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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. Koke no Mori – The Moss Forest
    1

    Koke no Mori – The Moss Forest

    Activities
  2. The Venus Line, Nagano
    2

    The Venus Line, Nagano

    Matsumoto
  3. Climbing Mt. Asama
    3

    Climbing Mt. Asama

    Karuizawa
  4. Takato Castle Ruins Park
    4

    Takato Castle Ruins Park

    Culture
  5. Shirakoma Pond and Forest
    5

    Shirakoma Pond and Forest

    Activities
  6. Onbashira Matsuri in Suwa, Nagano
    6

    Onbashira Matsuri in Suwa, Nagano

    Culture
  7. Frog Street in Matsumoto
    7

    Frog Street in Matsumoto

    Matsumoto
  8. Climbing Mount Karamatsu
    8

    Climbing Mount Karamatsu

    Hakuba
  9. Matsumoto Grand Taiko Festival
    9

    Matsumoto Grand Taiko Festival

    Matsumoto
  10. Karuizawa Stone Church
    10

    Karuizawa Stone Church

    Karuizawa

Upcoming Nagano Events

Nagano Ebisukō Fireworks Festival
Culture

Nagano Ebisukō Fireworks Festival

Tuesday - Nov 23rd

If you think fireworks festivals in Japan are only typical of the summer, then you should visit Nagano around the end of Novem..

10 Free
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Tours and experiences

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Where to eat in Nagano

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Places to stay in Nagano

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
Accommodation

HOSHINOYA Karuizawa

Featured

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

4
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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. 

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