Goshogawara: Tachineputa Culture and Cycling

Discover Goshogawara through its impressive Tachineputa floats, a distinctive train service, and cycling opportunities. The festival shapes the central city area every year from August 4 to 8. If you’re interested in how the floats are made, the Tachineputa Museum offers more insight; at the fresh market next door, you can create a rice bowl to suit your taste.

The Tachineputa Festival in August

The Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival takes place every year from August 4 to 8 throughout the central city area. Giant floats parade through the city, accompanied by powerful music and the chant “Yattemare! Yattemare!” The event brings together moving sights, sound, and a recurring chant to create a distinctive city experience. If the festival is the reason for your trip, you can plan your travel dates around this set period. When looking for a vacation rental, the first thing to consider is whether you’d like to experience Goshogawara during these festival days.

Floats and their construction at the Tachineputa Museum

The Tachineputa Museum displays a large float that stands about 23 meters tall. This approximate height gives an idea of the scale of this particular exhibit, though it need not apply to all floats. The museum also offers a look at how Tachineputa floats are made, which visitors can watch for free. Alongside the finished, full-size float, the focus is also on the process and work involved in creating one.

Visitors who want to try something for themselves can attempt to apply paper to a real, large Tachineputa float under construction at the museum. This is a hands-on addition to viewing the exhibits: visitors can see a finished float and try an activity on one that is still being built. Together with the approximately 23-meter-tall float, this offers different ways to explore the subject—from the completed work to its construction.

A rice bowl made to your liking

The Maruko Center fresh market is right next to the Tachineputa Museum. There, visitors can put together a rice bowl called “Nohé-don” with ingredients of their choice. Options mentioned include scallops and salmon roe. Guests choose the ingredients, so the bowl isn’t limited to a single set combination. The museum and market offer different ways to spend time in the city: floats and how they’re made on one hand, and a personalized meal on the other.

Getting around by train and bicycle

The Tsugaru Railway connects Tsugaru-Goshogawara Station with Tsugaru-Nakazato Station. The route is 20.7 kilometers long, and the journey takes about 45 minutes. These figures give you a clear idea of the distance and approximate travel time if you’re considering adding a train ride to your plans. The railway also has a bicycle train initiative, allowing bicycles to be brought aboard.

Another cycling route in Goshogawara starts in the city center and follows the Iwaki toward Kanagi. It is about 27 kilometers long. The approximate distance and stated direction give the route a clear geographical orientation. You can consider it as an option in its own right and decide whether a route of this length fits your planned activities.

Which travel experience suits your plans?

These experiences offer different focal points: the festival takes place throughout the central city area, the museum is dedicated to large floats and their construction, and the cycling route runs from the city center toward Kanagi. The railway connects two named stations and carries bicycles as part of its bicycle train initiative. When looking for a vacation rental, first consider what you want your trip to revolve around. For a festival visit, the August dates are key; for other plans, the museum, Nohé-don, train, or cycling route may be the deciding factor.

More places to discover: Hachinohe, Misawa, Hiranai, Aomori, Kuroishi, Towada, Sotogahama and Owani.

Go to the broader travel overview: Aomori Prefecture.