Where: Iiyama City Honmachi Shopping Street, etc.

This year’s Iiyama Lantern Festival will consist of two parts, “movement” and “calm.” The IIYAMA DANCE FES!! will be the highlight of the “movement” part, where teams will perform their original dances. The “calm” part will feature lanterns that illuminate the streets. This year, there will also be an area where visitors can enjoy Iiyama’s natural snow. For information about detailed schedules and other activities, please visit this website.  

The Iiyama Station will also be decorated with artworks created mainly by local high school students with a hope for peace from Aug 4 (Tue) to Aug 18 (Tue).

Where: Iiyama City Community Center Room 101

Who: Junior high students or older who live or work in Iiyama City (Junior high and high school students need to be dropped off and picked up by their guardian)

Capacity: 10 people (lottery if more than 10 people signed up)

Total fee: 1,200 yen + 600 yen for the materials

What to bring: Colored pencils (24 colors), 2B pencils, 30-cm ruler, drinks

RSVP deadline: Jul 30 (Thu)

RSVP link: https://apply.e-tumo.jp/city-iiyama-nagano-u/offer/userLoginDispNon?tempSeq=73394&accessFrom=

Note: The event is conducted in Japanese only.

Learn how to draw realistic pictures that look just like photos using colored pencils!

Where: Iiyama City Furusato Hall
Hours: 9:00~17:00 (last entry at 16:30) (Closed on Mon, or next weekday if Mon is a public holiday)
Admission: 200 yen (adult), 100 yen (junior high school student or under)
*Free entry for elementary and junior high school students of Iiyama City

The year 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Showa era. At the Furusato Hall, we will commemorate this as “Showa Year 101” (using the traditional Japanese counting system) and look back on the Showa era through the lens of daily life in the Iiyama area. We will highlight local livelihoods, such as farming and silkworm farming, and display the actual tools and equipment used in these trades.

Where: Iiyama City Art Museum
Hours: 9:30~17:00 (last entry at 16:30) (Closed on Mon, or next weekday if Mon is a public holiday)
Admission: 600 yen (adult), 400 yen (ages 6-15)
*Free entry for elementary and junior high school students of Iiyama City

Haruka Sasaki is an artist from Iiyama City who is now based in Berlin. As her first solo exhibition in her hometown, it features a collection of abstract paintings that express nature and the energy of life through Japanese-inspired colors and lines that are both powerful and gentle. Please come to the art museum and experience firsthand the passion of Haruka, who continues to refine her sensibilities on the global stage.