Tohoku has many more spectacular summer festivals that rival the six major festivals! Festivals packed with the charm of each region will make the Tohoku summer even more exciting! Hachinohe Sansha Festival (Aomori Prefecture)...
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...
Aoiwa
"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...
Aoiwa
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?.
Aoiwa
The Shinjo Festival is a three-day summer festival held annually from August 24th to 26th in Shinjo City, a former castle town in northern Yamagata Prefecture. Its gorgeous float procession is said to be "Japan's largest float procession.".
Morioka Sansa Odori, synonymous with summer in Iwate, is the earliest of the "Six Great Tohoku Festivals," taking place from August 1st to 4th, and is the first festival to liven up the Tohoku summer. This time, we'll be introducing the Morioka Sansa Odori...
Naka
Each of the six Tohoku prefectures has its own historic summer festival. The "Tohoku Rokkon Matsuri" (Tohoku Six Soul Festival) brings together festivals from each of the six prefectures (Aomori's Nebuta Festival, Autumn Festival, etc.) to pray for the repose of the souls of those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and for the recovery...
