See the lantern floats of the Aomori Nebuta Festival

In the first week of August, central Aomori fills with giant lantern floats called nebuta, built over a year by local teams and based on kabuki or mythical stories. The festival shows some twenty floats, accompanied by flutists, drummers and haneto dancers; anyone in a haneto costume can join the dancing. On the last day the floats are placed on boats and ferried around Aomori Bay, and a fireworks show closes the festival. More than three million people attend each year. Its origins are unclear, though it is thought to have roots in the Tanabata festival and Tsugaru traditions, and it was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1980. Outside the festival, the Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse beside Aomori Station displays floats from past years and shows how they are built.

Sources: Amazing AOMORI; Japan National Tourism Organization; JNTO, Nebuta Museum. Dates change each year: check the official site. See also Tohoku.