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Nagano

Mountain adventures at Japan's Alps

About Nagano

Things to do in Nagano

Around Nagano

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Nagano Top 10

  1. A Day Trip to Obuse
    1

    A Day Trip to Obuse

    Culture
  2. Hakuba Ski Village in Nagano
    2

    Hakuba Ski Village in Nagano

    Hakuba
  3. HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
    3

    HOSHINOYA Karuizawa

    Karuizawa
  4. Matsumoto Frog Festival
    4

    Matsumoto Frog Festival

    Matsumoto
  5. Nagaoka Festival
    5

    Nagaoka Festival

    Culture
  6. Nakasendo Hike & Erupting Mt Ontake
    6

    Nakasendo Hike & Erupting Mt Ontake

    Activities
  7. Karuizawa Stone Church
    7

    Karuizawa Stone Church

    Karuizawa
  8. “Your Name” Movie Real-life Location Tour
    8

    “Your Name” Movie Real-life Location Tour

    Culture
  9. The Divine Beauty of Kamikōchi
    9

    The Divine Beauty of Kamikōchi

    Matsumoto
  10. Climbing Mt. Asama
    10

    Climbing Mt. Asama

    Karuizawa

Upcoming Nagano Events

Nagano Lantern Festival

Nagano Lantern Festival

Feb 6th - Feb 11th

Nagano Lantern Festival, a week of lanterns on display along the road to Zenkoji, finished off with Zenkoji itself lit up in brilliant..

Zenkoji Temple 3 Free
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Tours and experiences

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Where to eat in Nagano

Haruniré Terrace
Food

Haruniré Terrace

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Haruniré Terrace, in the Hoshino Resort area, is a sweet little boardwalk type area surrounded by the spring cedar trees that ..

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Kasuké Restaurant
Food

Kasuké Restaurant

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Kasuke Hoshino was the man who opened the first Hoshino Onsen Ryokan, a simple ryokan on the site of the current resort, over a..

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Places to stay in Nagano

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
Accommodation

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa

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Hidden away in the valley of the Yukawa River, HOSHINOYA Karuizawa is a ryokan mixed with a luxury hotel and a spa retreat, an..

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Inside Karasu-jo 12
Culture

Inside Karasu-jo

Elena Lisina

Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan's five original standing castles. Its wood interior, darkened by time, is severe and functional...

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About Nagano

Okinawa Nagasaki Fukuoka Saga Kumamoto Kagoshima Miyazaki Oita Ehime Kochi Tokushima Kagawa Yamaguchi Hiroshima Okayama Tottori Shimane Hyogo Kyoto Osaka Wakayama Nara Shiga Mie Fukui Ishikawa Toyama Gifu Aichi Nagano Shizuoka Niigata Yamanashi Kanagawa Tokyo Saitama Gunma Tochigi Chiba Ibaraki Fukushima Miyagi Yamagata Iwate Akita Aomori Hokkaido
Region Chubu
Island Honshu
Capital Nagano
Population 2,152,449
Area 13,561.56 sq. km

The mountainous prefecture of Nagano Prefecture (長野県, Nagano-ken) is the perfect summer resort to avoid the heat, with the town of Karuizawa being one of the most popular summer getaway spots in Japan.

Take advantage of the relatively cool weather to explore the famous Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's oldest shrines in Suwa Taisha, and Zenko-ji, a major pilgrimage site. Nagano's many tall mountains serve as challenging but beautiful hiking trails, especially those of Kamikochi.

That being said, Nagano is also a great destination in the winter, and it was the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics. The prefecture's mountains are some of the largest ski resorts in Japan, most notably Shika Kogen and Mount Hakuba. After being out in the cold, seek warmth in one of Nagano's many famous hot springs.

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