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Nagano

Mountain adventures at Japan's Alps

About Nagano
Photo: Ben Beechey / JT

Top Attractions in Nagano

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Around Nagano

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Nagano Top 10

  1. Nagano Ebisukō Fireworks Festival
    1

    Nagano Ebisukō Fireworks Festival

    Culture
  2. The Bathhouses of Shibu Onsen
    2

    The Bathhouses of Shibu Onsen

    Accommodation
  3. Snow Machine Hakuba
    3

    Snow Machine Hakuba

    Hakuba
  4. Azumino Park Illuminations
    4

    Azumino Park Illuminations

    Activities
  5. Nagano Christmas Market
    5

    Nagano Christmas Market

    Shopping
  6. Karuizawa Winter Festival
    6

    Karuizawa Winter Festival

    Karuizawa
  7. Nagano Lantern Festival
    7

    Nagano Lantern Festival

    Event
  8. Iiyama Snow Festival
    8

    Iiyama Snow Festival

    Activities
  9. Matsumoto Castle Ice Sculpture Festival
    9

    Matsumoto Castle Ice Sculpture Festival

    Matsumoto
  10. Nagaoka Festival
    10

    Nagaoka Festival

    Culture

Upcoming Nagano Events

Azumino Park Illuminations
Activities

Azumino Park Illuminations

Nov 3rd - Jan 8th

From early November until early January, Nagano's Alps Azumino National Government Park will host their annual illumination..

2 ¥450
The Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival
Nightlife

The Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival

Mid Jan

The Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival, an outrageous combination of flames, kindling and tons of sake is held every year on January 15th..

2
Matsumoto Castle Ice Sculpture Festival
Culture

Matsumoto Castle Ice Sculpture Festival

Late Jan

The Matsumoto Castle Ice Sculpture Festival has been running for over 30 years now, with a variety of skillfully designed works..

Free Entry
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Where to eat in Nagano

St. Cousair Winery
Food

St. Cousair Winery

Robert Grey

St. Cousair, an award-winning winery located in northern Nagano Prefecture’s town of Iizuna, is a delightful spot to relax, en..

2
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Places to stay in Nagano

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Latest Nagano Reports

Blades of Shinanomachi
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..

7
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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 km²

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. 

Around Nagano

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