What to do and see in Yamanashi Prefecture, Chubu: The Best Events

This fireworks display is held in Ichikawa Misato, Yamanashi Prefecture, every year on August 7th, the town's "Fireworks Day." The event has a considerable history: originally the fireworks were set off for a ceremony at Shinmei Shrine, and during the Edo period this was famous as one of the Three Great Fireworks Festivals of Japan. Even today it is among the largest in the prefecture, with roughly 20,000 fireworks being set off each year. The highlight is the launching of a No. 20 Ball firework - not that common in Japan - which climbs through the sky to an altitude of roughly 500 meters before bursting to form an enormous flower roughly 500 meters in diameter. Also popular is the elaborate storyline of the festival's program, in which a sumptuous contest between music and fireworks captivates the many spectators.

The summer festival season at the Five Fuji Lakes kicks off with a festival at Lake Yamanaka, and the festival season comes to an end with the biggest of the festivals, the Lake Kawaguchi Kojosai. The festival takes place every year on August 4th and August 5th. On the 4th, the eve of the main festival, a dance stage and a small fireworks display using skyrockets are held, while on the next day a live concert by the lakeside is followed by the grand fireworks show. What with jumbo star mines, barrages of large ball fireworks, musical star mines, and more, between the two evenings a total of roughly 10,000 fireworks light up the summertime night sky.

The grape festival is held in Katsunuma, Koshu City, a place renowned for its grapes and wine. The festival takes place in Katsunuma Central Park, where you can enjoy free grapes and wine, and where there is a corner where you can buy a wineglass in order to sample the wine at booths run by wineries in the city. The festival includes stages for drumming and music as well as events such as a procession with a majestic portable shrine. In the evening, the night sky is lit up by the haunting scene of a burning torii gate as well as by beautiful fireworks overhead.

"Fantasium" is a term coined from the words "fantasy" and "museum," and this event features an outdoor museum of art illumination that is set up for a limited time on the shore of Lake Yamanaka. Located in Hana-no-miyako Park, the museum exhibits a variety of works, and the glitter of the lighting art against the background of Mt. Fuji lends to the entire site a fantastical feeling. Fireworks are set off on occasions such as Christmas and New Year's, and a Christmas concert is also held here.

The Fuji Lake Kawaguchi Koyo Festival is held in autumn right when the foliage on Lake Kawaguchi turns a beautiful color. A range of stalls plying wares also appear around the venue. The must-see of the event is the "foliage tunnel," where sixty massive trees around the Nashigawa are illuminated at night. From dusk until 10:00 PM, this romantic light-up enchants visitors.

This event is held primarily in Yagizaki Park and Oishi Park on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi. From early June through mid-July, the lavender plants are in full bloom, creating a beautiful scene that looks as though the land is covered with a purple carpet. Particularly photogenic is the contrast between Mt. Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi, and the lavender blossoms as seen from Oishi Park. At Oishi Park, the primary venue for the festival, you can buy herb seedlings and herbal products and also enjoy light meals made using herbs.

The Fuji Shibazakura Festival, which started in 2008, is held at Motosuko Resort when the shibazakura plants are in bloom. Although there are famous spots for viewing shibazakura blossoms throughout Japan, Motosuko Resort is the only place where you can view shibazakura and Mt. Fuji together. The roughly 800,000 vivid shibazakura plants comprise the largest single expanse of shibazakura in the greater Tokyo area, and their pink, red, white, and purple blossoms, spread out like a carpet, create a beautiful landscape for your enjoyment.

The Yoshida Fire Festival is one of the Three Bizarre Festivals of Japan. The festival is held every year for two days - August 26th and 27th - as a festival to mark the end of the summer climbing season on Mt. Fuji. The event starts with a Shinto ritual and a portable shrine, then in the evening of August 26th a row of three-meter-high torches that have been set up along the main street in Fuji Yoshida are lit. At the same time, torches are lit one after another at the mountain lodges on Mt. Fuji, and the excitement reaches its peak when all of this turns into a single pathway of light. Nearby are open-air stands, making for a bustling atmosphere. The festival has also been designated an Important Intangible Folk-Culture Asset of Yamanashi Prefecture.

This fireworks show, which serves as a finale to the Fuefuki City Summer Festival, has much that is worth seeing, such as rainbow star mines in seven colors, star mines that are synchronized with music, and a laser-beam show. The fireworks are set off on the banks of the Fuefuki River, and because the launching area is close to the viewing area, the effect can be felt from close up. Since the fireworks go off almost directly over the viewing stand, spectators feel as though they were surrounded by an umbrella of fireworks.

This festival is held in Kofu City, a place connected with Takeda Shingen, on around April 12th, the anniversary of Lord Takeda's death. Roughly 1,500 soldiers from throughout the prefecture assemble in Maizuru Castle Park and then, amid the flapping of "furin kazan" war banners, they reenact the valiant march toward the battlefield of Kawanakajima. The festival is jam-packed with events, such as a performance of Suwa drumming (which is said to have bolstered the courage of the Takeda forces), a tea ceremony, and contests involving performance of the song "Takeda Bushi" and of themes connected with "furin kazan," and the festival also features the exhibition and sale of products from Yamanashi Prefecture, a food court, and tours of places linked to Takeda Shingen.