Stories
From the Field
summerFestival· June 27, 2026
Yamagata Hanagasa Festival: The Dance of the Flower-Hats
Each August, thousands of dancers fill the heart of Yamagata city for the Hanagasa festival, twirling flower-hats crowned with the red safflower that built the region's fortunes. This is the story behind the dance, the blossom, and Tohoku's great summer.
summerFestival· June 26, 2026
Morioka Sansa Odori: The World's Largest Taiko Drum Parade
Each August, Morioka turns its main avenue over to thousands of drummers. The Sansa Odori holds a Guinness World Record for the most taiko drums played at once, but its real subject is a city dancing for itself.
summerFestival· June 26, 2026
Hirosaki Neputa vs Aomori Nebuta: Two Festivals, One Summer, One Strait
They share a name, a region, and a week in early August. Yet Hirosaki Neputa and Aomori Nebuta could hardly feel more different. One is a roar; the other is a hush. A guide to two of Tohoku's great summer festivals, and how to see both.
winterFestival· June 25, 2026
Yokote Kamakura: Akita's Snow Hut Festival
For two nights each February, the snowbound city of Yokote fills with glowing domes of packed snow. Inside each, children tend a small altar and call out an old invitation: come in, warm yourself, stay a while.
summerFestival· June 25, 2026
Soma Nomaoi: Fukushima's 1,000-Year Samurai Horse Festival
Soma Nomaoi is a thousand-year-old samurai horse festival on the coast of Fukushima, where hundreds of armored riders parade, race, and scramble for sacred flags loosed from the sky.
winterFestival· June 14, 2026
The Namahage of Oga: Akita's Fearsome New Year Ritual
Each New Year's Eve on Akita's Oga Peninsula, masked figures called Namahage storm into homes to scold the idle and bless the household. The ritual is fierce theater with a sacred purpose, and there are ways to witness it without intruding.
summerFestival· May 25, 2026
Aomori in August: Festivals, Forests, and the End of Japan's Road
August is when Aomori comes alive. The Nebuta Festival fills the streets with illuminated warriors, and the rest of the prefecture rewards those who stay past the parade.
allFestival· May 24, 2026
Beyond the Big Three: Tohoku's Smaller Festivals Worth Traveling For
Nebuta, Kanto, and Tanabata get all the attention. Here are Tohoku's smaller, stranger, more local festivals — the ones worth building a trip around.
summerFestival· May 20, 2026
How to Join Nebuta as a Dancer: The Haneto Costume Guide
The Nebuta Festival is not just for watching. Here's how to join as a haneto dancer — costume, steps, and what to expect.
summerFestival· May 15, 2026
Sendai Tanabata: How Japan's Oldest Star Festival Became Its Most Beautiful
Seven thousand bamboo poles. Three thousand paper ornaments. The Sendai Tanabata Festival is Japan's largest star festival — and one of its most underrated.
summerFestival· May 14, 2026
Akita Kanto Festival: The Lantern-Balancing Act That Will Stop Your Heart
Fifty lanterns. Twelve metres of bamboo. Fifty kilograms balanced on a forehead. The Akita Kanto Festival is one of Japan's most astonishing human performances.
summerFestival· May 14, 2026
The Complete Guide to Tohoku's Three Great Festivals
Three of Japan's greatest festivals. Five days in August. One shinkansen line. Here is how to plan a trip around Nebuta, Kanto, and Tanabata.
summerFestival· May 5, 2026
Inside Nebuta: The Festival the World Forgot
Every August, the streets of Aomori fill with illuminated giants — paper-and-wire sculptures of warriors, gods, and demons that dwarf the crowds below. Nebuta Matsuri is one of Japan's three great festivals, but unlike Kyoto's Gion, it remains largely undiscovered by international visitors.