Q: Where and when is the Nebuta Festival?
A: The festival is held for the six days from Aug. 2 in the city of Aomori, which is in the northernmost prefecture of Honshu Island.

Q: What happens in case of rain?
A: The festival is not cancelled, nor has it ever been. When it rains, Nebuta floats are covered with large plastic sheets.

Q: Is the parade the same each day?
A: The number of floats varies from day to day, and the position of each float in the parade also changes daily. On Aug. 2 and 3, about 15 children’s nebuta floats and 15 large nebuta floats are wheeled out. Every day from Aug. 4 to 7, about 20 large nebuta floats feature in the parade.

Q: Why does the parade include children’s nebuta?
A: In earlier years, every neighborhood association had a float and made a donation to support the festival. Thus children felt involved in the festival. At some point, children inspired by the festival got together with friends and began to make floats of their own. Children’s nebuta used to consist mostly of goldfish lanterns, but now a wide variety of lanterns of depict the world of Kabuki, humorous cartoons and more.

Q: Is pre-registration required to participate in the Nebuta parade?
A: No registration is needed. Anybody in costume can dance. See “To view the parade or participate in it.”

Q: What events are associated with the festival?
A: There are several events:

• “Miss Nebuta” contest: This contest in June is for choosing girls who are worthy of being called Miss Nebuta for the year.
• ・ Festival Eve: From 18:00 on Aug. 1, various events including a nebuta-bayashi endurance contest are held on a special stage in Aoi Umi Park. The nebuta shed is lit with the curtains open, so all the nebuta floats inside are available for viewing.
• ・ Photo contest: A photo contest is held to promote the Nebuta Festival as well as to raise public interest in and better understanding of the festival. Photos related to the Nebuta Festival, such as those depicting floats, haneto dancers, baketo performers, Nebuta music players, the parade at sea and fireworks, are eligible for entry. Entries are accepted until late August.

Q: How long does it take to build a float?
A: About three months. On the day after the festival, nebuta masters begin to work over their plans for new floats. Specific designs are worked out by the end of the year, and production of the faces and limbs of lanterns starts in early spring. Then the floats are produced at an increasingly fast pace. At times, people working on the production go without sleep for days, before the floats are finally completed a few days before the festival.

Q: How much does it cost to make a float?
A: Compensation of about 4 million yen is paid to a nebuta master. Most of this goes to material costs and labor costs for electrical work. Working at low pay, Nebuta masters produce floats for the pure love of nebuta.

Q: How many Haneto dancers accompany a float?
A: Up to slightly more than 2,000.

Q: What is a nebuta lantern made of?
A: A Nebuta lantern is made of Japanese housho paper glued onto wire frames. About 2,500 sheets of Japanese paper are needed for one float. Bamboo frames used to be used, but now wire is applied because it is better suited to detailed framework. The body of the float is made of paper, so it needs to be protected if the parade falls on a rainy day.

Q: How large is a nebuta float?
A: The float and its wheeled platform should not be larger than 9 m wide by 7 m long by 5 m high. At the beginning of the Meiji era, there were Nebuta floats as high as 20 m. The float and its wheeled platform weigh about 4 tons.

Q: What is the nebuta shed?
A: A shed especially for producing and housing nebuta floats. It has a frontage of 12 m, a length of 12 m and a height of 6 to 7 m. It stands at Rasse Land, next to the ASPM (Tourist and Commercial Museum of Aomori). On the festival eve, visitors can see all the Nebuta floats housed in the shed.