Travel Plans
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- A cycling tour around Karuizawa—travel by rent-a-cycle!
![A cycling tour around Karuizawa—travel by rent-a-cycle!]()
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- Karuizawa has many flat roads and is perfect for cycling. This plan introduces a one-day tour where visitors can enjoy nature, cuisine and shopping in Karuizawa while riding around by bicycle. Consider renting an electric-assist bicycle, depending on your level of fitness.
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- A driving plan through nature, from Karuizawa to Kusatsu
![A driving plan through nature, from Karuizawa to Kusatsu]()
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- After enjoying a day in the stylish resort area of Karuizawa, head to Kusatsu on a mountain road. If you pass near Mount Asama, you should be able to feel the power of nature at such places as Onioshidashi Park, created by a volcanic eruption, and Sainokawara Park, with its hot spring water bubbling to the surface.
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- A one day tour of Matsumoto, Nagano a castle town with art
![A one day tour of Matsumoto, Nagano a castle town with art]()
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- Matsumoto City, centered around Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture, is a scenic castle town, where time moves slowly. It is also a city of contemporary art which is rich in character and supported by a young generation. Here, we introduce a recommended “artistic castle town” one-day plan.
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Travel Guide
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Top Things to do
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- the Fukushima Sekisho-ato
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![the Fukushima Sekisho-ato]()
- Nagano Pref. Kisogunkisomachi Fukushima Seki, Mie 4748-1
- Fukushima Sekisho was a checking station on the Nakasendo which was one of the four largest checking stations in Japan along with the Hakone checking station on Tokaido. During the Edo period, the policy of “Weapons in, Women out” was severely controlled. The checking station, of which gate and fortress have been restored to their original state, turned into a historical park, and a checking station museum has been established displaying such things as materials and arms related to peoples passage through the checking station.
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- Kurumaya
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- Nagano Pref. Kisogunkisomachi Fukushima 5367-2
- The history of this soba (buckwheat noodle) restaurant dates back to the Edo period. Distinguished by its glossy, thick noodles, in winter, raw noodles are also available for takeaway to cook at home. The restaurant's traditional cuisine and soba set meal require reservation in advance. In addition to non-smoking seats on the first floor and smoking seats on the second, the restaurant also offers a reservable detached room which seats two to six people. The restaurant's charming appearance remains unchanged from the early Showa period.
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- Bistro Matsushima-tei
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![Bistro Matsushima-tei]()
- Nagano Pref. Kisogunkisomachi Fukushima 5084 Inside Hirokoji Plaza
- This Italian restaurant is housed inside an un-modified, 140-year-old Japanese house. Making full use of the charming architecture, Matsushima-tei even has unique seating arranged around a traditional Japanese sunken hearth. The restaurant’s signature pizza is baked inside a genuine Italian-made oven and is topped with fresh local vegetables. The hearty lunch set is particularly popular. The closes station is JR Kiso-Fukushima Station.
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- Nakamura Residence
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![Nakamura Residence]()
- Nagano Pref. Shiojirishi Narai 311
- The wood manufacturing industries such as comb manufacturing and lacquerware flourished in Narai-juku during the Edo period. The “Nakamura Residence”, which was the residence of Nakamura Rihei who ran a comb wholesalers in Narai-juku is a typical Narai-juku merchant’s style building with the feature of the second floor slightly jutting out (overhanging beam structure). It has been registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Shiojiri City, and the residence is open to the public as a museum.
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- Matsumoto City Museum of Art
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![Matsumoto City Museum of Art]()
- Nagano Pref. Matsumotoshi Chuou 4-2-22
- This is a private art museum in the center of Matsumoto City. The museum houses a collection of pieces by artists connected to Matsumoto City such as world-famous avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, calligrapher Shinzan Kamijo, and lifelong Shinshu (Nagano) natural vista painter Kazuo Tamura. Special exhibitions and exhibitions of works submitted by the general public are held at the museum several times each year. A 12-minute walk from JR Matsumoto Station.
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- Matsumoto Timepiece Museum
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![Matsumoto Timepiece Museum]()
- Nagano Pref. Matsumotoshi Chuou 1-21-15
- This museum displays a wide range of timepieces centering on a collection donated by antique timepiece researcher Chikazo Honda. The museum has a policy of displaying each timepiece in its collection (which contains more than 1,000 items) in working condition whenever possible. The museum also exhibits a number of phonographs, which have a deep connection to the history of timepieces. The museum is notable for the massive pendulum clock, one of Japan's largest, which is built into the front of the building. The museum is a 10-minute walk from JR Matsumoto Station.
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- Matsumoto City Court and Historical Village
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![Matsumoto City Court and Historical Village]()
- Nagano Pref. Matsumotoshi Shimadachi 2196-1
- Focusing on the theme of the modernization of Shinshu (Nagano), the Matsumoto City Historic Village contains a collection of precious buildings from the early Edo period through the Showa period. The Former Matsumoto Branch Court of Nagano District Court, a Prefectural Treasure, is a courthouse built in 1908 and is designed in the modern Japanese architectural style representative of the Meiji period. Visitors can also see a variety of other structures in the museum, such as Former Silk Mill of Showa Manufacturing Company and the Birth Home of Naoe Kinoshita.
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- Nomugi
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![Nomugi]()
- Nagano Pref. Matsumotoshi Chuou 2-9-11
- This popular Shinshu (Nagano) soba restaurant serves thin-sliced kyuwari soba (noodles made with 90% buckwheat and 10% flour) made only with buckwheat flour from the Ono District in Tatsuno Town, Nagano Prefecture. Nomugi only serves fresh-made soba and closes when the day’s supply runs out; accordingly, it is common to find a line in front of the shop. The restaurant only serves simple zaru soba (soba served on a draining basket with dipping sauce) and soba in broth with five toppings—shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu, spinach, nori (edible seaweed sheets), and eggs. There are also only 12 seats in the restaurant.
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- Berami Doll Shop
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![Berami Doll Shop]()
- Nagano Pref. Matsumotoshi Chuou 3-7-23
- This doll shop continues to sell Matsumoto oshie-bina, Japanese hina dolls made using raised cloth, a tradition which dates back to the Edo period. This is the only shop in Matsumoto City which still makes oshie-bina dolls. In addition to hina dolls, the shop is filled with oshie-bina doll decorations themed after the Seven Gods of Fortune and the folktale for Momotaro. Berami’s hina dolls are placed on a bamboo skewer and are the perfect thickness, winning them popularity for the ease with which they can be set up and used as decorations. A 12-minute walk from JR Matsumoto Station.
Main Area
What is Nagano?
Nagano prefecture is an exciting mix of mountains, hot spring monkeys, and preserved Edo history. At the heart of the Japanese Alps, Nagano is one of the country's most popular destinations, whether in winter for its snow sports and the much-loved Jigokudani Monkey Park or in the warmer months for discovering the undulating hills on foot. For fantastic Edo architecture, head to the Kiso Valley for a 60-kilometer stretch of quaint wooden buildings that marked the Nakasendo route 200 years ago.
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Nagano Overviews
Climate
What to Wear
- Jan
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- Warm Cloth
- Feb
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- Warm Cloth
- Mar
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- Warm Cloth
- Apr
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- Jacket
- May
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- Long
- Jun
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- Long
- Jul
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- Short
- Aug
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- Short
- Sep
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- Long
- Oct
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- Jacket
- Nov
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- Jacket
- Dec
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- Warm Cloth
Based on the Meteorological Agency "past weather data", created NAVITIME
Getting Around
Nagano city, the prefectural capital of Nagano, is not only easy to access from Tokyo, but also well connected to some of the less-accessible parts of Nagano, making it a good place to start your journey. The Hokuriku Shinkansen takes around 1.5 hours from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station, while trips into the mountains are often best taken on direct buses from Tokyo.
