Spring Attractions

After the severe winter cold, the long awaited spring finally arrives. Spring-time sees Hara decorated with cherry blossoms that arrive one month after the blooms in Tokyo, so people who missed the cherry blossom viewing, please come and enjoy them here. Farmers, waiting for the blossom’s signal, begin their work, as the fields and woodlands regain their color day by day.

Spring on Yatsugatake Highlands

As the snows disappear from the summit of Mt. Yatsugatake, the forests and grasslands become a vivid green. They make an ideal place for a walk. In this season, each day is filled with new discoveries.

Onbashira Festival at Its Biggest Highlight,the “Tree Drop”

Onbashira Festival is held once every six years where huge logs are erected at the four corners of the Suwa Taisha Shrines. The logs are made from the thick trunks of large fir trees and each measures 18 m in length, weighing in at around 10 tons. The 8 logs are pulled about 15 km to the shrines with thick ropes, while young people ride on top. Many local people gather to help pull, making for a heroic festival.