and show the world what it’s made of. I’m always impressed by the way Yosakoi displays the quintessential character of Kochi City – it’s loud, gaudy, cheerful, ever-changing, and irreverent, with the women of the town definitely front and center. Dancers come in all skill levels and ages, and they’re free to change teams every year if they choose. In addition, dancing styles are not predetermined, and the serious teams spend most of the year choreographing and practicing the next year’s dance routine. This kind of free-and-easy style might be frowned upon in other Japanese cities, but Kochi (as always) gives a broad grin and goes its own way. You’ll never see the same Yosakoi twice, and you’ll definitely never see a dull one. Let the good times roll!

SEE LV Exhibition
2022-08-08 11:00 - 2022-08-21 20:00
When it comes to big names in the fashion world, Louis Vuitton is right up there at the top. An exhibition running in Tokyo celebrates LV’s 160-year history, and it has already delighted visitors in Wuhan (2020), Hangzhou (2021), and Dubai (2022). SEE LV showcases ready-to-wear items from the luxury fashion house throughout the decades, examples of their most iconic bags including the Steamer, Speedy, Noé, and Twist designs, and even an interactive exhibition room where you can explore the famous LV monograms in a digital art format.
Photo: Louis Vuitton Japan Co., Ltd.
Admission to the event itself is free, but advance reservations do need to be made via the LINE app.

Takabocchi Kogen Horse Race
2022-08-07
This is a horse race that takes place in Shiojiri City on the grassy Takabocchi Plateau. With around 80 competitors from throughout Japan, organizers claim that it is the highest altitude horse race to take place in Japan.
Apart from the main race, there are pony rides for the kids and lots of other horsey activities.
There are free shuttle buses leaving every 15 to 30 minutes from the east exit of Shiojiri Station that run to the event venue. The ride from the station takes about one hour.

Summer Festival in Honmoku, Yokohama
2022-08-06 10:00 - 2022-08-07 12:00 | 19 Honmoku Wada, Naka-ku, Yokohama, 231-0827, Japan, 19 Honmoku Wada, Naka-ku, Yokohama, 231-0827, Japan, Naka, Yokohama, 231-0827, Japan
Every year, in Honmoku, Yokohama, the Ouma Nagashi event is held during summer. Ouma is a figure with the head of a horse and a turtle-like body made of straw. Every year six pieces of Ouma are made for the event, which is dedicated to the Honmoku Shinto shrine. They are brought to the shrine by men in formal kimonos in the early morning of the day before the event. After they stay in the shrine overnight, they are carried throughout the town of Honmoku in the morning. Then they are sent about 5km offshore by boats from the Honmoku fishing port and thrown into the sea. The event is believed to take evil out of the town by throwing the figures into the sea. It is a kind of purification ritual. It has been practiced for nearly 450 years since the medieval era when feudal warlords fought each other to survive. Originally the figures were sent offshore by six wooden boats before the 1950s. Until last year, fishing motorboats had been used to bring the Ouma figures offshore. Last year the wooden boats came back for the first time in 50 years after being repaired thanks to donations by local residents and businesses. Beautiful beaches existed on the shores of Honmoku only 50 years ago.
Honmoku was a fishing village, where villagers produced seaweed and farmed fish. Among them werre anago sea eels and shako shrimp. They are essential ingredients of “Edo style sushi”. The beaches were reclaimed to expand the port facilities in the 1960s. Still, some fishermen continue to fish off Honmoku from this fishing port. Now we seldom have an occasion to enjoy the smell of the sea close by even though we are living in Honmoku, which used to be famous for its beautiful beaches. On the day of Ouma Nagashi ritual, six portable shrines, carried by men and women of all ages get together from six areas of Honmoku near MYCAL Honmoku to show off their high spirits in their own local matsuri festival costumes. That is the moment when Honmoku streets come alive with their cheerful calls, and everyone forgets the scorching heat of high summer. And it is an occasion for us to feel and smell the history of the town. Ouma figures are brought into the Shrine: at 10:00. Ouma figures leave the Shrine: at 08:00. This event is held yearly at the beginning of August, so if you miss it this year, be sure to visit the next chance you get. Check the website (Japanese) for details.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony
2022-08-06 08:00 - 09:00
August 6th is a significant day for anyone in Hiroshima. Although most businesses run, as usual, school children are called into school for “peace education” and many locals and tourists gather in the central Peace Park to reflect on lives lost and hope for a peaceful future. At the Peace Park, the main memorial is held in the morning and the lantern floating ceremony starts once it gets dark. The Peace Memorial Ceremony starts at 8:15 am each year in memory of the victims of the atomic bomb, which was dropped above Hiroshima at that time on August 6, 1945. At the start of the ceremony, the park’s Peace Bell is rung and sirens sound across the city. Despite the park being completely packed with people, everyone stands perfectly still to observe a minute’s silence, allowing you to really feel the power of this moment. On this occasion, there are usually a few political speeches and testimony by those who lived through the event as well as those who lost loved ones. There are also short speeches by children growing up in Hiroshima about their hopes for a peaceful future. The ceremony also includes a release of 1,000 doves (after the Mayor’s Speech) and the end of the ceremony is marked by a 450-member chorus and wind ensemble performing the “Hiroshima Peace Song”. The Mayor of Hiroshima usually makes an appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the achievement of everlasting world peace. The Japanese Prime Minister will also attend, as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations. The ceremony is usually broadcast on television stations throughout Japan and appears on news programs worldwide. A great number of residents of all ages gather for the ceremony from around 7 am. The stage for the speeches is set up in front of the main memorial monument steps with the eternal flame as a backdrop. This area is easily accessed from the main Heiwa-Odori (Peace Boulevard), many people stand under the Peace Memorial Park Museum, or in the shady areas around the park as there are many satellite televisions set up in different areas for people to watch the proceedings. Most attendees stand or sit and listen in silence during the speeches, many dressed in handmade anti-war or pro-peace t-shirts. There are also many people holding origami cranes as they are Hiroshima’s symbol of peace, you will find them hung near many of the memorial statues in the park. Event Report, 2012 JJ Walsh You might expect to feel out of place during this somber ceremony, but actually, we have been many times and have only felt completely welcomed. There is an area at the back of the crowd, under the memorial museum where volunteers hand out free chilled towels and water to people at the ceremony. There are many people taking pictures of the event, but it’s polite to ask if you can take a picture of attendees, especially children. Even without Japanese, you could point to the camera and ask “Okay?” and that will get the message across. When we have been to the ceremony with our children, it is really touching how kind attendees will walk up to you and offer cranes, fans or other things they have that your kids may like. It is not traumatic for kids to be a part of, the whole event is quite positive. After the ceremony, there is usually a stir in the crowd as groups form to do peaceful protests through the streets. In 2011, there was a large protest parade down the main covered malls and along the streets to the Hiroshima city hall against nuclear power as well as nuclear weapons. There was also a right-wing protest parade. A good position to watch the parades from the St.Marc cafe (with outdoor seating) a few blocks from the park in the covered mall. In the evening, there is a lantern festival where over 10,000 lanterns are put into the water next to the A-bomb memorial and across the river from the steps in front of the information center. The evening activities are less formal, there are no long speeches, but it is a very powerful experience. As the light from the dome shines down on the water lit by the many colorful lanterns floating downstream. There are also candles decorated by children lit and displayed all the way around the Atomic Bomb Memorial Dome. You can decorate a candle if you would like for a small donation near the A-bomb Dome. Videos about Hiroshima day: August 6, 2011, Hiroshima Day: music video compilation Anti-war, Anti-nuclear power, Anti-nuclear weapons protest parade (8/6/2011) August 6, 2008, Hiroshima Day: sights and sounds

Sendai Tanabata
2022-08-06 - 2022-08-08
Tanabata – literally meaning the ‘7th evening’ is a festival celebrated on different dates throughout Japan. The Sendai version, touted as one of the three major summer festivals in the Tohoku region, is the most famous of them all. It’s so famous that it has become synonymous with Sendai itself.
The festival takes place from the 6th to the 8th of August. Encompassing the whole city of Sendai, neighborhoods hang colorful decorations paper decorations including handwritten strips of paper containing wishes of good fortune, paper kimonos, paper cranes, paper nets, and streamers.
The last night of the festival sees a major fireworks festival with 16,000 fireworks and 500,000 spectators making it the most popular in the Tohoku region.
Sendai Tanabata attracts 2 million visitors each year, so if you’re traveling to Sendai, you should make sure you have our accommodation arranged in advance.

Hiroshima Toro Nagashi
2022-08-06
Each year, on August 6th, candle-lit lanterns are set afloat on the Motoyasu River next to Hiroshima’s A-Bomb Dome in remembrance of deceased ancestors and as a wish for world peace.
The lanterns are on sale from 6 am with the lanterns released by hand in the evening in the vicinity of the A-Bomb Dome and Motoyasu Bridge. Organizers warn that due to big crowds, you may have to wait a little while to set your lantern afloat.

Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Festival
2022-08-05 19:30 - 20:30
The Sendai Tanabata Fireworks Display is a popular tradition with local residents and tourists alike. Approximately 16,000 fireworks are set off from the shores of the Hirose River which flows through central Sendai. The area is easily accessed via Hirosedori or Kotodaikoen subway station and is a 10-minute walk. Or take a leisurely 30-minute stroll through the shopping arcades from JR Sendai Station. The most popular spot for viewing (if you can fight off the crowds!) is Nishi Koen (West Park). The fireworks show is a medium-sized display that is complimented by festival stalls frequented by couples and friends wandering about in yukata (cotton kimono).

Hinokuni Festival
2022-08-05 - 2022-08-07
The Hinokuni Matsuri is a festival that takes place in early August predominantly in and around Sunroad Shinshigai (a covered arcade) in Kumamoto City.
The festival will feature various dance troupes and competitions as well as a “Natsu Machi Yokocho” (summer town drinking alley).

Nara Tokae
2022-08-05 - 2022-08-14
A ten-day event taking place in Nara, the Tokae sees thousands of candles placed in varying displays and patterns. The shapes include rivers, deer, and hearts and some lanterns are used to illuminate the structures of the area. They have recently improved the eco-friendly status of the event, switching from paraffin candles to natural versions – partly for the environment and partly to protect curious deer. The opening ceremony will take place from 6.45 pm – 7 pm beside the pond on the East side of the Ukumo Garden. There will be music performed by local artists throughout the event and there will be pop-up cafes and entertainment too.

Goshogawara's Tachineputa Matsuri
2022-08-04 19:00 - 2022-08-08 21:00
Aomori prefecture may be best known for being Japan’s largest apple producer, but once a year, the streets come alive in the Nebuta Festival in Aomori City. Lesser known, but perhaps more impressive and memorable is the Tachineputa Festival in nearby Goshogawara. From a tourist’s perspective, this festival is great because it is less crowded and just as exciting. Since Goshogawara is just an hour’s drive away, it is easy to plan a trip to see both of these versions of Nebuta since the festivals occur during the same week. Size really does matter in “Tachineputa.” The word “tachi” means standing in Japanese, but these floats don’t just stand, they tower above crowds and move! Standing an average of 20 meters into the air (yes, 20 meters!), you can often see the tops of the floats peaking above low-lying buildings before they turn a corner in the parade route. Designs tend to focus on deities, demons, and Japanese folklore. Although you can come early in the afternoon to get a glimpse of the floats, the parade itself is at night. This means all the floats are glowing from the inside, bringing a festive mood wherever they wander. Since the floats are so tall and the parade route is long, you are guaranteed to get a great view almost anywhere along the street. But you’ll have to look down, not up, to see how these beasts on wheels actually move. Sticking with tradition, floats are pulled and pushed throughout the weeklong festival. Dozens of human handlers pull ropes attached to the front end of the float, while the strongest members of each float are often stuck pushing and steering the floats from behind. This is no easy task. The floats weigh several tons or more. Oh, and did I mention the streets are incredibly narrow and lined with power lines? I recommend trying to find a corner along the parade route. From there you can see the precarious push, pull, and pivot motions teams need to perform in order to turn the floats. It gives you more time to take pictures and really see the fine detail and hard work that goes into each float. To keep floats in rhythm and to add to the festive nature, massive carts of drummers and dancers fill the gaps between the tachineputa. Reaching Goshogawara to see the Tachineputa Festival is easy. It’s an hour’s drive from Aomori, and the event is just a five-minute walk from Goshogawara station. From Tokyo, the travel time between bullet train and local train can take up to five hours, but it is definitely a must-see if you’re in Japan during August. Local hotels are undoubtedly filled weeks or months prior to the event, but hotels just twenty to thirty minutes away can still have vacancies, so keep a lookout.

Goshogawara Tachi-Neputa Festival
2022-08-04 - 2022-08-08
Goshogawara hosts the third of the famous Nebuta festivals in Aomori. The others are Aomori Nebuta in Aomori City and Hirosaki Neputa.
‘Tachineputa’ means ‘vertical Nebuta’, so called because Goshogawara’s Nebuta floats are very tall – some as tall as a three-story building.
The Goshogawara festival starts later than both the Aomori City Nebuta and Hirosaki Neputa and finishes one day later.

Tsushima no Miya Festival
2022-08-03 13:00 - 2022-08-05 22:00
There is an island, a shrine, and a station that is only open for a short festival each year. For two days this shrine, and the tiny Tsu island on which it sits, see around 10,000 people come and go. They come for the shrine and the summer festival. The bridge to the shrine opens early and closes late, and people come in droves throughout the day. Most people are families with children, who are brought to be blessed by the priests. Many charms are for sale as well. Back across the bridge on the mainland, the streets are lined with colorful stalls serving all the local favorite festival foods. There are games and drinks as well, and on the night of the fourth, there is a great big firework show. The station, 津島ノ宮駅 (つしまのみやえき), is also famous for train otaku fans who love to take pictures and save their tickets for their collections.

Akita Kanto Festival
2022-08-03 - 2022-08-06
Kanto (not related to the region of the same name) are poles that are approximately 15 meters long from which hang 46 lanterns – intended to resemble bags of rice.
Weighing up to 50kg, the festival performers balance these poles on their forehead or lower backs while walking the parade route. They are accompanied by bands of bamboo flute players and are urged on by the spectators.
As you can probably imagine, balancing a 15-meter-long pole that weighs 50kg while walking is quite a feat – especially if there is a breeze!
Pro tip: Book your accommodation, together with a viewing seat, in advance.

Nagaoka Festival
2022-08-02 10:00 - 2022-08-03 21:00
What makes Japanese fireworks different from all the others around the world? For one, they reflect Japan’s culture. All have themes and the crowds really get into the mood. You see blue mats everywhere and special food tents wherever the people gather. After each set of fireworks, there is enthusiastic clapping and cheering. During the months of July and August, there is pretty much a Hanabi in every region of Japan almost weekly. I have attended the Yokohama fireworks twice and they were spectacular, but knowing the themes and stories really make them special. We arrived in Nagaoka mid-morning on 2 August and the festival was already in full swing. On the main street from the station, there were vendors selling all types of Hanabi souvenirs and of course food tents everywhere. Next, a parade was led off by the Nagaoka Fireman’s band followed by several children’s bands. We decided to walk to the river where our seats were reserved for the fireworks to see how long it would take and found out that both bridges would be closed to traffic after 7 p.m., with one of the bridges opening back up at 8:30, we knew would never make our 9:10 Bullet train back to Tokyo, especially from the other side of the river. We ended up purchasing two more tickets for the east side of the river near the Chousei Bridge, which still required a 30-minute walk to the station. Hundreds of people were already claiming space for the free sections and it was still 7 hours before the fireworks show. Back near the station, we watched an outstanding baton twirling performance, all types of dance shows, and then some floats. This consumed most of the afternoon and now it was impossible to find a place to sit down. Went over to the Aeon department store and found a coffee shop on the top floor that served some good food. By the time we finished our meal, it was overrun with people waiting to get a seat. At 5 p.m. we walked to our reserved spot for the fireworks. It had rained and we needed to wipe the blue mat before sitting down. For our reserved area I counted 50 mats holding approximately 60 people for a total of 3000. This area was just a dot compared to all the seating places along the river. The festival and fireworks began in 1946 to commemorate the victims of war and recently from the earthquake that hit Nagaoka in 2004. Nagaoka was 80 percent destroyed by the bombing on 1 August 1945. The people rallied together and rebuilt their city and in 1946 began the remembrance fireworks praying for those lost and for peace. Every year the Nagoaka fireworks are displayed in Hawaii in remembrance of American victims of war and our friendship. The Nagaoka Hanabi is in the top three in all of Japan. The crowds over two nights exceed a million spectators along a two-kilometer area of the Shinano River, the longest river in Japan. The display has nine themes over two hours. One is the Sho-Sanjakudama, two 36-inch diameter shells weighing 660 pounds illuminating a 2,132 feet long Niagara Falls. We were at ground level and it was difficult to take pictures of the falls. The highlight for us was the Phoenix Fireworks wishing for a complete recovery from the earthquake disaster. The Phoenix-shaped fireworks span over 1.7 miles in a straight line. We had to leave about 45 minutes early in order to catch our train. Even as we pulled out of the station we could still see the fireworks high in the sky. This festival is held for three days every 1-3 August. It begins with a lantern floating ceremony on the Kaki River to remember and comfort the souls of the bombing victims. Every day is filled with festivities topped off on 2 and 3 August with the fireworks. There is an information center at the station with English brochures. You can take the bullet train from Tokyo for a 90-minute ride. We plan to go again and this time will stay overnight in the city so we can see the entire program.
