Goshogawara Tachi-Neputa: Summer Festival with 23-Meter-Tall Towering Float

The Tachi-Neputa festival held in Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture, sends enormous three-dimensional neputa floats — as tall as a seven-storey building, up to 23 metres and 19 tons — parading through the city streets at night. It takes place every year from August 4 to 8. The dates are fixed regardless of the day of the week, so in 2026 it will again run from Tuesday August 4 to Saturday August 8. These are five days like no other, when the word "looking up" takes on its literal meaning.

A Festival That Vanished and Was Revived from Blueprints

Tachi-Neputa is a form of neputa whose origins lie in nemuri-nagashi, the ritual of driving away drowsiness. From the Meiji era into the early Taisho era, neputa over 20 metres tall paraded through Goshogawara. But with the stringing of electric wires and two great fires, the floats gradually became smaller and the giant neputa disappeared.

The turning point came in 1996 (Heisei 8). Volunteers reconstructed a giant neputa based on surviving blueprints and photographs, naming it "Tachi-Neputa" and bringing it back to life. The revival also came with a town-wide decision to bury the electric wires in the city centre so that the floats could run. The spectacle you see today is the result of raising something lost back up from its drawings.

The Floats Taking the Field in 2026, and the "Omiai" Line-Up

In 2026, three large Tachi-Neputa — Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Enma (the king of hell) and Sarutahiko-Okami — will run on all five days. In addition, five medium-sized Tachi-Neputa and nine small neputa are scheduled to take part (the number of floats varies by day).

The moment not to miss is the assembly known as the "omiai" (literally, the formal meeting). On the first day, August 4, and the final day, August 8, the three large floats line up at the former rotary intersection for about 30 minutes, from around 18:30 until 19:00, before the parade starts. On these two days the floats leave the Tachi-Neputa Hall shortly after 17:30, so waiting in front of the hall for the moment of departure is another way to enjoy it.

Festival Features

• Overwhelming Scale: Three to five giant Tachi-Neputa floats parade through Goshogawara
• "Yattamare!" Chant: Unique call-and-response chant unites crowd and performers
• Production Process: The Tachi-Neputa Hall lets visitors observe the year-long construction

Practical Information

• Dates: August 4-8 every year (in 2026, August 4-8). The dates are fixed regardless of the day of the week
• Parade times: 19:00-21:00 on all five days (scheduled)
• Parade route: Starting from the former rotary intersection, a circuit of about 1.3 km linking the Teramachi-Iwakicho intersection, the Yanagimachi intersection and the Nunoyacho intersection. The start point is about a 2-minute walk from JR Goshogawara Station
• Viewing fee: You can watch from anywhere along the parade route without buying a paid seat. However, visitors are asked to refrain from reserving spots for long periods
• Paid seating: Several organisations each sell their own seats. Numbers available per day and prices for 2026 are: Goshogawara FM, 300 seats (3,300 yen for Omachi 2-chome / 3,500 yen for Yanagimachi, tel. 0173-34-3311); Machinaka Goshogawara, 500 seats (3,500 yen, tel. 0173-33-6338); Coffee Shijin, 40 seats (3,500 yen, tel. 0173-33-1584); Mohodori Distillery Laboratory, 84 seats (5,000 yen, souvenir included, tel. 0173-23-5805); Omachi Neighbourhood Association, 240 seats (3,300 yen, tel. 0173-34-2264); Hirayama Stationery Store, 35 seats (1,000 yen, tel. 090-9633-5697). None of them allow you to choose a specific seat
• Rain and strong wind: A little rain will not cause cancellation, though the number of participating floats may be reduced. Because the floats are so tall, the event may be cancelled in strong winds, and during the festival a decision on whether to run is discussed every day from 13:00. If cancellation is decided, it is announced by public-address vehicles and radio commercials
• Traffic restrictions: Within the parade route (excluding Honcho-dori), restrictions begin progressively from 17:45 on August 4-8 and are lifted at 21:00
• Parking: Paid temporary car parks are set up during the festival. The Iwakigawa riverbed temporary car park (about 500 spaces, 1,000 yen per vehicle) and the Plaza Maryu Goshogawara temporary car park (about 120 spaces, 1,000 yen per vehicle) are both open 16:00-21:30. The Ortensia car park (about 325 spaces) is free, open 16:00-21:30. No car park exclusively for people with disabilities is provided
• Shuttle bus: None operates. The car park at ELM no Machi shopping centre may be used at your own responsibility, about a 25-minute walk from the venue
• Extra trains: JR East runs extra trains August 4-8, and the Tsugaru Railway August 3-8
• Wheelchairs: The Goshogawara City Tourism Association (tel. 0173-38-1515) lends wheelchairs (numbers are limited), and a dedicated wheelchair viewing area is provided. Enquire in advance for both
• Food and drink: A food and drink area is set up near the paid seating in Yanagimachi, where stalls and food trucks operate until the parade ends
• Information desks and smoking areas: The tourism association is beside JR Goshogawara Station, there are two temporary information desks along the parade route, and the festival headquarters is in front of the city hall. There are three smoking areas along the route
• Accommodation: Lodgings in the city are busy during the festival. As the dates are fixed, the earlier you book the better
• Tachi-Neputa Hall (visiting outside the festival): 506-10 Omachi, Goshogawara City (tel. 0173-38-3232). Actual large Tachi-Neputa floats are on display year-round. Admission to the Tachi-Neputa exhibition room is 800 yen for adults, 500 yen for high school students and 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students; the art exhibition gallery is 300 yen for adults and 100 yen for high school, elementary and junior high school students; a combined ticket for both is 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for high school students and 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Groups of 20 or more, users of the Resort Shirakami train, holders of a disability certificate and JAF members (up to five people) receive a 10% discount
• Tachi-Neputa Hall opening hours: From April to September the exhibition room is open 9:00-19:00 (last entry 18:30); from October to March, 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30). The observation lounge is open 11:00-14:30 (last order 14:00). It is closed on January 1; on August 13 the whole building closes at 17:00, and on December 31 at 15:00. During the festival (August 4-8) the exhibition room is open 9:00-17:00, and the product hall and cafe 9:00-21:00

Getting There

• From JR Goshogawara Station: walking distance to the festival route
• From Aomori Station by JR Ou Main Line: about 45 minutes

Tips

Accommodations fill months in advance. Combine with Aomori Nebuta (Aug 2-7) and Hirosaki Neputa (Aug 1-7) to experience the three great Aomori summer festivals.

📚 Sources

The dates, parade times, parade route, number of floats taking part, the timing of the "omiai," the handling of rain and strong wind, traffic restrictions, the capacity and fees of the temporary car parks, the absence of shuttle buses, extra trains, wheelchair lending, the food and drink area and the information desks are based on the "Q&A for the 2026 Goshogawara Tachi-Neputa" (as of May 15, 2026) published on the official Tachi-Neputa website. The organisations selling paid seats, seat numbers and prices are also as given in that document. Admission fees for the Tachi-Neputa Hall were confirmed from the admission fee guide on the hall's official website, and the opening hours, closing days and festival-period hours from the opening hours guide on the same site. Fees and operations are subject to change, so please check official sources before visiting.