AOMORI--The Aomori Nebuta Festival, one of the three major festivals in the disaster-affected Tohoku region, kicked off on Aug. 2, carrying people's hope for a quick return to normalcy in the region nearly five months after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
AOMORI--The Aomori Nebuta Festival, one of the three major festivals in the disaster-affected Tohoku region, kicked off on Aug. 2, carrying people's hope for a quick return to normalcy in the region nearly five months after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Fifteen huge light-radiating Nebuta floats with various themes paraded along major roads in Aomori. Banners were hanging on the side of the floats, saying "Keppare Tohoku (Hang in there, Tohoku)."
The event will run until Aug. 7.
The Nebuta float, made of paper and wires, can be 5 meters tall, 9 meters wide and 7 meters long at the maximum. The floats traverse a 3-kilometer course in central Aomori.
Participants wearing specially designed yukata and straw hats with tiny bells attached to them, follow the procession of floats hopping along the way.
The festival began around 7 p.m. as the floats' illuminations were lit and music started with Japanese flutes and drums, filling the entire city with a festive air.
However, the number of pay festival-viewing seats was cut about 10 percent from last year's event because ripples from the quake continued to be felt in the prefecture.