Zenkō-ji temple, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Photo: beggs via Flickr · CC BY 2.0
長野CHŪBU
CHŪBU · 長野県 · Japan

Nagano

Alpine peaks, the great Zenkō-ji temple, and snow monkeys in hot springs.

A landlocked, mountainous prefecture in central Japan ringed by the soaring peaks of the Japanese Alps, Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and draws visitors with ski resorts, historic temples and the wild snow monkeys that bathe in steaming hot springs at Jigokudani.

Nagano (長野) grew around the ancient temple of Zenkō-ji (善光寺) and the Nakasendō (中山道) highway post towns. It hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, cementing its status as Japan's alpine heart.

Nagano 長野市Matsumoto 松本市Karuizawa 軽井沢町
Where it isNagano, CHŪBU
Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Matsumoto Castle
Zenkoji Temple, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Zenkoji Temple
Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Jigokudani Yaen-Koen
Narai-juku, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Narai-juku

Photos: Matsumoto Castle — kalleboo via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Zenkoji Temple — www.gilpivert.fr via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Jigokudani Yaen-Koen — Wajimacallit via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Narai-juku — wupeng via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0

01

Getting there

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Nagano city is ~1h30m from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen.

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02

What to see

All tours · Nagano PR
Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Matsumoto Castle

A National Treasure and one of Japan's oldest surviving wooden castle keeps, famous for its black-and-white 'Crow Castle' exterior set against the Northern…

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Top pick

Zenkoji Temple

Historic 7th-century Buddhist temple in Nagano City, home to Japan's oldest Amida Nyorai statue. A highlight is the pitch-black underground passage where…

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Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Nagano Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Jigokudani Yaen-Koen (Snow Monkey Park)

The world's only spot where wild Japanese macaques bathe in natural hot springs, set in a steaming valley at ~850m elevation snow-covered much of the year.

MapOfficialTickets
03

What to eat

Food tours & cooking classes PR
Shinshu soba, Nagano Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Shinshu soba (Togakushi soba)

Nagano's signature buckwheat noodles; the arid mountain terrain favored buckwheat over rice. Togakushi in the north is one of Japan's most celebrated soba…

Oyaki, Nagano Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Oyaki

Traditional Nagano dumplings: fermented buckwheat/wheat dough wrapped around fillings like sansai mountain vegetables, nozawana, eggplant-miso, or sweet red…

Gohei mochi, Nagano Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Gohei mochi

Pounded rice shaped onto a flat skewer, coated in a sweet-savory walnut/sesame miso sauce and grilled; a hearty central-mountain Nagano street food.

04

Nagano at a glance

Food Culture Nature City Access how we rank all 47 →
05

Say it in Nagano

Practise with a tutor PR
Ask a local
Kirei desu ne.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Test yourself
Local word
soba
buckwheat noodles — Shinshu (Nagano) is famous for them
Test yourself
One more
Yama ga kirei desu ne.
The mountains are beautiful, aren't they? (polite observation to share with locals)
Practise more Japanese →
Matsumoto Castle, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Sleep in Nagano

Compare ryokan, business hotels and local inns.

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07

Next door

NiigataRice, sake, and snow on the Sea of Japan coast.GifuThatched mountain villages and the riverside old town of Takayama.Play the 47-prefecture mapUnlock Nagano in the RPG-style explorer.

Links marked PR are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Photos: Zenkō-ji temple — beggs via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Matsumoto Castle — kalleboo via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Zenkoji Temple — www.gilpivert.fr via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Jigokudani Yaen-Koen — Wajimacallit via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Narai-juku — wupeng via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Matsumoto Castle — radkuch.13 via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Jigokudani Yaen-Koen — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Shinshu soba — ys* via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Oyaki — leighklotz via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Gohei mochi — TAKAO_Tsushima via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0. Map: Geolonia (MIT).