What's on in Matsumoto, Japan through the year

Busy — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Busy — Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

Nothing new starts in March.

Peak crowds — Golden Week, Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

• Nature

  Cherry blossom

  5–20 Apr · usually

  The black castle with the Alps still white behind it, which is the photograph. The moat is lit for about a week and the town stays a good deal calmer than Kyoto.

• Opening

  Kamikochi open season

  17 Apr – 15 Nov · usuallyTrail seasonBook early

  The valley opens with a ceremony in the middle of April and closes on 15 November, when the hotels shut and the road is gated. Private cars are never allowed in; it is the bus from Sawando or Hirayu. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Golden Week

  29 Apr – 5 MayCrowded

  The first week Kamikochi is properly open, so the Sawando bus terminal queues from six in the morning and the castle keep runs a two-hour wait. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Golden Week, Golden Week in Japan

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Golden Week (29 Apr – 5 May)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan

• Festival

  Takigi Noh at the castle

  5–10 Aug · usuallyMajor festival

  Noh performed by firelight on a stage set below the castle keep on a summer evening. A few hundred seats, sold locally, and rain moves it indoors. Source ↗

• Festival

  Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival

  15 Aug – 10 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalBook earlyCrowded

  Three weeks of orchestral concerts and an opera, founded by Ozawa and still the reason the town's hotels fill in late summer. Tickets go months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (15 Aug – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Autumn colour

  1 Oct – 5 Nov · usually

  Kamikochi and the Norikura road turn first, from the treeline down, usually in the first half of October. The valley floor and the castle grounds follow a month later.

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Kamikochi open season (17 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Autumn colour (1 Oct – 5 Nov (usually))

Busy — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.