Private Tours from
$200
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 $200, your guide will accompany you 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 starts from $400.
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 $200, 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 starts from $400.
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 starts from $400.
Other Festivals
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 after a hiking tour will cost an addition $200.
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. 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 after a hiking tour will cost an additional $200.
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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To lock in a booking, payments must be made at least 30 days in advance of the tour. If you are booking within 30 days of your tour, the total price of the tour must be paid immediately. Once the tour has been agreed upon, we will send you a credit card payable invoice. Our cancellation policy is as follows:
30 days prior: Free
29-15 days prior: 30%
14-7 days prior: 70%
6 days prior and beyond: 100%