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Paper short abstract

Using the sociological perspective of “stranger theory,” this presentation answers the question, “Why do ‘strangers’ contribute to the Aomori Nebuta Festival’s management?” In answering this question, the presentation considers the possibility of “strangers” continuing the traditional festival.

Paper long abstract

Japanese society is widely recognized as facing population decline and rapid aging. Despite these demographic challenges, large-scale traditional festivals continue to thrive. One reason is that participation is not limited to members of official festival management organizations but also includes “strangers,” namely individuals who are anonymous to the management organization and participate primarily for enjoyment.

The Aomori Nebuta Festival, a traditional event held in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, attracts a particularly large number of such “strangers.” Anyone may participate as a haneto dancer. Consequently, around the year 2000, chaos arose due to “karasu-haneto,” participants dressed in black like crows, who behaved violently and disrupted the parade. Previous studies have argued that the Aomori Nebuta Festival is inherently difficult to control because it attracts “strangers” motivated by enjoyment rather than organizational affiliation.

So, are the “strangers” who participate in the current Aomori Nebuta Festival impossible for its management organization to control? In the case of Organization A’s Nebuta parade, which serves as an example in this presentation, “strangers” known as “haneto-riders”—a traveling group with many motorcycle enthusiasts who continue to participate in the Nebuta Festival—contribute to the management of Organization A’s Nebuta parade by controlling karasu-haneto, who are also “strangers.” This phenomenon cannot be adequately explained by previous research.

Thus, using the sociological perspective of “stranger theory,” this presentation answers the question, “Why do ‘strangers’ contribute to the Aomori Nebuta Festival’s management?” In answering this question, the presentation considers the possibility of “strangers” continuing the traditional festival. Having conducted fieldwork with haneto-riders for eight years, the presenter explains that haneto-riders who wish to have a long-term relationship with Organization A demonstrate their usefulness to festival management by eliminating karasu-haneto. Contrary to earlier findings, the Aomori Nebuta Festival is shown to sustain a paradoxical structure in which enjoyment-oriented “strangers” voluntarily contribute to festival management and continuity.