Hirosaki 2016

Hirosaki 弘前 (Part 2 of my weekend in Aomori)
Hirosaki is famous for its castle, which is beautiful during the cherry blossom season. However, in 2015 the castle was moved to a nearby site for construction to the castle walls. This happens every 100 years. It's particularly impressive because the castle is moved whilst it is fully intact!

 

On my way over to the castle park, I stumbled upon a Yosakoi dance festival. This is a traditional type of dance that you see at festivals all over Japan. There were lots of dance teams performing in different parts of the city.

After watching the dancing I went to see the castle and the surrounding gardens. Neaby the park, I visited Neputa Mura, another museum about the Neputa festival and other loacal specialities. Some staff members taught me a rhythm on the big festival taiko drums and then we played them together. Around the museum there were shamisen performances, craft corners where you could have a go at making some local crafts, and decorations from the Neputa Matsuri festival.
 I had a local set meal at the museum's restaurant. It included: kenoshiru - a miso based soup with carrots, radish, konnyaku, burdock and tofu; kaiyaki miso - white fish, scallops, tofu, onion and egg cooked in a scallop shell; rice; and pickles.

After dinner I walked around the Fujita Memorial Gardens. I stopped in a Japanese house for matcha tea and a sweet to enjoy while looking out over the gardens.

On my way back to Hirosaki Station I caught the end of the Yosakoi festival where someone from each dance group was lined up along a road, waving their giant team flags to music.

Aomori 2016

Aomori 青森 (Part 1 of my weekend in Aomori)
Rokkonsai is a festival started in 2011 after the earthquake and tsunami, as a way to lift the Tohoku region's spirits. The main parade at the festival features 6 of the region's festivals, one from each prefecture:

• Sendai Tanabata
• Fukushima Waraji Matsuri
• Yamagata Hanagasa Festival
• Akita Kanto Festival
• Aomori Nebuta Festival
• Morioka Sansa Odori

In 2016 the festival was held in Aomori City, so I decided to head up to visit.
When I arrived I picked up some apple pie from the festival street food stalls, as Aomori is famous for apples. I watched some live music in Aoiumi Park by the bay before heading to Nebuta Warase, a museum dedicated to Aomori's festival, the Nebuta Matsuri. The museum shows the atmosphere and history of the festival. It also shows the structure of some of the floats used during the parade.
During this festival, which happens in early August, enormous colourful floats are pulled along the streets. They are all built by local teams and businesses. Some of them can be about 5 metres tall. After seeing a smaller version of the Nebuta Matsuri at Rokkonsai, I hope I can go to see the full festival sometime.
I walked to one of the main streets for the festival where people were starting to sit along the side of the road to watch the festival. There were so many people, but I managed to find a space to sit where I would be able to see.

Akita Kanto Festival - The people holding up all of these lanterns were balancing them on their heads, noses and backs.

Morioka Sansa Odori - The largest taiko drum festival in the world.

Sendai Tanabata Festival - ...is hard to show in a parade, as it is made of big decorations throughout the city. Sendai had suzume odori dancers in this Rokkonsai parade. This is the city's traditional dance, using fans. One of the Sendai Assistant language teachers made it into the Sendai official dance group.

Fukushima Waraji Matsuri - They are carrying a huge waraji traditional straw sandal.

Yamagata Hanagasa Festival - Dances with conical hats with local flowers on. (This picture was taken earlier in the day, when I could get a better shot.)

And of course the Nebuta Matsuri!

After the festival, I joined the crowds heading back to the station, where I took the train over to Hirosaki. I then headed to my chosen manga cafe, called Super Freaks.

My booth at the manga cafe.

It had a soft flat floor which extended under the desk. On the desk, there is a computer and a TV.