【2 Days in Nagano, Japan】 Kamikochi, Azumino and Matsumoto | 2h 40min from Tokyo | Summer Trip
Hi, everyone! I’ll give you a brief introduction to this trip. This time, I visited Nagano Prefecture in Japan. It’s a mountainous prefecture with beautiful nature. On the first day of my two-day trip, I visited Kamikochi. There, I took a stroll while enjoying the beautiful natural scenery. On the morning of the second day, I visited Azumino City. I toured the wasabi farm and the small museum. In the afternoon, I moved to Matsumoto City. I visited Matsumoto Castle, which was built over 400 years ago, and a beautiful building that was once used as a school. The starting point for this trip is Matsumoto Station. It can be reached by train in about 2 hours and 40 minutes from Shinjuku Station, one of Tokyo’s terminal stations. You can see an introduction to this trip and short videos on my Instagram page. The link is in the description. Please check it out! This is the start of a two-day trip. I’m heading to Kamikochi now by local train and bus. First, I’ll board this train. It’s about a 30-minute ride to the terminal station. I’ve arrived at the terminal station, Shinshimashima Station. Here, I’ll transfer to this bus. It will take about one more hour to reach Kamikochi. Enjoy the scenery from the window for a while! I got off at this bus stop in Kamikochi. Let’s start exploring! I’m currently near Taisho Pond. From here, I’ll take a leisurely walk to Myojin Pond, enjoying the scenery. The current time is noon. My return bus is around 6:00 p.m. I’ll spend the next 6 hours in Kamikochi. This is Taisho Pond. From here, I could see the tree branches surrounding the pond like a photo frame. However, it’s a bit far from the pond itself. Let’s go to another spot to see it up close. Let’s take a look at the pond from yet another spot. Well, leaving Taisho Pond behind, I’m going to continue my stroll. I arrived at the riverside. I’ll move forward. This is Tashiro Marsh. Let’s also visit Tashiro Pond, located nearby. Next, I’ll head for Tashiro Bridge and Hotaka Bridge. These two bridges sit side by side, almost as one, offering beautiful views of the river from above. I’m looking upstream at the Azusa River flowing beneath the bridges. The downstream view is also beautiful. Now, I’m going to start walking again. For a while, I’ll walk along the riverbank. Looking back, it’s a magnificent sight. I’ll soon arrive at Kappa Bridge, located roughly halfway along today’s route. The area around Kappa Bridge is the liveliest spot in Kamikochi. I’m going to have lunch here. This is a pork bun. It uses locally sourced pork. I also bought oyaki, a local specialty of this region. This oyaki contained nozawana, a traditional Japanese vegetable. I also drank apple cider. Nagano is famous for its apples, so many apple-based drinks and sweets are sold here. Well, having finished lunch, I’ll start walking again. The end point of the walk, Myojin Pond, is located beyond this shrine. Well, let’s head back. The return bus departs near Kappa Bridge, where I had lunch. It takes about 50 minutes to walk there. I’m going to cross this bridge. I’ve returned to Kappa Bridge. Since I have a little time before the return bus, I’ll enjoy the scenery one last time. Now, heading to the bus stop. I’ll board this bus and leave Kamikochi. After getting off the bus at the terminal, I’ll transfer to the train. I’m back at Matsumoto Station. I’m going to have dinner at a restaurant near the station. I ordered the Sanzoku-yaki set meal. Sanzoku-yaki is a local dish here, made by marinating chicken in soy sauce, garlic, and other seasonings, then deep-frying it. It was very delicious. I’m completely full. Well, that’s it for today. I’m heading to the hotel. This morning, I’ll be visiting Azumino City. In the afternoon, I plan to return to Matsumoto and enjoy sightseeing. I’ll take the train from this station again. I’ll board this train, which runs on a different line than yesterday’s. I’ve arrived at Hotaka Station, located in Azumino City. I’m heading to a wasabi farm known for its beautiful scenery. It’s about a 30-minute walk from the station. There also seems to be a bus going to the farm. However, the first bus departure seems to be quite a while after my arrival, so I decided to walk. Let’s begin exploring! The wasabi appears to be grown under black sheets. I heard the sheets are installed to protect the wasabi from direct sunlight. Growing wasabi requires large quantities of clean water. Therefore, you can see beautiful streams of water flowing in various places throughout the farm. I’m heading over near the waterwheel. I’ll continue my stroll. I’ve returned near the entrance. I hadn’t noticed it on the way in, but there was a wasabi monument. Well, it’s past 9 a.m. now. I decided to have breakfast at the food court. I ordered a frankfurter. You can’t tell by looking, but wasabi is mixed into the sausage. I also had a wasabi-flavored croquette. It had a kick, but it was delicious. Next, I’m going to take a boat ride and enjoy the scenery along the river flowing beside the farm. I’ll board this boat. Now, I’m going to head back to the train station. I decided to take the bus. I arrived at the bus stop in front of the station. However, I won’t board the train just yet. My next destination is a small art museum. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the station. Works by Ogiwara Rokuzan, a sculptor from Azumino, are on display. I’m off to have lunch. I ordered a set meal. I got to enjoy both traditional Japanese noodles, soba, and a salmon rice bowl in one meal. Well, it’s past noon now. I’ll take the train back to Matsumoto. For the rest of the day, I’ll sightsee around Matsumoto City. My first destination, the shopping street, is about a 10-minute walk from the station. There was a frog sculpture. Apparently, the frog is the symbol of this shopping street. Walking through the street, I found a shrine. Enjoying the shopping street scenery, I’m headed next to the city’s symbol, Matsumoto Castle. The castle is surrounded by moats and can be viewed from various angles. I’m going to take a closer look at the castle. I entered the castle interior. Reached the top floor. Leaving Matsumoto Castle behind, I’m headed to my next destination. Built over 100 years ago, it represents typical school architecture in Japan at that time. I’m going to tour the building’s interior. Now, it’s 4:30 p.m. I’ll take the bus back to the train station. Got off the bus in front of the station. Well, my two-day trip is almost over. I decided to go for an early dinner. This is a ramen shop using miso made locally in this region. I had miso ramen and gyoza. I was able to enjoy a delicious meal at the end of my trip. Well, I’ve arrived at Matsumoto Station. This trip ends here. Thank you for watching until the very end!
Instagram: Introduction to this trip & Short videos
https://www.instagram.com/sawa_journey_001/
Google My Maps: Places visited on this trip
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1hQAGnvLGfAKRDQ9vhLVe8sugZyMMtgQ&usp=sharing
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0:00 Intro
0:27 Overview of this trip
1:43 【Day 1】Matsumoto to Kamikochi
3:38 Kamikochi
16:25 Kamikochi to Matsumoto
17:26 Matsumoto
18:16 【Day 2】Matsumoto to Azumino
19:34 Azumino
29:53 Azumino to Matsumoto
30:16 Matsumoto
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#JapanTravel #Nagano #SummerinJapan #Kamikochi #Azumino #Matsumoto #JapaneseCountryside #NatureWalk
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