Festivals & Events
Local
Hotaru no Sato
In June, the area around the back of Jomo-kogen station is opened up for hotaru (firefly) viewing. If you are lucky you will see fireflies in the streams near the Villa
A 3-day festival held at the beginning of August where large Tengu masks and mikoshi are carried through the downtown area of Numata (10-15mins drive).
A large (10,000) local fireworks festival held nearby (10mins) from the Villa over the Tone river at the sports ground near Fressay in mid September. Unfortunately you cannot see the fireworks from the Villa but you can hear them.
Further afield
Japan’s biggest and most famous international music festival, held each year in late July at Naeba skifield. A taxi costs around 10,000 yen one way (45min journey)
One of the three largest fireworks festivals in Japan, it is mammoth in scale and in terms of attendance. Held 2-3 August every year, you need tickets to access the spectator areas close to the river but you can see from afar if you don’t want to brave the crowds
The next triennale will be Jul - Nov 2024 and takes place in Niigata between the area between Yuzawa and Tokamachi
Read the Tokyo Time Out write up