<p>Tanabata lantern at Marunouchi Building</p>
Tanabata lantern at Marunouchi Building (Photo: Tom Roseveare)

Tohoku Festivals this Weekend

Marutto Tohoku takes centre stage in Marunouchi

Tanabata lantern at Marunouchi Building (Photo: Tom Roseveare)
Tom Roseveare   - 2 min read

From September 18th until the 23rd, Tokyo Marunouchi's month-long event, 'Marutto Tohoku in Marunouchi Tokyo' truly comes to life. Tohoku Festivals are one of the main showpieces in this unprecedented, Marunouchi-wide East Japan campaign, with three different events kicking off the proceedings this coming long weekend.

First up is the Akita Kanto Lantern Festival, which brings Akita's tradition of lantern-laden bamboo poles ('kanto') to Marunouchi Building's MaruCube event space. Marvel at the largest kanto variety, Owaka, at 50kg and 12 metre in height! On the 18th and 19th, visitors are invited to try hoisting up miniature versions by themselves. Also on display will be a miniature 1⁄10 scale version of Japan's largest tanabata lantern, "The Nightless Skycity", which stands at 24 metres tall at Akita's Noshiro Tanabata. Marutto marks the very first time this incredible spectacle has been displayed outside of Akita prefecture.

Next up is a speciality food and product Tohoku Fair, also on at Marunouchi Building. With regional inspiration from across Tohoku's 6 prefectures of Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi, a diverse selection of items will make for a lavish celebration of all that Tohoku has to offer. Think gourmet foods, ready-made curry, regional noodles, not to mention souvenirs and local craft wares on display, all for visitors to discover and delight in. If that doesn't convince you, the adjacent Marunouchi Café × WIRED CAFE are even offering local brews from across all of Japan's prefectures.

Over at Marunouchi's Oazo's ground level, experience one of the biggest festivals in Tohoku, with the Sendai Tanabata Festival. Dozens of colourful tanabata streamers will be hoisted up on display. In addition, Miyagi fans can delight in Marunouchi's Oazo special menus on show at 14 of their restaurants, with exclusive Miyagi dishes being offered throughout the Marutto Tohoku month until October 12th.

More information

Marunouchi Building 1F MaruCube – Opening Hours: 11:00–21:00

Marunouchi Ozao 1F Through Passage – Opening Hours: 11:00–21:00

Tom Roseveare

Tom Roseveare @tom.roseveare

Creative Director at Japan Travel, based in Tokyo. Feel free to reach out about living, working or travelling in Japan – just book a time.