Nagano -Weekend gateway from Tokyo #japan #weekend #winterolympics #facts #information
Nagano is the capital of Nagano Prefecture and its most northern transport hub. Stay in the city or take a short journey out of the center for world-class ski resorts, snow monkeys and other attractions that include a ninja park and a densely forested shrine.
How to Reach:
From Tokyo, Nagano City is a straight 80-minute shot on the #hokuriku #Shinkansen. From #osaka and #kyoto take the bullet train to #nagoya and connect to JR’s Wide View #shinano express service.
Quick Facts:
Nagano is the prefecture’s largest city with a population of about 375,000
Hosted 1998 Winter Olympics
Things to Do in Nagano:
Become a ninja: Delve into that history at the Togakure Ninja Museum , with antique weapon exhibits and a “ninja house” replete with trap doors and secret passageways. Don ninja outfits in the nearby Togakure Ninja Village theme park and slink the way through attractions like forested obstacle courses and a blow dart range. Try Tokagushi’s famous buckwheat soba noodles while in town.
Acquainted yourself with Obuse: About 20 kilometers northeast of Nagano , is one of the prefecture’s most picturesque small towns. Streets in the center are laid with blocks of chestnut wood for slow strolls. Obuse is famous for chestnuts, and its cafes offer amazing chestnut confectionaries and cakes. Stop by Masuichi-Ichimura brewery or Matsubaya for samples.
Hokusaikan Museum: Obuse hosted the master woodblock artist Katsushika Hokusai for a time in the early 1800s. Its Hokusaikan Museum is a treasure trove of his work, including prints, scrolls and two intricately decorated portable shrines. Don’t miss the ceiling he painted at Ganshoin Temple about a kilometer away.
Snow monkeys:
Take a train to Yudanaka, a small hot spring town further down from Obuse. Catch a bus to visit the local hot spring-bathing monkeys in Jigokudani—the valley that is their home—is covered in snow, but they are equally active and just as cute in any season.
If plan to stay overnight in the area, choose from one of the many traditional hot spring hotels that line the main street running through Shibu Onsen .
More to do back in the city:
Higashiyama Kaii Gallery has permanent and rotating exhibitions of Hokusai’s work.
Zenkoji Temple, a 1,400 years old temple near Nagano Station, is the largest wooden structure in eastern Japan. The present main hall was built about 300 years ago. There are as many as 39 sub-temples on the grounds, called shukubo, and allow visitors to experience an overnight temple stay.
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