🍱 Tanabata Hoto

Matsumoto City, situated in the almost exact center of Nagano Prefecture, offers views of the Northern Alps to the west and the Utsukushi-gahara Plateau to the east. It is a mountainous city that prospered as the castle town of Matsumoto Castle. The charming streets, resonating with history, have been selected as part of the "Matsumoto City Scenic Selection." In Matsumoto, a city where urban and rural areas coexist harmoniously, peaceful fields and rice paddies stretch just a short distance away from the city center. In Nagano Prefecture, where life is lived while gazing at mountains and feeling the changes of nature, annual events often follow a lunar calendar or are scheduled a month later. In the Matsumoto region, the Tanabata festival is observed on August 7th, following the lunar calendar. The tradition dates back to the Edo period, involving hanging Tanabata dolls made of paper or kimono fabric, symbolizing the dispelling of misfortune, on the veranda. Additionally, a custom persists of offering houtou (thick wheat noodles) and manju (sweet buns) during this festival. In the surrounding Matsumoto region, wheat was traditionally cultivated by many farming households. The wheat harvest coincided with Tanabata, leading to the practice of making and offering these special dishes during the festival. "Tanabata Houtou" consists of thick noodles made from wheat flour, mixed with sweet red bean paste and kinako (roasted soybean flour). This dish is consumed exclusively during the Tanabata festival in the Matsumoto region. Another traditional treat, "Tanabata Manju," is made in the Azumino region and offered to the gods during the Tanabata festival. It consists of manju filled with sweet red bean paste, crafted from newly harvested wheat.