Summer in Tohoku is all about festivals! Here's a roundup of the 2025 dates for the "Six Major Tohoku Festivals," major events that bring local traditions to life and are enjoyed by both locals and tourists.
Every June, a festival that can be considered a symbol of early summer in Iwate Prefecture is held in Takizawa City and Morioka City. The name of this festival, sometimes called "Japan's cutest festival" in some areas, is "Ch...
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"A tiger on a roof?" This surprising sight can be seen at the Hatsuuma Festival, held every year on April 29th in Kami Town, Kami District, Miyagi Prefecture. The main attraction is a tiger dressed in yellow and black stripes, and...
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What is the Hyakushika Daigunbu? The Hyakushika Daigunbu is a major performance of the Shishiodori (deer dance), a folk performing art passed down mainly in the areas of the Date and Nanbu domains during the feudal era. It was first performed in 1985...
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One day in March, while browsing X, I came across this post from the Kanazu-ryu Kamuishi Shishiodori Preservation Society. It's only two weeks away. It's the last chance to see the lion dance at Sasara Hall. t.coht...
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Tohoku is home to a wide variety of festivals, including the summer Kanto Festival in Akita, the Hanagasa Festival in Yamagata, the Nebuta Festival in Aomori, the Sansa Dance Festival in Morioka, and the Tanabata Festival in Sendai.
Yurihonjo City is home to "Honkai Shishimai Bangaku," a folk performing art that has been passed down for generations and designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. "Honkai Shishimai Bangaku" is...
Oga City, Akita Prefecture, is the sacred ground of Namahage, arguably the most famous visiting deity in Japan. Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT: Why do Namahage carry knives and punish people?.
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The water-sprinkling ceremony in Yonekawa, Towa-cho, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a nationally designated important intangible cultural property, and was designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage site on November 29, 2018. It is a visiting deity event.
Takahata Tenmangu Shrine in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City. The "Uso Kae Festival" is held twice a year in January and April at this shrine, where lucky charms are awarded with the powerful power to turn all misfortunes of the year into "lies.".
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