Saturday, 2nd October 2010
Matsumoto is one of the main tourist destinations of the Nagano Prefecture. Many 'matsuris' or festivals take place in this city or at the grounds of the Matsumoto Castle.
In summer, the Saito Kinen Festival will always feature the world famous conductor, Seji Ozawa, leading performances of operas and classical music. The Taiko Drum Festival and the Tahigi Noh Festival ( Noh drama/play performed under torch light) take place at the grounds of the Matsumoto Castle.
Pakdokter came here during the first weekend of autumn and a ' flame and fire' festival was to take place at one of the main onsens of the region on Sunday night. As we had planned to return to Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, we missed the chance to witness this event. We were lucky that on the day of our arrival, the ancient carts and chariots that took part in traditional parades through the city during the matsuris were on display at the main street leading to the Matsumoto Castle. Pakdokter managed to capture pictures of these chariots below. Other festivals in autumn include the " Soba Festival" - Matsumoto or Nagano in general produces the best soba ( buckwheat noodle) in Japan. Autumn is also famous for its 'apple-picking' season.
Winter's attraction will be the many skiing slopes which had hosted the Winter Olympics some years ago.
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