During winter, the landscape of Nagano is covered in a carpet of white. As snow falls steadily in the mountains, locals pull out their kotatsu tables, kerosene heaters and nabe pots. Once again, it’s the time of year for skiing, hot springs and great winter festivals. Why stay inside when you could warm up in front of a magnificent fire festival or in the company of Japan’s many spirits?
Make some wonderful memories this winter with some of the festivals below!
1. Shimotsuki Matsuri
During winter when the sun hangs low in the sky, trees bare their leaves, and rivers grow cold, it seems that the spirits of the world are weakening and fading away. In the Tohyama area of Nagano, the local people sought to breathe new life into the spirits by offering them steaming baths in which to purify themselves to greet the New Year.
During the festival, Shinto priests boil a cauldron of water and purify it with chants and performances. As night falls, they call out to the deities throughout Japan and invite them to bathe. Slowly, masked gods appear throughout the village and file into the shrine to receive the water, often splashing it out of the cauldron with their bare hands.
To many people around the world, this bizarre festival seems strangely familiar. Famed director Hayao Miyazaki noted that this festival served as an inspiration for his film Spirited Away, where a young girl finds herself in a world of spirits and works in a bathhouse for the gods. If you visit the festival and listen carefully, you can even hear the participants chanting something eerily similar to “Chihiro,” the heroine’s name.
Details
Dates: Beginning of December to Mid-December
Times: Depending on location, sometime from afternoon to after midnight (after 17:00 or 19:00 is best)
Fees: Shrines appreciate any donations
Website: http://shimotsukimatsuri.com/english/
Access: The festival takes place at a variety of shrines between Iida city Kamimura and Tohyama-go. See website for more details.
2. Azumino Alps Park Illumination
Every year from mid-November to early January, the Alps Azumino Park decorates the grounds with beautiful illumination displays. Over 70,000 lights decorate the Hotaka area and Omachi area parks. The theme of these twin illuminations changes every year, and this year’s theme is “Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter.”
Food and warm drinks will be available at the venue, and craft workshops will be held for children. A wonderful place to make unforgettable memories with a loved one, or a place to bring the whole family!
Details
Dates: Mid-November to early January
Times: 16:00 to 21:00
Fees: Adults/ 410 yen, Seniors (65+)/210 yen, Children/80 yen
Website: http://parks.prfj.or.jp/azumino/illumination2016-17/index.html (Japanese)
Access: To reach the Omachi Matsukawa Area Park, 56 min. from Matsumoto to Shinshu Omachi Sta., then 25 min. by Gururingo bus. To reach the Horigane Hotaka Area Park, 20 min. from Matsumoto to Toyoshina Sta., then 15 min. by taxi (approx. 2,000 yen).
3. Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival
The Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival is one of Japan’s three greatest and has been dazzling visitors from all over the world. 25- and 42-year-old men in the village (considered unlucky ages) are tasked with preparing and defending a large wooden shrine from the rest of the village who are all armed with huge, flaming torches. As the night wears on, the fire approaches closer and closer to the shrine, and it eventually goes down in a blaze of glory (after the defenders have surrendered and moved to safety, of course).
Large lanterns with hanging calligraphy teeter back and forth near the shrine, and locals offer free sake to festival goers. These offerings are from the families and relatives of villagers who have given birth to first-born sons in the past year. They pray for their health and well-being, and the pieces of calligraphy are messages and hopes from family members. Share in the festivities with them and please respect their traditions and generosity.
Other Activities
You can make dosojin statues on January 15th from 10:00 to 15:00 at Oboro-Tsukiyo-no-Kan, located here, for 500 yen. After making your dosojin statue, you can deposit it at the festival site and pick up any other dosojin statue that catches your eye. This practice is a form of en-musubi, creating connections with one another.
Details
Dates: January 15th
Times: 20:00 to 22:00
Fees: Free
Website: http://nozawa-onsen.com/nozawa-fire-festival/
Access: From JR Iiyama Station, take the Nozawa Onsen Liner or Nagaden Nozawa line bus to Nozawa Onsen. A short walk to the festival grounds.
4. Nagano Lantern Festival (Nagano Tomyo Matsuri)
The Nagano Lantern Festival is held annually in commemoration of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. During the event, Zenkoji is bathed in the five Olympic colors, and beautifully-crafted lanterns fill the street between the station and temple. A number of other events are hosted alongside the illuminations, such as musical performances, sake-tasting and more.
Details
Dates: five consecutive days in Early February
Times: 18:00-21:00
Fees: free
Website: http://www.nagano-toumyou.com/
Access: A 25 min. walk from Nagano Station. Or, take the Nagano Dentetsu train line to Zenkoji-shita station for a 5 min. walk. The Gururingo bus also runs frequently towards Zenkoji from Nagano station.
5. Iiyama Snow & Kamakura Festival
Iiyama city hosts the Iiyama snow festival every year in early February. As one of the Japan’s heavy snowfall zones, the area has plentiful snow to make large sculptures and warm kamakura igloos during the winter months. During the festival period, snow-themed carnival games and activities are held for kids, musical performances enliven the town, and fire dances and fireworks light up the night sky.
On the first night of the festival, a local ritual called the Narasawa Daitengu is performed. Swinging a large, fiery torch in front of the crowd, a tengu in white robes dances and purifies the grounds. The blazing torch contrasts brilliantly with the snow, and orange embers fall slowly in its wake. It is usually performed around 18:00 for approximately one hour and followed by fireworks.
Another popular portion of the Iiyama Snow Festival is the kamakura igloo village (late January to late February) where you can dine with your family and friends. The restaurant serves Noroshi Nabe, a hot pot meal featuring locally grown vegetables and mushrooms. Reservations are required, so please see the official English website for more information.
Details
Dates: Second Saturday and Sunday of February
Times: Saturday until 20:30; Sunday until 15:00
Fees: None
Website: http://isnowfes.org/index.php
Access: From JR Iiyama station, shuttle buses run to the festival grounds every 30 minutes.
