Nagano Hidden Gems
The roof of Japan — alpine ranges, post towns on the old Nakasendo highway, and the country's oldest wooden temple architecture.
13 spots
Climate & Best Season
Cool highland summers and cold, snowy winters; a 1998 Winter Olympics host. Hiking July–October, skiing December–March.
Famous For (Food)
- Shinshu soba
- Oyaki
- Wasabi
- Miso
Signature Sights
- Kamikochi valley
- Zenkoji temple
- Tsumago & Narai post towns
- Jigokudani snow monkeys
Zenkoji Temple — Pilgrimage to the Hidden Buddha
Zenkoji Temple (善光寺) guards Japan's first Buddhist statue, a golden Amida triad carried from Korea in 552 AD. The statue…
Matsumoto Castle — Black Fortress of the Alps
Matsumoto Castle (松本城) is one of Japan's five National Treasure castles and the oldest surviving original wooden donjon…
Shibu Onsen — Nine Bathhouse Pilgrimage Town
Shibu Onsen has operated for 1,300 years as a hot spring village, and walking its cobblestone alleys at night under gas…
Obuse Chestnut Sweets — 200-Year Confectionery Heritage
Obuse grows chestnuts the way Napa grows grapes — with obsessive attention to terroir, varietal selection, and centuries…
Tsumago-juku — Edo-Period Post Town Frozen in Time
Tsumago was a post station on the Nakasendo, the mountain road that linked Kyoto and Tokyo during the Edo period. When t…
Magome-juku — Hillside Post Town on the Nakasendo
Magome-juku (馬籠宿) is another Nakasendo post town, built on a steep hillside with dramatic views of the Kiso Valley and M…
Nakamachi Street — Merchant Quarter with Black-Walled Kura
Nakamachi (中町通り) is Matsumoto's former merchant district, lined with traditional kura storehouses built in the late 1800…
Matsumoto City Museum of Art — Yayoi Kusama's Hometown
Matsumoto City Museum of Art (松本市美術館) is dedicated primarily to Yayoi Kusama, the avant-garde artist known for her polka…
Hokusai Museum — Master's Final Years in Obuse
The Hokusai-kan Museum (北斎館) in Obuse displays works by ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) created during the…
Karuizawa Resort Town — Mountain Retreat Since 1886
Karuizawa (軽井沢) is Japan's original resort town, established in 1886 when Canadian missionary Alexander Croft Shaw built…
Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre — Kengo Kuma Architecture
The Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre (まつもと市民芸術館, opened 2004) is a striking contemporary building designed by architect…
Utsukushigahara Open-Air Museum — Sculpture at 2,000m
Utsukushigahara Open-Air Museum (美ヶ原高原美術館) is Japan's highest art museum, located at 2,000 meters elevation on the Utsuk…
Matsumoto Timepiece Museum — Japan's Mechanical Clocks
The Matsumoto Timepiece Museum (松本市時計博物館) houses one of Japan's largest collections of mechanical clocks, watches, and t…