Please be careful! It seems that if you mispronounce “Nebuta” and “Neputa” in front of people in Aomori City or Hirosaki City, you will be in a very bad situation!

“Nebuta (Neputa)” is a summer festival that is held every year from July to August in various parts of Aomori Prefecture as a Tanabata event on July 7 of the lunar calendar. It is a gorgeous festival in which giant lanterns called “Nebuta (Neputa)” are carried on floats and paraded.
In particular, the Nebuta Festival in Aomori City attracts more than 2 million people every year, and is one of the three major festivals in the Tohoku region, along with the Tanabata Festival in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture and the Kanto Festival in Akita City, Akita Prefecture.
Although the term “nebuta” or “neputa” differs by region within Aomori Prefecture, the Nebuta Festival in Aomori City (held from August 2 to August 7) and the Neputa Festival in Hirosaki City (held from August 1 to August 7) are designated as nationally important intangible folk cultural assets.

Nebuta” is sometimes said to be doll-shaped, while “Neputa” is fan-shaped, but the differences in shape do not make a difference in the way they are called, only in their accents.
Goshogawara City’s “Tachineputa” is famous for its huge floats over 20 meters high, and is one of Aomori’s “three major nebuta festivals” along with the “Aomori Nebuta Festival” and the “Hirosaki Neputa Festival. The “Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival” is held annually from August 4 to August 8.
The shape of the lanterns, the dancing, and the tempo of the music differ from region to region, and enjoying the differences is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the festival.

At the Aomori Nebuta Festival, dancers called “haneto (Jumpers)” energetically jump around the Nebuta to the accompaniment of the music.

The etymology of Nebuta comes from sleepiness. Since ancient times, people, especially in the Tohoku region, have considered sleepiness, which interferes with labor before the autumn harvest, to be one of the calamities. During the Tanabata event on July 7 of the lunar calendar, “Nemuri Nagashi (Floating Sleepiness)” is held to drive away calamities and impurities by casting them in lanterns and washing them away into rivers and the sea. The maritime festival of the “Aomori Nebuta Festival” is a remnant of “Nemuri Nagashi”. On the night of August 7, large Nebuta floats are loaded onto a barge and floated through Aomori Port, accompanied by fireworks.

“Goldfish Nebuta” is said to be the origin of the doll-type Nebuta. These goldfish lanterns called “Tsugaru-nishiki” have long been appreciated as “goldfish that bring happiness. They are very popular as souvenirs of the Nebuta Festival.