Festival Held for Spring’s Arrival Featuring Stalls Selling Food, Daruma Dolls

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:50 JST, February 26, 2026

MINAMI-ALPS, Yamanashi — A two-day festival heralding spring’s arrival was held in the city of Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture, earlier this month.

The festival, said to have a history of more than 400 years, is an annual event usually attracting about 100,000 visitors. It used to be held on Feb. 10 and 11 but this shifted to weekends last year to attract more visitors.

This year, the event was held on Feb. 7 and 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Feb. 7, the festival was crowded with families and about 130 stalls sold food, drinks and even Koshu Tokaichi daruma, a kind of lucky daruma doll.

A 78-year-old homemaker from Tokaichiba in Minami-Alps purchased one of the daruma. “I come to this event every year to buy a daruma for the safety of my home. The doll’s handmade feel is comforting,” she said.