×

REQUEST INFORMATION


Don't know which tour is suitable for you?

Let us help you. Please tell us more about your interests. We will send some suggestions based on your needs.

Departure Date *
Number of Nights *
Your First Trip to Japan? *
Yes No
Travel Style *
What would you like to see and do?
Title *
Last Name *
Country *
Email Address *
Confirm Email Address *
You can also reach us by Phone (1-909-988-8885) or Whatsapp (1-909- 818-5901)
header image

Aomori Nebuta Festival Tours

Aomori Nebuta Festival Tours

Nebuta matsuri is a large papier mache lantern float parade in Aomori and is one of the three largest festivals in the Tohoku region.

The Nebuta matsuri (ねぶた祭) is a type of Tanabata festival held on August 2-7 every year. It is a type of parade with ginormous lantern floats. The largest of this type of festivity is in Aomori City where they attract millions of spectators over the course of the festival. Nebuta matsuri is one of the most colorful festivals in Japan. The themes of the floats are centered on folklore and myths. The origins of the festival are argued amongst historians. One theory is that it comes from the folk tradition of cleansing the spirit by transferring the impurities to dolls or lanterns. There is another one referencing to the laziness of the farmers because of the warmer summer months and how this festival came about to rid them of that feeling. Some historians say that there are a couple popular theories coming the legend of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro who was a warlord around the 800s. It is said that he hid soldiers in giant paper dolls to lure his enemies into a trap or made gruesome creatures out of cloth and bamboo to scare away the enemy. The Nebuta matsuri started back in the Edo period, but was banned at different times because the candles being used presented a fire hazard to a town that was made of wood back then. It was also banned during World War II as a way to conserve resource, but towards the end of the war the festival was brought back as a way to improve morale.

Today the floats are made of wire frames instead of bamboo and are illuminated with led lights. It usually takes 1 year to construct one of these floats and many of them are sponsored by companies. The maximum size of these lantern floats is 9 meters in width, 5 meters in height and 7 meters in depth. The reason is that the parade route goes through areas with telephone lines and other hanging materials, which puts a limit on the height. The best part of the Nebuta matsuri is that anyone can participate in the parade as a haneto dancer and chant “rassera, rassera” as long as they wear the proper clothing, which can be bought at any grocery store for 5000 yen or rented for 3000 yen. The setup of each float group goes with the haneto first, then the fan bearer who directs the Nebuta (float) to make it come alive, the hikite who move the float and the hayashi who are the musicians that play taiko drums, the flute and hand cymbals to match the theme of the float. There are awards given for a variety of categories, but the top three floats will be put on a ship on the last day and paraded around the bay. From August 2 to 3 there are small floats a few of the large ones. It is from August 4 to 6 that the festival hits its full swing, but the last day the floats will only appear in the day time.

Please see below for tours that include Aomori Nebuta Festival:

3 trips through Japan

Filter by:

Season
Departure Month
Travel Styles question mark icon
Duration
Regions
    question mark icon         Tour#: GTR1717185

Charms of Northern Japan Tour: Tohoku 3 Great Summer Festivals arrow readmore icon

Furano / Biei / Otaru / Sapporo / Shiraoi / Noboribetsu / Lake Toya / Hakodate / Seikan Tunnel / Aomori / Akita / Kakunodate / Hiraizumi / Sendai / Matsushima / Urabandai / Aizu Wakamatsu / Nikko

    10 reviews

12 Days 11 Nights | from US $4998.00

The must see sights of Hokkaido & Tohoku...plus Tohoku 3 Great Summer Festivals.

Start Date End Date Twin/Triple Start City End City Style Save Status
Tue. Jul 29, 2025 Sat. Aug 9, 2025 US $4998.00 Sapporo Tokyo Deluxe Guarantee / Book Now  
Wed. Jul 29, 2026 Sun. Aug 9, 2026 US $4998.00 Sapporo Tokyo Deluxe Guarantee / Book Now  
    question mark icon         Tour#: GTX1739280

Japan Summer Highlights: Lavenders & Tohoku 3 Great Summer Festivals arrow readmore icon

Furano / Biei / Otaru / Sapporo / Shiraoi / Noboribetsu / Lake Toya / Hakodate / Seikan Tunnel / Aomori / Akita / Kakunodate / Hiraizumi / Sendai / Matsushima / Urabandai / Aizu Wakamatsu / Nikko / Tokyo / Mt Fuji / Hakone / Koka / Kyoto / Nara / Osaka / Tokushima / Takamatsu / Oboke Gorge / Shimanami Kaido / Hiroshima / Kurashiki / Himeji / Kobe

    3 reviews

21 Days 20 Nights | from US $8798.00

This tour features Japan Summer Highlights including the summer flowers, festivals & fireworks.

Start Date End Date Twin/Triple Start City End City Style Save Status
Tue. Jul 29, 2025 Mon. Aug 18, 2025 US $8798.00 Sapporo Osaka Deluxe Guarantee / Book Now  
Wed. Jul 29, 2026 Tue. Aug 18, 2026 US $8798.00 Sapporo Osaka Deluxe Guarantee / Book Now  
    question mark icon         Tour#: GTQ5278848

Japan Summer Highlights: Lavenders & Tohoku 3 Great Summer Festivals with Expo 2025 Osaka arrow readmore icon

Furano / Biei / Otaru / Sapporo / Shiraoi / Noboribetsu / Lake Toya / Hakodate / Seikan Tunnel / Aomori / Akita / Kakunodate / Hiraizumi / Sendai / Matsushima / Urabandai / Aizu Wakamatsu / Nikko / Tokyo / Mt Fuji / Hakone / Koka / Kyoto / Nara / Osaka / Tokushima / Takamatsu / Oboke Gorge / Shimanami Kaido / Hiroshima / Kurashiki / Himeji / Kobe / Osaka

    3 reviews

22 Days 21 Nights | from US $9098.00

This tour features Japan Summer Highlights including the summer flowers, festivals & fireworks, plus Expo 20205 Osaka Kansai.

Start Date End Date Twin/Triple Start City End City Style Save Status
Tue. Jul 29, 2025 Tue. Aug 19, 2025 US $9098.00 Sapporo Osaka Deluxe Guarantee / Book Now  




Call one of our specialists at 1-909-988-8885 Toll Free: 1-855-325-2726 (US/CANADA) Whatsapp: 1-909-818-5901 |

Why Travel on Our
Group Tours

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Best Itinerary

Planned by experts, based on seasonal favorites and must-see sites.

Budget-friendly

Choose your style and split cost with other passengers

Hand-picked Accommodations

Chosen by our experienced staff

Fully Guided

Guide is available to you 24/7 and sleeps in the same hotel

Unique experiences

Learn to create your own Sushi, meet a geisha or maiko, and more

Connect

Meet locals and visit rural areas of Japan you might miss on other tours

What our customers say

  4.9 stars based on 581 REVIEWS