Matsumoto & Fireworks at Nagano City

Went to the Timepiece Museum at Matsumoto City, which was quite interesting.

We wandered into a rather large shrine and saw many children dressed up in traditional Japanese wear going to the shrine for the shichi-go-san (7-5-3) ceremony (actual date is 17 Nov). Girls aged 3 and 7 and 5-year-old boys go to the shrine to pray for good health and growth.

Check out the giant bells at the top of the rope!

Stylish boy dressed in traditional garb arriving for the ceremony

Little girl clad in kimono


I like Matsumoto. It has character. Although a city, it has retained its historical and cultural elements. One of the signature pieces of this city is the temari ball - a colourful embroidered ball that used to be an exclusive plaything for princesses but later came to be a folk toy. All the manhole covers in Matsumoto have colourful temari ball designs on them!



Then we proceeded on to Nagano City to tour the Zenkoji temple, which was built 1400 years ago and houses what is believed to be the first buddhist statue brought to Japan. The statue is brought out for public display once every 7 years. The next opportunity to see it is in 2010. Anyway, the temple complex is undergoing some major restoration works, so it might be a good idea to wait till that ends before visiting the temple. It is one of the most visited temples in Japan.




Old man perched precariously on the roof picking persimmons

Then we went to the riverside to watch a fireworks competition. There were so many food stalls there there and tons of people turned up, well-equipped with blankets and even sleeping bags so that they could be comfortable throughout the 2-hour long fireworks display.

There was a neverending stretch of food stalls...this was when it was still early so it wasn't that crowded yet...

See the number of people now...the entire stretch of grassy slope was packed with people.

The fireworks were so good (and loud!). There were entries from all over Japan. The names of the creators and prefectures represented would be announced before the fireworks were set off.