* [[Matsumoto]] — featuring one of Japan's top 3 castles and lots of wasabi
* [[Matsumoto]] — featuring one of Japan's top 3 castles and lots of wasabi
* [[Shiojiri]]
* [[Shiojiri]]
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* [[Suwa]] - Home to a beautiful lake of the same name.
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* [[Suwa]] - Resort town with a large lake and access to the Yatsugatake Mountain Range
* [[Ueda]]
* [[Ueda]]
Line 20:
Line 20:
* [[Kiso Valley]] — The scenic villages of Magome and Tsumago
* [[Kiso Valley]] — The scenic villages of Magome and Tsumago
* [[Obuse]] — Museums, temples, chestnut confections, hot springs and lots of cultural events and festivals
* [[Obuse]] — Museums, temples, chestnut confections, hot springs and lots of cultural events and festivals
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* [[Suwa]] — Resort town with a large lake and access to the Yatsugatake Mountain Range
* [[Yamanouchi]] — Ryokans, Japanese atmosphere, and snowbathing monkeys.
* [[Yamanouchi]] — Ryokans, Japanese atmosphere, and snowbathing monkeys.
Revision as of 13:20, 11 August 2009
Nagano Prefecture (長野県 Nagano-ken; [1]) is located at the center of Japan. It is surrounded by 8 prefectures. (Niigata, Toyama, Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Gunma, Saitama)
Nagano — the prefectural capital and site of the 1998 Winter Olympics
Azumino — north of Matsumoto and famous for Daio Wasabi Farm, views of the surrounding alpine landscape and the incredible number of museums and galleries
Matsumoto — featuring one of Japan's top 3 castles and lots of wasabi
Karuizawa — Famous mountain resort and a popular summer getaway
Kiso Valley — The scenic villages of Magome and Tsumago
Obuse — Museums, temples, chestnut confections, hot springs and lots of cultural events and festivals
Yamanouchi — Ryokans, Japanese atmosphere, and snowbathing monkeys.
Understand
Talk
Get in
By train
The Nagano Shinkansen line, a branch of the Joetsu line to Niigata, connects to Tokyo in around 2 hours.
By Bus
Buses from the Shinjuku long-distance bus station run about once an hour. The trip takes about 3-1/2 hours; fare is ¥4000 one-way or ¥7200 round-trip. [2] There is also a similar bus to Matsumoto here, it just goes via Kofu.
123bus[3] is a company which provides daily bus services between Osaka and Nagano. With English online booking service.
Get around
See
Nagano's Zenkoji temple is a major draw for pilgrims.
Do
There are many mountains in Nagano, so there are many places to ski. There are also many campsites and onsen, in easy to access locations.
In 1998, Winter Olympics took place in Nagano.
Eat
In culinary terms, Nagano is best known for its soba (buckwheat noodles), known as Shinano soba (信濃そば) or Shinshū soba (信州そば), with those from Togakushi considered by some the best in Japan. Miso (fermented bean paste), a staple of the Japanese diet is also a famous Nagano product. Among foods characteristic to the region are oyaki, small grilled doughballs filled with vegetables or meat, and on the unusual side, basashi (raw horse meat) and inago (locusts).
Apples are one of the special products of Nagano. The taste of Nagano apples is sweet and juicy. The yield of apples in Nagano is the second largest in Japan.
