Spring Festival

Aomori's Spring Festival

Shinmachi-dori is the main shopping street in Aomori. It runs one kilometer east from Aomori Station and the bus station, and is lined with department stores and smaller shops and restaurants. It bends slightly as it crosses a major north-south street, and continues east through the city.

From my hotel I could walk a block south to that continuing east-west street, turn right and walk a block, cross the major north-south street that leads to the waterfront, and start walking west on Shinmachi-dori.

My plan had been to walk to Aomori Station, take the local train to Shin-Aomoro Station, and walk from there to the major Jōmon site southwest of the city center. I didn't realize that I would be walking into a major festival!

What Is Going On?

Shinmachi-dori was blocked off, with an inflated jumping thing for the kids at the east end.

Beyond that, people were walking down the middle of the street, and there was a big gathering around a large colorful object.

Much later, during a quiet break time, I got a clear view of the float. These have wire frames and are covered in colored paper and illuminated from within.

Called a Nebuta float, it represents a brave warrior figure. At the main festival, the floats are carried through the streets. Dancers wearing a special type of costume dance around it in time with chants.

An array of large drums was next to the float. The usual explanation is that all this came from the flutes and drums that an early 9th century CE shōgun used to distract the enemy during a battle. The shōgun existed, but he probably never launched a military expedition to this far northern region, well beyond shōgunate control at that time. But who cares, the legend is a great excuse for a festival!

A poster offered information. A four-block section of Shinmachi-dori and a three-block section of an intersecting north-south street are divided into performance areas. Groups are scheduled to perform through the day.

The Nebuta Float and the Drummers

Here's how things looked when I first arrived.

The Spring Festival is just the warm-up. The main Nebuta Festival is in early August, from the 2nd through the 7th. Floats are carried through the city center during the evenings, and all day on the 7th, with a fireworks show that evening.

Drums and flutes, just like the legend.

Colorfully clad groups move from venue to venue.

Dance Groups

I moved to the middle of the north-south street, where a rapid succession of dance groups performed.

I found a place to stand behind a large metal box that was a lighting control or telco pedestal or similar. I'm tall enough to see over it, and no one else wanted to stand behind it.

The banners were huge.

The outfits had different colors and patterns inside and outside. These were light yellow when worn one way, and a dark maroon or brown when reversed. And then, with turquoise or orange T-shirts underneath.

A different group had a lot of purple and green.

Every group's banners were large, and expertly handled.

The groups gradually progressed to my right. Announcers at the next intersection in that direction introduced the groups, and sometimes did a call-and-response with them.

Team Sakura

Then here came Team Sakura, a word I could actually recognize! Sakura or さくら, Team Cherry Blossom.

They started in what seemed to be drab brown camouflage ponchos.

No, there are bright pink scarves under there.

And, the outer garment reverses to bright blue and white.

With pink blossoms.

Food trucks offered a wide variety.

I got takoyaki, fried or grilled octopus balls. It has a wheat flour batter with minced octopus, tempura scraps, ginger, and green onion, served with brown sauce and mayonnaise.

Later I got yakisoba, fried noodles.

Back to Shinmachi-dori

Some groups were performing on Shinmachi-dori.

It even included a belly dancing troupe!

I had no idea that the festival was going on, and stumbled into it by luck. How great! It was loud and colorful and exciting, and helped to drag me out of my jet-lagged state. I went to the Jōmon site the next day instead.

Next❯ Jōmon Settlement at the Sannai-Maruyama Site