The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, a famous summer festival taking place in Aomori (north end of mainland Japan) attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over Japan wishing to see or “participate”. “Nebuta” refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city. Dancers wearing a unique type of costume are called “haneto” and they dance around in time with the chant “Rasserā”.
Akiko, a staff in our Tokyo office went up to see the festival in the summer 2012, and was impressed by the thirty huge floats (9m x 7m x 5m) parading down the roads. These floats are largely made by paper and thin wooden frames, light enough for guys carrying, rotating, and spinning. Akiko, one of the audience this time, is now firmly decided to “participate” next time!
