Japanese artists to build lantern floats for Taiwan Lantern FestivalStaff writer, with CNANebuta artists Makoto Suwa and Hiromi Hayashi from Japan’s Aomori City yesterday announced they will craft large lantern floats for the 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County at the invitation of the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC). Nebuta are traditional lantern floats handmade with wood, metal wire and paper. The Aomori Nebuta Festival was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1980. GACC Secretary-General Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶) said the lantern festival coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011. The floats will also take part in the festival parade scheduled for the evening of March 7, accompanied by nebuta dancers known as haneto, a staple feature of the Aomori Nebuta Festival.

Source: Taipei Times January 26, 2026 17:14 UTC