Private Tours from
¥20,000
Festival Tours
-お祭り-
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Really Rural Japan operates mainly inside of the Kiso Valley and Ina Valley. The area is known for having hundreds of festivals, some big and some small. We would love to show visitors to the area these festivals while they visit. The locals take great pride in these events, many of which are spiritual events that hold deep meaning. Contact us if you are interested in guided tours of any of these festivals.
Tatsuno Firefly Festival
Photo Credit: Tatsuno Town
Date: Mid June (lasting for around 10 days)
Time: 17:00-22:00 (Fireflies can be seen from about 20:00)
Location: Tatsuno Station in Tatsuno Town
About: Japan’s biggest and best firefly festival often sees around 10 thousand fireflies at peak viewing time. Hundreds of food, drink, and festival stalls line the streets as people eat dinner outside while waiting for it to get dark.
Plan: This festival goes excellently after any of the Really Rural Japan Kiso Valley & Ina Valley tours. It can also be experienced as a stand alone experience.
Price: For an additional 20,000 JPY, your guide will accompany you by train to the festival after a regular tour and show you around. If a tour of the festival is ordered as a stand alone product the guiding fee is 35,000 JPY.
Takato Cherry Blossom Festival
Date: Early to mid-April (lasting for around 10 days)
Time: 6:00-22:00 (flowers are lit up in the evening time during peak season)
Location: Takato Castle Ruins Park in Ina City
About: One of the top three places to view cherry blossoms in Japan. About 1,500 sakura trees burst into life. With snow capped mountains in the background this is a spectacular place welcome in the spring! Food stalls and entertainment runs on the weekends.
Plan: During high season this festival can be visited in the evening after one of the Kiso Valley and Ina Valley tours. It can also be experienced in the daytime as a stand alone product. In this case the festival may be combined with a half day cultural experience in Ina City if one can be arranged.
Price: For an additional 20,000 JPY, your guide will accompany you to the festival after a regular tour and show you around. If a tour of the festival is ordered in the daytime as a stand alone product the guiding fee is 45,000 JPY. The overall price may rise a little if an additional half day experience is added.
Lake Momiji Autumn Leaves Festival
Date: Mid Oct to early November (high season lasts for around 1 week)
Time: 7:00-17:00
Location: Lake Momiji in Minowa Town
About: Ranked the number one place in Japan to see autumn leaves by travel giant Jalan several years in a row. Around 10,000 maple trees now line Lake Momiji. The trees were planted to remember a village that submerged by the building of the Minowa Dam.
Plan: This festival takes place at daytime. The festival may be combined with a half day cultural experience in Ina City if one can be arranged.
Price: For a guide to accompany to see Lake Momiji, the guiding fee is 45,000 JPY. The overall price may rise a little if an additional half day experience is added.
Other Festivals
July 22 & 23 - Mikoshimakuri Festival in Kiso-Fukushima
In Kiso Fukushima the Mizunashi Shrine holds its annual summer festival. Portable shrines known as omikoshi are paraded throughout the town. As the festival goes on into the night the danger begins as local men ride on the top of the shrines as they are tipped and thrown about violently until eventually they break. This festival goes perfectly after a Really Rural Japan Nakasendo hiking tour. To have your guide accompany you and show you around the festival will cost an addition 20,000 JPY.
October 6 & 14 - Seinaiji Handmade Firework Festival
The small mountain village of Seinaiji, not far from Tsumago, is famous for its handmade firework festival. Going back hundreds of years, the locals take great pride in making their own handmade fireworks. The men dance beneath the sparks as the festival peaks, causing real injury and pain. October 6 requires tickets purchased in advance. October 14 tickets are not required. This tour goes perfectly after an Ina Valley hiking tour or a Nakasendo tour from Magome to Tsumago. To have your guide accompany you and show you around will cost an additional 20,000 JPY.
Date TBC - Iida Lion Dance Festival
In Iida, the largest city in the area, a large lion dance festival is held in October. Known in Japanese as shishimai, the lions of Iida are especially large with several people inside the creature making it dance.
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A knowledgeable professional local guide.
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Transportation fees
Food & drink
Attraction entry fees
Souvenirs and any other personal costs
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Shoes suitable for plenty of walking
Clothes suitable for the weather
Cash
Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
Drinks
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1-6 ppl:
20,000 JPY when the festival is added in the evening after an existing tour
30,000 JPY for a guide to accompany you to Tatsuno Firefly Festival
40,000 JPY for a trip to a daytime festival
Additional people: Please enquire
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7 days prior: Free
6-2 days prior: 50%
1 day prior or day of: 100%