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The Matsushiro Spring Cherry Blossom Festival takes place on the second Saturday of April, within the grounds of Matsushiro Castle Park. The majority of the original castle was removed in the late-19...

Held in April each year, the Nagano Marathon celebrates the city and region’s role as host of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games with a mission to "fulfill the dreams of future generations while in coexis...

The Nagano Flower Festival (長野花まつり) is held every year on May 5th, Children's Day, at Zenko-ji Temple. On this day and the few days surrounding, it offers few events throughout the Nagano-city.&nb...

The Gion festival is a celebration where people dedicate their prayers to calming down the god of storms. It has a long history, originating from the Yasaka-shrine in Kyoto around the 10th century. T...

Wakaho is a district within Nagano city, a bit farther from the central area. In Wakaho there is Yushima Tenman-gu Shrine, nicknamed Yushima Tenjin. This shrine is not to be mistaken with the one in T...

The Toyono Yoishoko Festival (豊野ヨイショコまつり) is divided into two parts. The first part, during the day, is where they carry mikoshi, which are portable Shinto shrines used to carry deities from one place...

The Zenko-ji Binzuru-ichi Market (善光寺びんずる市) is held every month from April to November every second Saturday at Zenko-ji Temple. This started in 2013 when the 300th year of the Binzuru statue was cele...

The Iizuna Fire Festival (飯綱火まつり) is dedicated to the Shugendo practice of going up the mountain for training. Shugendo was a religion that was widely practiced from the 7th century up to the early 17...

Summer in Japan is synonymous with heat, humidity, and more enticingly, festivals! While ‘matsuri’ (festivals) take place throughout the year and for countless (often obscure) reasons summer is the s...