[June 27th - June 28th, 2026] The 30th Bat Festival in Norikura Highlands

＼Applications for the observation event are open until June 13th! Why not take a peek into the world of bats, which are close by but little known?／

Bats fly silently through the night forest.
Apparently, they actually play an important role right beside us.
The Bat Festival will showcase the world of bats – familiar yet little known.
We provide easy-to-understand explanations through various lectures, observation sessions, and exhibitions.
Apparently, anyone can learn about the mysteries of bats.

This time, you can also take a special tour of the bat house!
Would you like to take a peek into the mysterious world of bats?

◎Bat Festival

Date
June 27th (Sat), 28th (Sun)

● Venue
Saturday, June 27th, Norikura Nature Conservation Center

June 28th (Sunday), Matsumoto City Norikura Tourist Center

●Schedule for Saturday, June 27th Venue: Norikura Nature Conservation Center

◎Lecture: Free admission! (For children and the general public)
13:00-13:30 What kind of creatures are bats? Yoko Ando (Society for the Protection of the Collared Bat)
13:30-14:00 Bats in Norikura, Kamikochi, and Sawando - Junichi Yamagishi (Representative of Kawahori Prevent)
14:00-14:30 About the 31st Anniversary of the Society for the Protection of the Japanese Robin Momoko Nakamura (Society for the Protection of the Japanese Robin)
14:30-15:00 Nagano Prefecture's system for protecting rare wild animals Nagano Prefecture Nature Conservation Division

◎ Guided tour: Participation is free and open to everyone!
15:30-16:15 Lecture before the observation session and tour of the bathouse
GUIDE: Terumasa Yamamoto, Akiko Tsuji (President of the Bat Society, Society for the Protection of the Collared Bat)
*The activity will be conducted in two alternating groups. Participants will not enter the interior.

◎ Observation session: Reservation required, limited to 50 people, insurance fee 100 yen/person
18:30 Meet in front of Norikura Nature Conservation Center
19:00-20:00 Bat observation event
*This also serves as a simultaneous count by the Society for the Protection of the Collared Bat,
We will divide the work among ourselves at several locations and count as many nests as possible.
20:00 Meet in front of the Nature Conservation Center for a wrap-up and then disperse.
21:30-24:00 Volunteers conduct a capture survey behind the nature conservation center.

●Schedule for June 28th (Sunday) Venue: Matsumoto City Norikura Tourist Center, 2nd floor

◎ Bat Society General Meeting: For Bat Society members
9:00-10:00 Bat Society General Meeting

◎30th Anniversary Lecture: Free admission!
10:15-11:00 What have we learned? ~30 years of progress since the founding of the Bat Society~
Fukui University (Director of the Fuji Healing Forest Research Institute, University of Tokyo)
11:15-12:00 Breeding Ecology of the Kagura Bat on Iriomote Island - Sumiko Matsumura (Former Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Yamaguchi University)
12:00 - Summary and closing remarks

● How to apply for the bat observation event
If you wish to participate, please send the following information to the Bat Society Secretariat by fax or email.
Your name
• Phone number
Age
·email address
• Number of participants (names and ages of all participants)
*A fee of 100 yen per person will be charged on the day for insurance.

● Application deadline:Until Saturday, June 13, 2026

●Inquiries
Bat Society Secretariat FAX: 0192-45-2019

　メールアドレス：mmizunobat@cb4.so-net.ne.jp

●Organizers: Bat Society and the Society for the Protection of the Collared Bat

●Lectures: Nagano Prefecture, Matsumoto City, Shin-etsu Regional Environment Office, Ministry of the Environment