Miyota: Festivals, Photography, and Highland Vegetables

Miyota brings together traditional festival customs, a photography-focused center, highland vegetables, and a curling rink where you can give curling a try. These varied themes offer tangible ways to experience the town, ranging from a winter ritual to local produce and an active experience. If you’re looking for a vacation rental in Miyota, you can plan your stay around the experiences that interest you most.

Festivals with a Character of Their Own

The Ryujin Festival begins with an opening ceremony connected to the Ryujin legend at the Shinrakuji grounds. It then continues at Ryujin no Mori Park, centrally located in Miyota. The festival therefore combines an opening rooted in legend with a continuation in the town center.

The traditional Kannomizu festival in Miyota’s Kusagoe district is associated with the period around January 20, during the time known as the Great Cold. The traditional custom involves water ascetics being doused with water and running through the district wearing only a loincloth. They take their straw-made headwear to Kumano Shrine. The timing, clothing, and destination at the shrine give the ritual a distinct form. If Kannomizu is important to your trip, keep the approximate period in mind and check the exact festival dates.

Photography and Local Produce

MMoP is a photography-focused lifestyle center that opened in Miyota in 2021. The villa-style complex has a total of eight establishments, including the Miyota Photography Museum, cafés and restaurants, a home furnishings store, and a delicatessen and wine shop. Individual tenants may change. Its character combines a focus on photography with food, interiors, and groceries—a cultural accent distinct from the town’s traditional festivals.

Vegetable farming also gives Miyota a distinct character. At an elevation of 800 meters, cool-climate highland vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and broccoli are grown. Numerous farm shops in the city allow visitors and locals to buy freshly harvested vegetables. For travelers interested in food, this creates a tangible link between growing and shopping: local produce is not just a topic of interest but is also available to buy at the farm shops.

Try Curling

Miyota has had a historic curling rink since 1995, where visitors can try curling. This adds an explicitly active experience to the impressions of festival traditions, photography, and regional food. If you enjoy trying a new activity on vacation, this is a concrete reason to explore Miyota beyond its cultural and culinary offerings.

Getting There from Tokyo

From Tokyo, you can reach Miyota by taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa and then the Shinano Railway. The stated travel times are 80 minutes to Karuizawa and a further 15 minutes to Miyota. For planning purposes, you can think of this connection as two consecutive train journeys. Check the current timetable before traveling, as journey times may change when timetables are updated.

Discover more destinations: Tateshina, Karuizawa.

For the broader travel overview: Kitasaku District.