Culture Zenkoji Temple Japan Travel Zenkoji Temple in Nagano prefecture is considered one of Japan's most popular temples in Japan and the largest after Nara's..
Historical Takato Castle Ruins Park Bryan Baier A park with more than 1500 pink sakura trees where Takato Castle once stood. It's on the list of 100 best sakura viewing locations..
Festivals Shinshu Matsumoto Soba Festival 2025 Mid Oct The Shinshu Matsumoto Soba Festival is an annual event which has been running for almost 20 years now, and it brings soba restaurants..
Culture Candle Night in Matsumoto 2025 Mid Jun Enjoy a fantastic night by light of candles on green glass in the yard of the Matsumoto Museum of Art, with art and live music.
Culture Karuizawa Shaw Memorial Chapel Tomoko Kamishima Owning a summer cottage in Karuizawa is now a status symbol in Japanese. But the first cottage was built by a conservative foreign..
Culture A Creepy Walk through a WWII Bunker Robert Grey Hidden well off the beaten path in Nagano City's Matsushiro area is the Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters, a relatively..
Culture Hakuba Summer Festival 2025 Mid Aug The Hakuba Summer Festival has been running for over three decades now, and it includes a variety of fun activities to enjoy a summer..
Culture Blades of Shinanomachi Nathan Eden I visited a knife and blade maker in Shinanomachi to see how he forges his traditional craft's products. It was both fascinating..