One of the lantern floats from the festival. They're huge.

These types of musicians follow the floats in the parade

There are rarely garbage cans at public spaces

A weeping cherry tree, one of the hundreds on the property

Aomori, Japan

June 23, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

We took a ship excursion today to Tsugaru Neputa Village and Hirosaki Castle, an hour’s drive from the port. We’re now in a region with cooler temperatures; the high today was 21 degrees Celsius. Aomori is best known for its spectacular summer festivals, a parade of enormous lantern floats flanked by large taiko drums, musicians and dancers. That’s what we learned about at the village. You can read more about it here: https://aomori-tourism.com/en/event/detail_26.html

Hirosaki Castle, completed in 1611, was much like the other castles we’ve seen in Japan but for one huge difference. The castle was recently MOVED to allow for restoration of the walls and moats surrounding it. It will be moved back in 2026. It’s also considered one of the best places in Japan to to see cherry blossoms in the spring with its 2,600 trees.Read more