Nagano & the Snow Monkeys, Go Deeper
A highland city grown up around one of Japan's great temples, and a gateway to the mountains of the old Shinano province. Zenko-ji has drawn pilgrims of every sect for fourteen centuries; up in the valleys, wild monkeys soak in hot springs, giant cedars line a shrine approach, and a chestnut town keeps the last brushwork of Hokusai.
- Tap Open in Google Maps on any place for live directions, transit, hours & reviews.
- Get an ICOCA / Suica IC card — tap on/off trains, subways & buses, no ticket needed.
- Carry some cash (¥) — many small shops, shrines & old streets are cash-only.
- Go early: the famous spots are calm and beautiful before ~9am.
Zenko-ji
A great temple founded some 1,400 years ago and open to every sect, drawing around six million visitors a year. Beneath the main hall, pilgrims feel their way along a pitch-black passage seeking the 'key to paradise' in the dark.
Jigokudani Snow Monkeys
In a steep river valley, wild Japanese macaques climb down from the forest to bathe in a steaming hot-spring pool — the only monkeys in the world known to do so. The park opened in 1964, and the sight of them soaking in the snow is famous worldwide.
Togakushi Shrine
A shrine of five parts scattered through the mountains, tied to the myth of the sun goddess drawn out of her cave. The approach to the inner shrine runs for two kilometres beneath a soaring avenue of centuries-old cedars.
Obuse
A small, refined chestnut town where the aged Hokusai painted in his final years. Its Hokusai-kan museum keeps rare original ceiling paintings and hand-scrolls, and the lanes are full of chestnut sweets and quiet gardens.
Matsushiro
The castle town of the Sanada clan on the city's south side, with castle ruins, samurai residences and the old Bunbu-gakko domain school. Beneath it runs a vast tunnel complex dug in the last months of the Second World War.
Shibu Onsen
A hot-spring town of stone-paved lanes and wooden inns near the monkey park, where guests in yukata and geta go from one of its nine little public baths to the next, seeking luck in completing the round.
Bessho Onsen
Called the 'Kamakura of Shinshu' for its cluster of old temples, this quiet spa near Ueda keeps an unusual octagonal three-storey pagoda at Anraku-ji, a National Treasure. A gentle hot spring soaked in since ancient times.
Nozawa Onsen
A hot-spring and ski village in the northern hills, where thirteen free public bathhouses (soto-yu) are kept by the townspeople themselves. In January it hosts a spectacular fire festival around a great wooden shrine built and burned in a night.
Oyaki Dumplings
Shinshu's homely snack: a wheat-and-buckwheat dough wrapped around fillings like nozawana greens, pumpkin or sweet bean, then grilled or steamed. Born of a cold, rice-poor mountain country, it is warming, hearty and everywhere.
Crafts of this region
Authentic pieces made near here — learn the story, then bring one home.
Mino Ware
美濃焼 · Toki, Gifu
Shizuoka Tea
静岡茶 · Shizuoka
Tokoname Ware
常滑焼 · Tokoname, Aichi
Nishio Matcha
西尾抹茶 · Nishio, Aichi
Seto Ware
瀬戸焼 · Seto, Aichi
Mino Washi
美濃和紙 · Mino, Gifu
Seki Blades
関の刃物 · Seki, Gifu
Suruga Bambooware
駿河竹千筋細工 · Shizuoka
Plan this trip
Curated experiences (tea ceremonies, guided walks) and places to stay for this route.
Coming soon