Hotaka Shrine Chrysanthemum Exhibition

Hotaka Shrine stands in the Hotaka district of Azumino and is known as the guardian shrine of the Japan Alps, watching over safety in the mountains. Its deity, Hotakami no Mikoto, is said to be a child of the sea god Watatsumi, giving the shrine an unusual maritime lineage in a landlocked province. The chrysanthemum exhibition is organised by the Hotaka Shukokai, a local growers' society whose members display blooms tended for a full year in front of the main hall and the kagura hall. From large-flowered specimens to small-flowered arrangements, the care given to each pot is plain to see. The show runs from late October into mid-November, when the Azumino rice harvest is over, the landscape has turned to autumn colour, and the ridgeline of Mount Jonen stands out sharply. It pairs well with a walk around the shrine and the surrounding countryside.