Nebuta Festival

So I haven't posted in awhile, and that just isn't okay.  So many things have happened!  Travis and I went back to Canada for a bit - GOT MARRIED... and you know, other crazy stuff.

This past weekend we managed to hit one of the festivals that I promised myself we would attend while we were living in Japan.  The Nebuta Festival in Aomori-city, Aomori-prefecture.  Touted as the best festival (and parade) in Northern Japan I was expecting a lot when we went.  We were definitely not disappointed!  Delicious street food, wonderful music, and two full hours of some of the largest and most detailed floats I have ever seen in my life.

According to Wikipedia (August 5th Ed.) the Nebuta Festival is Japanese summer festival. "Nebuta" refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city, while dancers wearing a unique type of costume called haneto (ハネト) dance around in time with the chant Rasserā (ラッセラー). In the local dialect, participation in the festival is inquired using the verb haneru (ハネル, ex. "今日もハネル?" or "Are you going to haneru today?"), which was derived from the Japanese spelling of the haneto costume and the verb haneru (跳ねる, "bounce").

Travis took some amazing pictures, and I got a few videos that should help us remember the event fondly.