The Seiji Ozawa festival takes place in Matsumoto city and is a festival which main purpose is to educate and expose younger generations to live music. The event commences on July 16th, with Saito Kinen Orchestra members and performers visiting local welfare facilities and then opens up to the rest of the public with events such as street performances, musical study groups and paid orchestra performances in August until the first week of September.

Some of the highlights include, children’s opera, band parades through the city and Matsumoto Castle Park, free chamber music performances by rising young artists and Saito Kinen Orchestra concerts.

For those using public transport, Matsumoto can be reached from Hakuba by catching either a local (1hr 40min) or limited express (1hr) train from Hakuba station to Matsumoto station.