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Province · Chubu
The Zenko-ji temple, the Jigokudani macaques, Matsumoto Castle, the Kamikochi valley, Hakuba’s snow and the village of Tsumago on the Nakasendo.
In the photo: Matsumoto Castle, in Nagano.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The province
Nagano sits in central Honshu, landlocked and surrounded by the Northern, Central and Southern Japanese Alps, with several mountains over 3,000 meters. The prefectural capital, Nagano, hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. The prefecture is known for buckwheat soba, apples and Azumino wasabi.
Zenko-ji temple in Nagano was founded in the 7th century and attracts worshippers from several Buddhist schools; beneath the altar a dark corridor leads to a key that, according to tradition, brings good luck to whoever touches it. In Yamanouchi, the Japanese macaques at Jigokudani Park soak in the hot springs during winter, and the onsen towns of Shibu and Yudanaka are nearby.
Matsumoto Castle, with its dark wooden keep dating from the late 16th century, is one of Japan’s five national treasure castles. Above the city, the Kamikochi valley on the Azusa River is the gateway to trails into the Northern Alps; private cars are not allowed, and the valley is generally open from late April to mid-November. Hakuba has ski resorts that hosted Olympic events and offers hiking trails in summer.
To the southwest, the Kiso Valley preserves post towns of the old Nakasendo road, such as Tsumago and Narai, with wooden houses. Eastward, Karuizawa is a summer resort set among forests, and Togakushi has shrines along an avenue of cedars. Lake Suwa and its shrines lie in the center of the prefecture.
Flavors of Japan
Destinations
Cities
Nagano is the capital of Nagano Prefecture and grew up around Zenko-ji temple, which houses a Buddha image said to be the first brought to Japan. Host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, the city is a stop on the Hokuriku shinkansen and a starting point for Jigokudani, Shiga Kogen and Togakushi, where shrines are scattered through a cedar forest.
Hakuba is the mountain village in northwest Nagano at the foot of the Hakuba Sanzan peaks in the Northern Alps. It has the ski-jump stadium from the 1998 Games, the Happo-one resort—the largest in the valley—and, in summer, the trail to Lake Happo. Tsugaike Natural Park, a high-altitude marsh, lies in the neighboring village of Otari, a few kilometers away.
Matsumoto is the second-largest city in Nagano Prefecture, in a basin at the foot of the Northern Alps. Matsumoto Castle, with its original black keep from the late 16th century, is a national treasure; nearby are Nakamachi Street, with white-walled storehouses, and the former Kaichi School. The city is the gateway to Kamikochi Valley, open from April to November, and to the Azumino plain, home to the Daio wasabi farm.
Omachi is the Nagano town at the foot of the Northern Alps, the eastern gateway to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. From Shinano-Omachi Station, buses climb to Ogizawa, from where you reach the Kurobe Dam, the tallest dam in Japan. The town has the Omachi Onsen hot springs and the three Nishina lakes, including Lake Aoki.
Yamanouchi is the town in the Yokoyu River valley, northeast of Nagano, that includes the Yudanaka and Shibu Onsen hot-spring areas, the Jigokudani monkey park, and the Shiga Kogen highlands. The Japanese macaques that often bathe in a hot spring in winter are the best-known attraction; Shibu Onsen, with nine public baths, is the village where most visitors stay overnight.
Cherry blossoms bloom in April, later at higher elevations. Kamikochi generally opens in late April and closes in mid-November, with autumn colors in October. Summers are cool in the mountains and good for hiking. The macaques enter the hot springs mainly from December to March. Ski season in Hakuba usually runs from December to March.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Karuizawa in about 1 hour and to Nagano in about 1 hour 20 minutes. Matsumoto is about 2 hours 40 minutes from Shinjuku on JR Chuo limited express trains and about 2 hours from Nagoya. For Jigokudani, the Nagaden railway runs from Nagano to Yudanaka, and a bus plus a trail complete the route. Kamikochi is served by buses from Matsumoto and from Takayama. Matsumoto Airport (MMJ) has flights from Sapporo and Fukuoka.
Your questions
Mainly from December to March, when cold and snow drive them into the warm water. They remain in the park year-round. From the parking area to the hot spring there is a trail of about 1.6 km through the forest.
By bus from Matsumoto, with a transfer at Shin-Shimashima, or from Takayama, with a transfer at Hirayu. Private cars are not allowed in the valley. Buses operate from late April to mid-November.
Yes. Inside, the keep preserves its wooden structure, with narrow and very steep stairs up to the top floor. On weekends and holidays there may be a queue to climb.
It is a roughly 8 km section of the old Nakasendo road, through forests, waterfalls and farmhouses, typically done in 2½ to 3 hours. A luggage delivery service transports bags from one village to the other during the season.
Beyond the guide
