Wat er het hele jaar speelt in Matsumoto, Japan

Topdrukte — Matsumoto Ame-ichi candy fair, Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan

• Festival

  Matsumoto Ame-ichi candy fair

  10–11 janGroot festivalDruk

  A New Year market going back to the Edo period, on the second weekend of January: candy stalls from across Japan, a salt tug-of-war recalling the legend of salt sent to the town, and a costumed procession through pedestrianised streets. Bron ↗

• Festival

  Castle Ice Sculpture Festival

  20 jan – 5 feb · meestalIJsseizoen

  Carvers from around Japan work through a late-January weekend in the castle park, and the finished ice sculptures are lit up in front of the keep on the Sunday morning before they soften. Free, with food stalls. Bron ↗

Nog steeds bezig: Castle projection mapping (10 dec – 20 feb (meestal))

Tussenseizoen — schoolvakanties in 2 van de markten die de plek vullen, een gewone maand

In februari begint er niets nieuws.

Nog steeds bezig: Castle Ice Sculpture Festival (20 jan – 5 feb (meestal)), Castle projection mapping (10 dec – 20 feb (meestal))

Druk — Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

In maart begint er niets nieuws.

Topdrukte — Golden Week, Spring break (haruyasumi) in Japan

• Natuur

  Cherry blossom

  5–20 apr · meestal

  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 · meestalWandelseizoenBoek vroeg

  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. Bron ↗

• Feestdag

  Golden Week

  29 apr – 5 meiDruk

  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. Bron ↗

Topdrukte — Golden Week, Golden Week in Japan

In mei begint er niets nieuws.

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal)), Golden Week (29 apr – 5 mei)

Druk — schoolvakanties in 3 van de markten die de plek vullen, een van de beste maanden qua weer

In juni begint er niets nieuws.

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal))

Druk — Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan, schoolvakanties in 4 van de markten die de plek vullen

In juli begint er niets nieuws.

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal))

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

• Festival

  Takigi Noh at the castle

  5–10 aug · meestalKunstenfestival

  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. Bron ↗

• Festival

  Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival

  15 aug – 10 sep · meestalMuziekfestivalBoek vroegDruk

  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. Bron ↗

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal))

Druk — Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, schoolvakanties in 3 van de markten die de plek vullen

In september begint er niets nieuws.

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal)), Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival (15 aug – 10 sep (meestal))

Tussenseizoen — schoolvakanties in 3 van de markten die de plek vullen, een gewone maand

• Natuur

  Autumn colour

  1 okt – 5 nov · meestal

  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.

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal))

Tussenseizoen — een gewone maand

In november begint er niets nieuws.

Nog steeds bezig: Kamikochi open season (17 apr – 15 nov (meestal)), Autumn colour (1 okt – 5 nov (meestal))

Druk — Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan, schoolvakanties in 4 van de markten die de plek vullen

• Festival

  Castle projection mapping

  10 dec – 20 feb · meestalLicht & vuur

  From mid-December to mid-February the castle keep is lit with projection mapping every evening, a short looping show that has become the town's winter night-out. Free to watch; dress for a cold wait. Bron ↗