Inakamon Tour 2026 - Takato Castle Town - Lantern Festival Edition

About this event

A tour where you can experience local festivals and life together with local residents on a special day when the castle town of Takato is dyed in orange. Timed with the 'Hokomochi Shrine Annual Festival / Lantern Festival', where 'Chinese lantern plant lanterns' shaped like ears of rice line up and magical lights envelop the town, a stone Buddha illumination will also be held on the same day at Kenfuku-ji Temple. The delicate carvings of the stone Buddhas made by Takato stonemasons, including the 'Saigoku 33 Kannon Bodhisattva' by master craftsman Teiji Moriya, will stand out clearly in the illumination. On the tour, participants will change into a yukata or kimono, stroll through the castle town, and take part in a workshop to make a lantern out of shaved wood (kyogi) using local red pine. You can join the lighting ceremony holding your completed lantern. You can also enjoy a half-size serving of 'Takato Soba', a specialty of Ina, the birthplace of Shinshu soba. With the overnight stay plan, you will move to a farm stay home, cook local cuisine together using local ingredients, and experience life in Ina while interacting with locals. The next day, you can enjoy a town walk guided by local people. A day-trip plan is also available, allowing you to thoroughly enjoy a special evening unique to Takato, woven together by the festival bustle, gentle smiles of stone Buddhas, and lights of shaved-wood lanterns.

Venue

Ina City

Ina, Nagano