FESTIVALS April 2022
FESTIVALS
–April 24 EXHIBITION OF HINA DOLLS AND HINA CHODO (FURNISHINGS)
9:00-17:00 Closed on Tuesdays Uwajima Date Museum 伊達博物館 Uwajima City
(Tel. 0895-22-7776)
Transportation: Take the JR express train bound for Uwajima and get off at Uwajima. It takes 25 minutes on foot to get to the museum. (More detailed information is in the March issue.)
HANA-MI (flower viewing)
Popular hanami spots in Matsuyama
Matsuyama Castle
Matsuyama Castle is one of the 100 national beautiful sakura spots, where about 200 cherry
trees attract us in addition to the fantastic view of the castle against the clear blue sky.
Ishite-gawa Riverside Park
The area near Izumi-machi and Muro-machi, and the area between Ichitsubo Bridge and Tachibana Bridge are recommended spots. There are grassy areas along the riverside where we can relax.
Dogo Park near Dogo-onsen
The hill top area has a good command of the whole park in full bloom.
Well-known cherry trees in temples in Matsuyama are Usuzumi-zakura in Saiho-ji in Shimoidai-cho, Mikaeri-no-sakura in Ishite-ji, and Uba-zakura in Taiho-ji in Minamiedo, all of which are designated Matsuyama City Natural Monuments, and have interesting legends related to the cherry blossoms.
April 2-4 MATSUYAMA SPRING FESTIVAL (CASTLE FESTIVAL) (Tel. 089-948-6558)
2nd -3rd Matsuyama Castle gondola and chairlift service operates from 17:30 to 21:00 during the festival.
Gondola and chairlift ticket (round trip): Adult 520 yen Primary sch. pupil 260 yen
3rd 10:00-16:00 Spring Festival in Horinouchi At Castle Park (Horinouchi)
Kimagure-ichi, Kitchen car grand prix, stage events, etc. Canceled in case of rain.
11:20-11:50 Daimyo Musha Gyoretsu (Procession of the Feudal Lord and Samurai)
On Ropeway street and 1-bancho street Canceled in case of rain.
This event started in 1968 commemorating the completion of the reconstruction of the sub-castle-tower. It re-enacts the procession of feudal lords who had to make regular visits to the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo (present-day Tokyo) during the 17th -19th centuries.
13:00-16:15 Showa no Komachi mikoshi (portable shrine) rope-roll
At Ninomaru Historical Garden Admission: Adult 200 yen , Child 100 yen
2nd -3rd 8:30-17:30 (3rd -16:00) Flower arrangement
At Matsuyama Castle Gondola Station 2F Admission: Free
4th 14:00-16:00 The 13th SHINONOME-NOH東雲能
At Shinonome-jinja shrine, up the stairs at the north end of the Ropeway street
Once Shinonome-noh was a core event of the Matsuyama Spring Festival. It was revived after a 13-year interval by the local people who love Matsuyama traditional noh culture.
Admission: 2,000 yen(day ticket only) (Tel. 090-4784-5847 Watanabe)
April 16-17 TOBE-YAKI FESTIVAL 16th 9:00 –20:00 / 17th 9:00-17:00
Tokaido-Yutori-koen 陶街道ゆとり公園, Tobe-cho, Iyo-gun 伊予郡砥部町
Tobe-yaki (porcelain), famous for its beauty and durability will be on display and for sale. This event is popular because the prices will be lower than usual. Many stalls are set up and local foods and products will be on sale.
Main events are as follows:
Tobe-yaki sales
Sale of local foods and products
Rokuro (potter’s wheel) Challenge Corner Try making your own cup or plate.
Etsuke (painting your own design on an item of pottery)
Display of newly-made Tobe-yaki pieces
Charity Auction
Haiku contribution Theme: Tobe-yaki
Café (Tel. 089-962-7288)
Transportation: (Iyotetsu Bus) Take a bus bound for Tobe-cho from Matsuyama Shieki bus stop #3 and get off at Tobe-cho Yakuba-nishi (45 minutes’ ride). Then walk to the park for 15 minutes. Buses leave every 20 or 30 minutes.
http://www.tobe-kanko.jp/news/
April 25-May 15 MT. TOMISU TSUTSUJI (Azalea) FESTIVAL
On Mt. Tomisu Park 富士山公園, 0zu City
About 63,000 plants of azaleas are in bloom on top of Mt. Tomisu about this time of the year. Mt. Tomisu is well known in east Japan for its azalea blossoms. (Tel.0893-24-2111)
Transportation: Take the bus bound for Yawatahama from Matsuyama Shieki bus stop #4 and get off at Ozu Honmachi. It takes one hour and 20 minutes. Or from JR Matsuyama station take the JR express train bound for Uwajima and get off at Ozu. It takes 40 minutes. From the station it takes 15 minutes by taxi to get to the park. Combine this with Garyu sanso villa and Ozu castle for a full day of sightseeing.
GOLDEN WEEK (April 29-May 5)
The string of holidays starting on April 29th and ending on May 5th is called Golden Week.
Late April NINOMIYA CHUHACHI (二宮忠八) MEMORIAL FLIGHT FESTIVAL
Details of the event have not been announced yet.
April 29 SHOWA-NO-HI 昭和の日 (National Holiday)
The Showa era lasted from 1927 to 1989. This day commemorates the Showa era.
Early May KASHIMA （鹿島） SPRING FESTIVAL in Kashima Island, Hojo, Matsuyama City
Details of the event have not been announced yet. (Tel. 992-1423)
May 3 KENPO-KINEN-BI (Constitution Day) (National Holiday)
The present constitution was promulgated on May 3rd, 1947. This day commemorates the event and it is also a day for us to reaffirm hope in national growth.
May 4 MIDORI-NO-HI (Greenery Day) (National Holiday)
This holiday was established in 1989 for people to admire nature, give thanks for its blessings, and to cultivate love for all living things on the earth.
May 5 KODOMO-NO-HI (Children‘s Day) (National Holiday)
Traditionally, this was Boys’ Day. After World War II it was changed to Children’s Day. Now it is a day to pray for healthy growth of children. Koinobori (carp streamers) are flown from poles. According to Chinese legend, a carp symbolizes vigor and strength. Chimaki (rice dumpling wrapped in a bamboo leaf) and kashiwa-mochi (rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf) are the traditional treats of the day.
NOTES: Events might be canceled or postponed to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus infection. Please check the latest information.
