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Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya Hoshino Resorts Press Release Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya At Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya, guests can fully experience Aomori culture and enjoy the Aomori Nebuta Festival all year round. The guest rooms are decorated with Three-Dimensional Nebuta Ornaments and nebuta pictures, which are based on heroes from ancient Tohoku, covering the entire room. And those who choose to eat their dinner at show restaurant Michinoku Matsuriya, which features performances of Aomori festival music, will be immersed in nebuta for the entirety of their stay. Guests can experience the breathtaking Aomori Nebuta Festival even outside of the festival season, creating an unforgettable Aomori experience. The objective Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya was created with the concept of “Noresore*1 Aomori (Full Experience of Aomori Culture),” aiming to provide guests with a full experience of Aomori culture, food, etc. In order to make the room itself an unforgettable experience in addition to the food and onsen, the Aomori Nebuta Room was created in April 2019, with the theme of “nebuta,” which is a cultural symbol of Aomori prefecture. Visitors who choose to eat at show restaurant Michinoku Matsuriya, which features a show based on the four major festivals of Aomori, will be able to enjoy a stay packed with nebuta. *1: A word in the Aomori dialect meaning “with all one’s might”. Hoshino Resorts Press Release The 4 essential elements of Aomori Nebuta Festival 1: Nebuta Nebuta is the name given to lanterns in the shape of people made with Japanese paper and wire, and when these lanterns are used to decorate a float, it is sometimes called a nebuta float. Every nebuta has a theme along the lines of historical figures, legends, and deities, depicting events like Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s crossing of the Tsugaru Strait, or scenes of Yamato Takeru fighting valiantly. This theme changes every year, and the floats are created for the sole purpose of the 6-day festival before being taken apart again at the end. 2: Nebuta Festival Dancers The Nebuta Festival Dancers wear hats adorned with flowers, white yukata, sashes of pink and red, and a yellow band around their waist, and shout “Rassera!” while livening up the festival with their dancing. As long as they wear these clothes, anyone can participate in the festival as a Nebuta Festival Dancer, and they say that around 90,000 people participate over the course of the festival. 3: Festival music Players of traditional Japanese music (hayashi) are called “hayashikata.” The instruments are divided into flutes, hand-held gongs, and drums. There are several types of hayashi, such as “shinkobayashi,” which is played during the nebuta procession, “koyadashi,” which is played when the nebuta float comes out of its shed, and “modoribayashi,” which is played when it goes back into the shed. At Aomori Nebuta Festival, each group competes to play the most beautiful music and win the Hayashi Award. 4: Nebuta specialists The nebuta floats are made by creators known as “nebuta artists.” The process from theme selection to design to the actual creation takes about a year, so right after the festival ends, the nebuta artists start work on next year’s nebuta floats. The creation of one large nebuta float involves about 300 people, with the nebuta specialist leading them. The nebuta in the Aomori Nebuta Room and Michinoku Matsuriya were all created by nebuta artists. Hoshino Resorts Press Release Details of a stay at Aomoriya, featuring all elements of the Aomori Nebuta Festival POINT 1: Stay in Japan’s first Aomori Nebuta Room, which will keep you awake with the intensity of the nebuta Facilities covered in nebuta depicting the legends of three heroes The general theme of the guest room’s nebuta is History of Ancient Tohoku. The motifs used are the legends of three heroes from Tohoku folklore: Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Aterui, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune. From the entryway, to the living room, to the bedroom, guests can feel the power of nebuta. ■ Number of rooms: 1 ■ Capacity: 3 people ■ Size: 71.5m2 Entryway: Welcome Nebuta Bedroom: Nebuta Ceiling Living Room: Nebuta Shoji Hall: Nebuta Dance Hallway Panel POINT 2: Enjoy a show based on Aomori’s four major festivals at show restaurant Michinoku Matsuriya After the meal, the restaurant will host a traditional music show based on Aomori Nebuta Festival, Hirosaki Neputa Festival, Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival, and Hachinohe Sansha Taisai Festival. In the second half of the show, two nebuta will be brought out right in front of the audience, and will turn, lean, and move around in a powerful display just like in the real festival. Guests can also experience being a Nebuta Festival Dancer, accompanied by music played by the staff. All of the jumping around and shouting will tire anyone out, even in the five minutes the activity lasts for. The guests will be able to appreciate the energy of the dancers at the actual festival, who jump around for two whole hours. Visitors to this show restaurant can enjoy the festival atmosphere all year round. Feature 1: Facilities covered in nebuta depicting the legends of three heroes Entryway: Welcome Nebuta “Tamuramaro and the Demon Masks of Myoken Shrine” When Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force Against the Emishi, prayed for victory ahead of a battle with the Emishi of Tohoku, it is said that he received seven demon masks from the bodhisattva Myoken, and was told to wear a mask when he fought. When one opens the front door, they will see the heroic expression of Tamuramaro depicted on a 2 meter-tall nebuta picture. Hoshino Resorts Press Release Living Room: Three-Dimensional Nebuta Ornament “Tohoku Hero Aterui” In the early Heian period, it is said Aterui, ruler of the Tohoku area, never gave in to the invasions of the Yamato Empire, and kept fighting them. The 3D nebuta in the living room depicts his valiant figure in battle, with the protection of Bishamonten, guardian deity of the north, and fierce gods at his side. It is approximately 3.2m wide and 1.4m tall. Living Room: Nebuta Shoji Panel “The Tsugaru Strait and Yoshitsune the Dragon” In parts of the Aomori and Iwate prefectures, it has long been said that Minamoto no Yoshitsune survived in the city of Hiraizumi in Oshu, and went north from there. This image depicts Yoshitsune attempting to cross the raging Tsugaru Strait. Feature 2: Things to help you enjoy the Aomori Nebuta Room (1) Dance the Nebuta Festival dance in the “Nebuta Dance Hallway” Nebuta Festival Dancers are the people who dance at the Aomori Nebuta Festival. They liven up the festival by shouting “Rassera!” and dancing with two left steps followed by two right steps. The floor of the hallway going from the entrance into the living room has Nebuta Festival Dancer footprints on it, and by placing your feet in these footprints as you go through the hallway, you will naturally be doing the Nebuta Festival dance. Visitors can wear the Nebuta Festival Dancer clothes provided in the guest room, and do this dance whenever they like. (2) The bedroom ceiling with a changing nebuta picture The nebuta picture on the bedroom ceiling changes depending on the angle you view it from. When you standing in the living room and look at the bedroom ceiling, you can see Yoshitsune’s heroic face. But when you’re lying in bed and you look up at the ceiling, you can see the image of Yoshitsune crossing the Tsugaru Strait on his majestic horse. (3) The Nebuta TV Case, only opening when you watch TV To help guests forget all about the modern world while in their guest room, a nebuta image panel was placed to cover the TV. The TV will appear after the panel is slid to the left and right. Guests can enjoy the nebuta picture when they’re not watching TV, and when they do watch the TV, they can enjoy opening it up. Hoshino Resorts Press Release Feature 3: Nebuta creation assistance from nebuta artist Hiroo Takenami The nebuta that decorate the Aomori Nebuta Room were created with assistance from nebuta artist Hiroo Takenami. Ever since he created his first large nebuta in 1989, Takenami has worked as a nebuta creator, and has received several awards, such as the Nebuta Grand Prize. The motifs chosen for the Aomori Nebuta Room are the legends of 3 heroes from ancient Tohoku, with the hope that this will contribute to the revival of the Tohoku area. Aomori Nebuta Room at a glance ■ Fee: One night from ¥29,400 (Cost per person for two people in one room, excl. tax, dinner and breakfast included) ■ Number of rooms: 1 ■ Capacity: 3 people ■ Size: 71.5m2 ■ Booking: Book at least three days prior through the official site (https://noresoreaomoriya.jp/en/) ■ Video URL: https://youtu.be/E1l2rkW3mbI ■Nebuta created with help from: Hiroo Takenami Nebuta Research Institute (http://takenami- nebuken.com/) Hoshino Resorts Press Release Reference: Aomori Nebuta Room Layout Bathroom (Aterui) Bedroom (Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei) Living room Welcome Nebuta (Sakanoue no Tamuramaro) Nebuta Dance Hallway Nebuta TV Case (Sakanoue no Tamuramaro) Room no.: 8287 8287 was chosen because the Aomori Nebuta Festival is held from the 2nd to 7th of August. Room key holder For inquiries about this press release, contact Hoshino Resorts PR at: E-mail:[email protected] .
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