Tohoku Festivals

Snow sculptures of dogs and shrines glow with candlelight during this winter celebration in Yuzawa.

Riverside ceremonies and celebrations honor the river and the history of flood control in Ishinomaki.

Snow festival at Koiwai Farm featuring snow sculptures and winter activities.

Floats carrying musicians and dancers travel through Kakunodate, with dramatic encounters between the festival carts.

Folk performances, including Onikenbai dances, bring summer celebrations to Kitakami.

Ancient Noh performed by farmers at Kasuga Shrine in Yamagata.

Namahage dances and rituals take place amid snow and fire at Shinzan Shrine in Oga.

Sake and chrysanthemum festival in Fukushima's castle town.

Mysterious bon dance in Akita where dancers wear deep straw hats obscuring their faces.

Giant illuminated lantern floats in Noshiro, reaching over 24 meters high.

Candy-decorated branches and market stalls brighten Odate during its traditional winter candy fair.

Suzume dances and decorated floats welcome the green season in Sendai.

Floats depicting theatrical and historical scenes parade through Shinjo with festival music.

Ceremonial boats carrying portable shrines take to the water at Shiogama Port.

Visitors fill Shirakawa's streets to buy locally made daruma dolls for good fortune.

Giant torches burn on Gorozan, lighting up a late-autumn night in Sukagawa.

Costumed participants become shogi pieces on a giant board beneath the cherry blossoms of Mt. Maizuru.