Held over two days in early August, the Noshiro Tanabata Festival in Akita Prefecture serves as a colorful celebration of Japanese folklore and tradition. The event includes a variety of impressive lantern floats parading around the Noshiro City Hall area, including one of Japan’s tallest lantern floats – it towers at an incredible 24.1 meters in height.
The festival has a long history in the Noshiro area, with original floats in the Tenpō era sitting around 17 to 18 meters in height. However, once electricity poles were added to the area, the floats were reduced to around 7-8 meters. Over time, the electric wires were shifted underground along Noshiro's Route 101, and an initiative to increase the height of the lantern floats – and in turn, boost the area's tourism – was started in 2012.
Getting there
The event takes place around the Noshiro City Hall area, which can be accessed via Noshiro Station on the JR Gonō Line.
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