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37-400: "Nebuta" refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city, while dancers wearing a unique type of costume called haneto ( ハネト ) dance around in time with the chant Rasserā ( ラッセラー ) (shortened dialectal version of "irasshai", calling visitors and customers to watch or join). In the local dialect, participation in the festival is inquired using

74-701: A battle in Mutsu Province . In 1962, the Tamuramaro Shō (Tamuramaro Prize) was created around this explanation to be awarded to the festival's best group participant, an award later renamed the Nebuta Taishō (grand prize). However, it is unlikely that Tamuramaro actually conducted military expeditions in what is currently Aomori Prefecture, so this explanation is considered to be a legend. The festival most likely evolved out of traditional Shinto ceremonies like Tanabata . Another explanation involves

111-402: A decreased number of karasu-zoku and other vandals. However, the procession is always held in its original format on the final day of the festival. Each processional group individually organizes the basic elements of the nebuta, such as processional order, creation of floats, and marching-band musicians. Other important factors include the children who pull the floats with ropes (in most cases,

148-463: A float during a parade and sings several karaoke numbers to the crowd. In the 2011 film Rio the main antagonists use the Rio Carnival as a decoy to smuggle the main character and his bird friends to an abandoned airport so they can be sold on the black market. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade features in several films including Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and its remakes as well as

185-555: A float weighing more than 100,000 pounds (45,000 kg). It broke the previous record for the longest single-chassis parade float, which was set in 2010 by the same sponsor. The dogs trained for three months prior to the float's debut at the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2, 2012. A specially designed “wave” machine was incorporated into the design of the float which created a wave every minute. Wes hupp drove that float. Members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club first staged

222-746: A popular tradition. The small country holds some 30 parades, large and small. The world's largest flower parade is held every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month in Zundert , a small town in the south of the Netherlands. In Zundert, and most other Dutch parades, floats are built entirely by volunteers, where hamlets compete with each other to build the most beautiful float, judged by an independent jury. Most Dutch flower parades are held in August and September and use mainly dahlia flowers. The dahlia fields are kept by volunteers as well. The climax of

259-965: Is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle like a truck or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades , such as those of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro , the Carnival in São Paulo , the Carnival of Viareggio , the Maltese Carnival , the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade , Mardi Gras in New Orleans , the Gasparilla Pirate Festival , the 500 Festival Parade , the United States Presidential Inaugural Parade, and

296-670: The 2016 version of Ghostbusters . Japan National Route 4 National Route 4 ( 国道4号 , Kokudō Yongō ) is a major national highway in eastern Honshū , Japan. Measuring 738.5 kilometers long (458.9 mi), it is the longest highway in the country. When oversea routes are included, it is the second longest highway in Japan, with National Route 58 then measuring 884.4 kilometers (549.5 mi) because of its maritime sections. The highway connects Tokyo and Aomori via Utsunomiya , Kōriyama , Sendai , and Morioka . From Saitama Prefecture to Iwate Prefecture , it parallels

333-710: The Matsumaedō (松前道) connected Sendai with Cape Tappi and indirectly to Hakodate on the southern shore of Hokkaido on the Tsugaru Strait . Though the Ōshū Kaidō has only 27 post stations, there were over 100 designated post stations when the subroutes are included. Some sections and markers of the Ōshū Kaidō in their original state can still be found alongside National Route 4, the Hachinohe Expressway , and Tōhoku Expressway . On 4 December 1952 First Class National Highway 4 (from Tokyo to Aomori)

370-589: The Tournament of Roses Parade . For the latter event, floats are decorated entirely in flowers or other plant material. Parade floats were first introduced in the Middle Ages . Churches used pageant wagons as movable scenery for passion plays, and craftsmen with artisan guilds built pageant wagons for their specified craft. The wagons were pulled throughout the town, most notably during Corpus Christi in which up to 48 wagons were used, one for each play in

407-577: The Tōhoku Expressway ; from Morioka to Hachinohe , it parallels the Hachinohe Expressway . At its northern terminus it links with National Route 7 . The southern terminus of National Route 4 lies at Nihonbashi , the kilometer zero of Japan in Chūō, Tokyo . The marker here signifies the terminus of national highways including National Route 1 , National Route 6 , National Route 14 , National Route 15 , National Route 17 , and National Route 20 . Of

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444-624: The five routes of the Edo period . They were established by Tokugawa Ieyasu for government officials traveling through the area to connect Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Mutsu Province and the present-day city of Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. There were also many roads that connected to the Ōshū Kaidō that are included in National Route 4. One such sub-route was the Sendaidō (仙台道), which connected Mutsu Province with Sendai. From Sendai,

481-670: The Corpus Christi cycle. They are so named because the first floats were decorated barges on the River Thames for the Lord Mayor's Show . The largest float ever exhibited in a parade was a 116-foot-long (35 m) entry in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade that featured Tillman the skateboarding bulldog (and some of his friends) surfing in an 80-foot-long (24 m) ocean of water. The water tank held over 6,600 US gallons (25,000 L; 5,500 imp gal) on

518-651: The Edo-dōri concurrency with National Routes 6 and 14. Traveling north along Showa-dōri, National Route 4 serves as a frontage road to the Ueno Route of the Shuto Expressway system between Chūō and Taitō . The Ueno Route merges in to National Route 4 just to the northeast of Ueno Station . The highway then crosses over the Sumida River into Adachi . From the northern side of the river to Utsunomiya ,

555-668: The Japanese Karasu-zoku ( カラス族 , lit. "crow tribe") subculture launching fireworks, led to a number of attendees leaving the festival. Because of this, there was increased police surveillance in the following years. The floats from the Aomori Nebuta were taken to the Hakodate Ika Odori festival in 2007. This was done as part of a friendship agreement between the two cities, and the Ika Odori led

592-545: The Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890. Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American East and Midwest . They wished to showcase their new California homes' mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell

629-530: The United States produced entirely by women, all of whom are volunteers. The parade is the oldest event and largest parade of Fiesta San Antonio . The original purpose of the parade was to honor the heroes of the Alamo. In keeping with this tradition, participants are asked to place a flower tribute on the lawn of the Alamo as they pass by. In the Netherlands, flower parades (called ' Bloemencorso ') are

666-476: The annual historical " Taiga drama " aired by NHK ). A museum dedicated to the Nebuta Festival, Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse , opened in 2011, providing an experience of the festival all year round for those who cannot come to the festival in August. The festival is held every year from August 2 to August 7, where the float is carried through the city during the evening from August 2 to August 6, and during

703-561: The building housing the floats changed locations. Despite all of these changes, the finishing point of the route continued to be overcrowded with participants, preventing the festival itself from coming to a close. Two of the main streets in Aomori City are blocked off during the Aomori Nebuta, creating significant inconveniences for citizens if the procession does not finish on time. An increased number of karasu-zoku (see below) added to this problem, as these vandals tended to gather at

740-415: The clockwise direction. However, this caused the narrow Shinmachi Street to become overcrowded with festival participants, and the floats became unable to progress during the busiest parts of the festival. The route was changed to round the area in a counter-clockwise direction in order to solve this problem. The starting point was shifted to the intersection between Shinmachi Street and Yanagimachi Street when

777-402: The daytime on August 7. A fireworks show is held on the evening of the final day while the float is carried into the sea. The float is carried through the area surrounded by National Route 4 , Shinmachi Street, Kenchō Street, and Aomori Heiwa Park. In the past, the floats started off one at a time from the intersection between National Route 4 and Kenchō street, and continued along the course in

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814-548: The etymology of the word Nebuta ( ねぶた ) . Aterui ( 阿弖流為 ) , a general from the Tōhoku region , united the Emishi people who had been chased out of their native territory and defeated Ki no Kosami 's army of 50,000 at Kitakami River to advance all the way to Fuji, Shizuoka . This army battled Sakanoue no Tamuramaro's forces for over 12 years, but was ultimately defeated. Aterui was captured and taken to Osaka Prefecture , where he

851-596: The float procession on the final day of the festival during the previous year's festival (August 7, 2006). The floats have also been invited every year to Shibuya, Tokyo , where the festival has taken place annually in September since 2005. Other nebuta festivals take place in over 30 other villages and cities across Aomori Prefecture. The largest of these are the festivals in Hirosaki , Goshogawara , Kuroishi , and Mutsu . There are also many instances across Japan where

888-692: The float was originally a candle, but was eventually changed to incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs powered by portable generators and rechargeable batteries. The frame of the floats also changed from bamboo to wire, lowering the risk of fire considerably. Nebuta floats also grew larger with time, but urban obstacles such as footbridges, power lines, and traffic lights only allowed their width to increase significantly. The floats often feature images of kabuki actors, various types of gods, and historical or mythical figures from Japanese or Chinese culture, but modern Nebuta floats may also feature famous regional personalities or characters from television shows (especially

925-463: The floats are carried along by other means, and the children are just there for show), and the haneto dancers. Anyone, including tourists, can participate in any of the processions as a haneto as long as they are wearing the proper costume. The costumes are sold in supermarkets and department stores all across the prefecture, and a full set (excluding the flower hat) can be purchased for around 5000 yen . Costumes can also be rented at some places along

962-812: The highway is known as the Nikkō Kaidō . In the ward the highway crosses beneath the Central Circular Route of the Shuto Expressway system, with an interchange with the expressway's frontage road. National Route 4 travels north through Adachi, roughly paralleling the Tobu Skytree Line . It then curves to the northwest, crossing over the Kena River into the city of Sōka in Saitama Prefecture . National Route 4

999-405: The mentioned highways, three travel concurrently with National Route 4 from Nihonbashi: National Routes 6, 14, and 17. Just north of the starting point, National Route 17 leaves the concurrency continuing north while National Route 4, along with National Routes 6 and 14, turn east on to Edo-dōri. Three blocks from there Edo-dōri intersects Shōwa-dōri. National Route 4 turns on to Shōwa-dōri leaving

1036-414: The movie Animal House (1978) features the protagonists from the title fraternity surreptitiously launching their own float into a parade featuring legitimate entries from many of their rivals. The float, a giant decorated cake adorned with the words "Eat Me," later splits open to reveal the parade-destroying "Deathmobile" inside. In Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) the titular character jumps onto

1073-511: The nebuta floats are included as part of a larger festival. The nebuta also made its way to Seoul , South Korea for the first time in September, 2005, and to the United States in August, 2007, 2009 and 2010, as part of Nisei Week in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California . 40°49′20.431″N 140°44′50.604″E  /  40.82234194°N 140.74739000°E  / 40.82234194; 140.74739000 Float (parade) A float

1110-454: The origin of Nebuta (written "根蓋" in kanji ), as Aterui's followers were sent back to their roots or to the world of the dead ( 根 ) with the dirt as a covering ( 蓋 ). According to this episode, the dancers stomp the ground while carrying the float of Sakanoue No Tamuramaro on their shoulders. During the Edo period and Meiji period , the act of carrying a large lantern float like the Nebuta

1147-619: The processional route. The best processional group is awarded the Heisei ( heisei year ) where the year number is placed after "Heisei". This award was first created as the Tamuramaro Award in 1962, but was changed to its current name in 1995 because people thought it odd to have Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 's name in the award (Tamuramaro is perceived as a ruthless conqueror by the Tōhoku people). In 2001, an incident involving 4,000 members of

Aomori Nebuta Matsuri - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-410: The tail-end of the procession to cause disruption. Therefore, in 2001, all of the floats were pre-placed around the city and began their procession all at once and ended all at once at the signal of fireworks. The route was also changed back to the clock-wise direction. This caused there to be no beginning or tail-end to the procession, allowing the procession to flow more smoothly. This method also led to

1221-465: The verb haneru ( ハネル , ex. "今日もハネル?" or "Are you going to haneru today?") , which was derived from the Japanese spelling of the haneto costume and the verb haneru ( 跳ねる , "bounce") . The most widely known explanation is that the festival originated from the flutes and taiko that the future early 9th century shōgun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro used to attract the attention of the enemy during

1258-583: The world about our paradise." And so the Club organized horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers, followed by foot races, polo matches, and a game of tug-of-war on the town lot. They attracted a crowd of 2000 to the event. Upon seeing the scores of flowers on display, the Professor decided to suggest the name "Tournament of Roses." The Battle of Flowers parade is in San Antonio, Texas is the only parade in

1295-406: Was granted an audience with the ruler before being beheaded. Aterui's severed head was shown off to the public, and his family and followers still remaining in the Tōhoku region were forced to dig large holes where they were buried alive. Dirt was thrown over these graves, and those who surrendered to the Japanese forces and became slaves were instructed to stomp over the dirt. This event is said to be

1332-428: Was often banned by the government due to the potential fire hazard it posed to the surroundings. This ban was also put into place during World War II , but was lifted in 1944 as an effort to boost morale during the waning years of the war. Corporations began to sponsor the creation of the floats in the post-war period, and a strong emphasis was placed in expanding local tourism through the festival. The light source within

1369-590: Was preceded by the Tōsandō , a road initially established during the Asuka period as a road linking Kinai (now Kyoto and Nara ) to what is now the vicinity of Morioka, Iwate . The portion of the Tōsandō that was later incorporated into National Route 4 lies between Tochigi Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture. The next development of the route came along with the creation of the Ōshū Kaidō (奥州街道) and Nikkō Kaidō (日光街道) as two of

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