Hagoromo Nebuta Festival

The annual Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, with its massive papier-mâché floats and hordes of haneto dancers, counts among the most popular of Japan’s many traditional festivals. If you can’t make it up to Aomori in August, check out this smaller but wonderfully local version in the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa. A respectable 160,000 people turn out every year for the Hagoromo Nebuta Festival, which takes over the Higashi-Tachikawa shopping street and its surroundings with colourful parades. It features floats made by artisans from Aomori, edible specialities from northern Japan, and much more.