15 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN NAGANO

In 1998 the eyes of much of the world looked at this corner of Japan attentively. Nagano was the capital of the Winter Olympics and for a moment, it became the city everyone was talking about. Surely at that time he experienced unprecedented growth, however the feeling that one has walking on the Chuo-dori, the main street, is to be in a quiet and peaceful mountain city. You want to know what to see and do in Nagano? Keep reading!

We visited it in the middle of winter, and it was the place where we saw more tourists in relation to the local population. And it is an important ski and winter sports center, known worldwide (and no wonder). It also has a good handful of attractions, and that's what we're here for: in this post we tell you the 15 best things to see and do in Nagano.

1. Although Nagano is known outside of Japan for its ski slopes, this city houses one of the most important temples for Japanese culture. We talk about Zenko-ji temple. It is an enclosure of templitos, trees and dirt roads in the northern part of the city. We recommend a quiet walk between them before reaching the main temple, a huge wooden pavilion (of the largest in the country) that they say, houses the first image of Buddha that arrived in Japan. And we underline the "they say" because apparently nobody has seen it for many years. Of course, every 6 years, during the spring, you can see a replica of it (Maedachi Honzon).

His thing here is to arrive very early in the morning to witness the ceremony (schedules vary according to the times of the year), and even if it costs you early, it is certainly worth it (you will have time to go back to bed). Both the ceremony and the entrance to the temple are free, but if you want to access the underground corridor of the main temple (Okaidan), where in complete darkness you will have to find the "key to paradise", you have to pay the entrance fee of 500 ¥.

More info about Mass schedules and prices to visit various places in the temple, here.

2. The Chuo-dori street It is the main artery of Nagano, which runs through it from north to south, from the Zenko-ji temple to the train station. On both sides there are shops, restaurants, cafes, some minor temples and 48 lanterns that light up at night. If you want to get from the station to the temple, you just have to take any bus that leaves from stop Nº1 (in front of the station) and get off at the Daimon stop (150 ¥). Remember that you have to take a ticket when going up the back and pay the driver when you get off.

3. Two of these minor temples are the Junenji Temple, from the branch of Jōdo Buddhism (don't miss the golden Buddha statue that comes in when you enter on the right), and the Saikoji Temple, a hidden gem. In both you can see the Seven Gods of Fortune who are worshiped in Japan, also if you collect the goshuincho, you'll have a couple more of them 😉

4. Try the local specialties, Like the soba (cold noodles accompanied by the broth where they were cooked), the oyaki (Japanese dumplings stuffed with different ingredients) or if you feel brave, try the basashi (horse sashimi).

5. Some of the restaurants What we recommend are these:

• Nihonmatsu: an izakaya managed by a man the sea of ​​majo and with bartenders. His specialty is soba (he has been cooking it for 30 years) and the prices are quite affordable (between ¥ 800 and ¥ 1,500).
• Tonkotsu Ramen Hakata Yatai: where we ate a very good ramen and fried chicken!

6. Are you in trouble and don't know where to go to dinner? We have the solution: the Daimon Kuraniwa Courtyard. It is a patio decorated with typical Japanese elements around which several restaurants of different specialties are arranged. It is true that prices are not too backpacker, but at least stop to take a look (and a few photos, that the site is very handsome).

7. If the day is rainy and you do not feel like staying in the accommodation, you can walk through the Gondo Shopping Street, a closed gallery with bars, shops and restaurants, which is quite lively at night. You don't have the atmosphere of this type of galleries in other cities like Kyoto or Tokyo, but at least you don't get wet!

8. Ok, you are in Nagano because you want to go skiing AND POINT! In that case, you will have some of Japan's best ski resorts a stone's throw away. At the moment it points these: Yabuhara Heights, Kumanoyu Ski Area and the Nozawaonsen area.

9. And after a tiring day (skiing or eating soba), nothing better than relax in an onsen or sit. In the city of Nagano there are several such as the Onsen 亀 の 湯 (we don't find the name in English, but you can see the location on the map below) or the Susobanakyō Onsen. But if you want to enjoy a quiet bath surrounded by nature, nothing better than the Onsen Omuro, with different thermal baths outside and inside, yes, in separate bathrooms (550 ¥). A mixed seat near Nagano is the Kagai Onsen Ichiyokan, in these remember that you have to wear a swimsuit!

10. A curious and cultural visit is the Nishinomon Sake Brewery distillery, which offers guided tours in English with tasting included! If you haven't tried Japan's national drink yet, this is your moment. Also, when we went, it was free 🙂 Just don't drink too much, and then it’s the same for dressing up as a samurai-batman XD

11. To host the Winter Games, Nagano had to put the batteries and build special buildings to serve the competitors. If you want, you can travel to the past and become a 1998 Olympics tour visiting the following points:

• Upon arriving at the station, in the main hall, look at the commemorative plaque of the games: it is a great photo to take as a souvenir!
• The Olympic Stadium (skating rink)
• M-Wave (where is the Olympic museum)
• White Ring (sports center, where figure skating competitions were held)
• Big Hat (hockey rink)
• And if you already want to do a Mr. tour, rent a car and visit the facilities of Iizuna, Yamanouchi, Hakuba and Nozawaonsen (only for true Olympics geeks!)

12. Go to Yawataya Isogoro store and buy a boat of “shichimi ” as a souvenir: it is a perfect and tasty souvenir since it is a seasoning that drives the Japanese crazy. It is a mixture of 7 different ingredients: chili powder, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, tangerine skin, nori and sansho (a type of pepper). Curiosity: the name shichimi means “chile of 7 flavors”. And no, it's not almost spicy!

13. A curious visit (but somewhat overwhelming) is that of the bunkers from Matsushiro Daihonei, a system of tunnels built during the II GM. The truth is that the history of the place is tragic and very interesting and considering the proximity to Nagano and that in the same town (Matsushiro) there are also the ruins of a castle and a good handful of museums and houses of Samurais ... well, it deserves the worth going. We tell you our visit to Matsushiro here (soon).

14. And of course, spend at least one day to visit nearby Shibu Onsen (where, if you can, you have to spend at least one night) and the famous Snow monkey park, which became very popular thanks to some macaques that spend the winter in a pool of hot water. Soon we will tell you our experience in both places.

15. Do you have more time? Nagano is an excellent base to explore other places of interest, such as:

• Mount Togakushi and its sanctuaries
• Karuizawa
• Obuse
• Matsumoto and its famous medieval castle

Here you have a map with the location of the places to visit in Nagano:

Hopefully this post will help you plan your route through Nagano (and surroundings). The truth is that we really enjoyed the 3 days we spent there, we found it a quiet and friendly city and we would not mind at all returning to continue exploring nearby sites. We also have to return to visit the shrines of Togakushi, since when we went, in January, they were full of snow!

Do you know more things to see and do in Nagano?