Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Matsumoto Castle photo
Castle
Nagano

Matsumoto Castle

Japan's Premier Black Castle

One of Japan's five National Treasure castles, famous for its striking black exterior and alpine ...

Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Historic Site
Nagano

Tsumago-juku

Japan's best-preserved Nakasendo post town where cars are banned from the historic center, offeri...

Nagiso, Nagano, Japan
Attraction
Nagano

Kamikochi

Kamikochi Alpine Valley

Japan's premier alpine valley in the Northern Japan Alps, featuring the crystal-clear Azusa River...

Nagano, Japan
City
Nagano

Obuse

A charming small town in northern Nagano famous for the Hokusai Museum, beautifully landscaped st...

Obuse, Nagano, Japan
Attraction
Nagano

Jigokudani Monkey Park

Snow Monkeys Bathing in Hot Springs

The world-famous site where wild Japanese macaques bathe in natural hot springs, especially photo...

Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan
Historic Site
Nagano

Narai-juku

Narai-juku - The Best-Preserved Nakasendo Post Town

The best-preserved of the Nakasendo's eleven post towns in the Kiso Valley, with a kilometer-long...

Nagano, Japan
Shrine
Nagano

Suwa Taisha

Suwa Taisha - One of Japan's Oldest and Most Revered Shrines

One of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, spread across four buildings around Lake Suwa and famo...

Suwa, Nagano, Japan
Shrine
Nagano

Togakushi Shrine

Five-Shrine Complex with a Cedar-Lined Approach

A Shinto shrine complex of five shrines at the base of Mount Togakushi, with an Okusha approach l...

Nagano, Japan
Temple
Nagano

Zenko-ji

Zenko-ji Temple

One of Japan's most important and popular temples, home to the first Buddhist statue ever brought...

Nagano, Japan
Onsen
Nagano

Bessho Onsen

Historic Hot Spring Town Known as the Kamakura of Shinshu

A historic hot spring town outside Ueda City, nicknamed the Kamakura of Shinshu for its concentra...

Ueda, Nagano, Japan
Region
Nagano

Karuizawa

Highland Resort Town with Shopping and Waterfalls

A highland resort town in eastern Nagano known for cool summers, outlet shopping, and nearby wate...

Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan
Mountain
Nagano

Senjojiki Cirque

Glacial Cirque in the Central Alps by Ropeway

A glacial cirque at about 2,600 metres in the Central Alps above Komagane, reached by the Komagat...

Komagane, Nagano, Japan
Park
Nagano

Utsukushigahara

Highland Plateau with an Open-Air Sculpture Museum

A highland plateau at about 2,000 metres straddling Matsumoto and Ueda, home to an open-air sculp...

Ueda, Nagano, Japan