Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ, Nebuta no ie Wa-Rasse), Aomori, Japan

This article was updated on 19 Sep 2021 to clarify the train trip to Aomori Station and the museum.

It's been a while since my last post. While international tourists are currently prohibited from visiting Japan due to the pandemic, here's a museum located in the northernmost part of Japan's main island that's possible to visit if you are staying in Tokyo. I highly recommend taking the journey once international travel to Japan becomes possible again.

I visited this museum on 26 Nov 2017, which is in the city of Aomori, located in the northernmost Tōhoku region of Japan's main island of Honshu. The museum contains some of the spectacular illuminated floats (nebuta) used in the annual Aomori Nebuta Festival held from 2-7 Aug. If you can't attend the festival, visiting the museum is the next best thing.

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ, Nebuta no ie Wa-Rasse) is a museum dedicated to the city's famous Nebuta Matsuri. The museum is housed in a unique building covered in red metal slats and stands along Aomori's waterfront district just a short walk north of Aomori Station. The Nebuta Warasse museum attempts to capture the spirit of the festival and gives visitors a taste of its lively atmosphere, history and traditions. [1]

Please continue reading the rest of the article to find out more about the Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse and to see more photographs of my visit.

 

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ, Nebuta no ie Wa-Rasse)

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ)

Upon entering the second floor entrance to the exhibitions, visitors are presented with the sights of the festival along a red corridor lined with photos and images from the Nebuta Matsuri's 300 year history. Lanterns in the shape of red goldfish, another symbol of the festival, hang along the corridor where the recorded sounds of taiko drums, flutes, and voices play. [1]

Main Hall with nebuta floats

Continuing further into the darkened main hall of the museum are five actual floats that were built for past festivals. Visitors can walk around the floats, which are changed out every year, and admire the craftsmanship that went into their construction. Several hands-on and cutaway displays show the underlying structure of the floats while other exhibits show how the designs have evolved over time. [1]

Dynamic images and vivid colors are a nebuta hallmark

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri (青森ねぶた祭り)

The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri (青森ねぶた祭り, Aomori Nebuta Festival or simply Aomori Nebuta) is an annual Japanese summer festival that takes place in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan from August 2-7. The festival attracts the most tourists of any of the country's nebuta festivals, and is one of the three largest festivals in the Tōhoku region. [2]

Nebuta float

The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the pandemic and it currently appears that the 2021 version will be held following coronavirus guidelines. [3] However, since entry to Japan for tourists is currently prohibited (e.g. the summer Olympics), it's highly likely that only residents of Japan will be attending the festival this year.

NHK News report video on the Nebuta Masters pandemic collaboration

The nebuta artists usually compete every year when producing the floats for the festival. However, due to the 2020 pandemic cancellation and for the first time, 14 artists came together in late 2020 to produce a collaborative float to provide hope for the end of the coronavirus. The collaborative float is now on exhibit at the museum. The 3-minute NHK (NHK is Japan's public broadcasting station) news video on the collaboration, titled: Nebuta Masters Come Together To Light A Beacon of Hope, is included above. You'll also see some of the techniques used to construct the floats.

Nebuta float detail

The highlight of the festival is the daily parade of gigantic, colorful lantern floats (nebuta) which are accompanied by large taiko drums, musicians and dancers. The nebuta are constructed of painted Japanese paper (washi) over a wire frame, usually depicting gods, historical or mythical figures from Japanese culture, kabuki actors, and characters from popular TV shows. [4]

How nebuta are illuminated

Lights are placed inside the floats, bringing out the vivid colors of the washi paper to visitors. The demonic looking gods are some of the most photographed images of any Japanese festival, and are often used on tourist pamphlets and travel magazines. [5]

Illumination power supply beneath the nebuta float

Other Aomori Prefecture Nebuta Museums

The Aomori Nebuta Museum is just one of three nebuta museums located in Aomori Prefecture. The Aomori Nebuta Festival is the most famous and well known of the nebuta festivals in the area (there are other nebuta festivals in other regions of Japan and internationally [2]). The other two, lesser known, nebuta museums in Aomori Prefecture are the Neputa Mura (ねぷた村) or Neputa Village in the city of Hirosaki, which holds its nebuta festival at the same time as Aomori's, and the Tachineputa Festival Museum (立佞武多の館, Tachineputa no Yakata) in the city of Goshgawara, which is known for its 23 meter (75 feet) tall nebuta (about the height of a five-story building! [6]). I've been fortunate to have visited both museums so they will be the subject of a future article.

Nebuta float detail

Travel to Aomori

Aomori is located at the northernmost part of Japan's main island of Honshu. If you're staying in Tokyo, Aomori is a little over 3.5 hours away by Hayabusa Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, including a short transfer to the local JR Ou line at the end. So a visit from Tokyo is possible, but your time in Aomori will be limited before having to return.

Nebuta float detail

For my visit and I think a better option, I stayed in Sendai, which is north of Tokyo, between Tokyo and Aomori on the Shinkansen line, and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. Sendai is around 160 minutes away from Aomori using the Hayabusa Shinkansen plus the local line transfer. This option gives you more time in Aomori, and allows you explore another part of the Tōhoku region (namely Sendai; plus it gets you out of Tokyo!).

Nebuta float

Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ, Nebuta no ie Wa-Rasse) Information and Access 

Name:

• Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse

• ねぶたの家 ワ・ラッセ

Address:

• 1 Chome-1-1 Yasukata, Aomori, 030-0803, Japan

• 〒030-0803 青森県青森市安方１丁目１−1

Access:

• Japan Rail Pass (7-, 14-, 21-day):

• Valid for travel throughout Japan on Japan Rail (with some exceptions).
• Purchase outside of Japan. Must show passport and have a short-term (90 day) visitor's stamp to redeem at selected airports and rail stations. (This is changing)
• Once activated, must be used on consecutive days (i.e. cannot skip days).
• Website: https://japanrailpass.net/en/.

• Plan your rail trip using Hyperdia: http://www.hyperdia.com/en/.

• Aomori Station can be reached via the local JR Ou line after a transfer from the Hayabusa Shinkansen at Shin-Aomori Station from either Sendai or Tokyo.
• All Shinkansen Hayabusa seats are reserved.
• From Tokyo:

• Take the Shinkansen Hyabusa from Tokyo Station to Shin-Aomori Station, which takes approx. 210 minutes.
• Transfer at Shin-Aomori Station to the JR Ou Line for Aomori Station.
• The trip is fully covered by the Japan Rail (JR) Pass, otherwise the cost is:

• Reserved: ¥17870
• Green Seat: ¥22380

• From Sendai:
• Take the Shinkansen Hyabusa from Sendai Station to Shin-Aomori Station, which takes approx. 160 minutes.
• Transfer at Shin-Aomori Station to the JR Ou Line for Aomori Station.
• The trip is fully covered by the Japan Rail (JR) Pass, otherwise the cost is:

• Reserved: ¥11620
• Green Seat: ¥15080

• The museum is a 2 min. walk north of Aomori Station.

• Prices are accurate as of the published date of this article and are subject to change.

Hours, Admission, and Phone Number:

• Museum Hours:

• 9:00-18:00 (Sep to Apr)

• Entire building (including the shop and restaurant) closed 31 Dec to 01 Jan for the New Year's holidays.

• 9:00-19:00 (May to Aug)

• Museum only closed 9-10 Aug, to change the float exhibits after the Nebuta Festival.

• Admission:

• ¥620

• Phone:

• +81 17-752-1311

• Information and prices are accurate as of the published date of this article and are subject to change.

Websites:

• Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse (English):

• http://www.nebuta.jp/warasse/foreign/english.html
• The Japanese website has more museum and festival information.

• Plan your rail trip using Hyperdia:

• http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

• Japan Rail Pass (7-, 14-, 21-day):

• https://japanrailpass.net/en/

Map:

References

[1]  Japan Guide. "Nebuta Warasse". Last accessed: 28 Mar 2021. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3757.html.

[2] Wikipedia. "Aomori Nebuta Matsuri". Last modified: 28 Dec 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aomori_Nebuta_Matsuri.

[3] Aomori Nebuta Matsuri official website. Last accessed: 28 Mar 2021. https://www.nebuta.jp/.

[4] Japan National Travel Organization. "Nebuta Aomori Festival". Last accessed: 28 Mar 2021. https://en.japantravel.com/aomori/nebuta-aomori-festival/33931.

[5] Japanistry. "Aomori Nebuta Matsuri". Last accessed: 28 Mar 2021. https://www.japanistry.com/event/aomori-nebuta-matsuri/.

[6] Japan National Travel Organization. "Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival". Last accessed: 28 Mar 2021. https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1837/.

Support

• I hope you're enjoying these posts. If you're enjoying them, please go to https://www.facebook.com/ducksoupeasytravel/ and give it a like on Facebook.

• Also if you've been following my food blog, please go to https://www.facebook.com/ducksoupeasy/ and give it a like too.

• Thanks for your continued support and comments.