Top Tourist Places to Visit in Nagano, Japan

Top Tourist Places to Visit in Nagano, Japan

Nagano is a city situated in Chubu region in northern part of Honshu Island covering a total area of 834.85 sq kms near the confluence of two rivers namely Chikuma and Sai. Nagano is well known for Buddhist temples and shrines which attracts lots of international tourists who come from far and wide places. Nagano is also equally known for reputed institutes, universities, colleges, good infrastructure and efficient modes of transport. Nagano coordinates with 36.38’ degree North Latitude and 138.11’ degree East Longitude.

Nagano History:

Nagano was earlier under the jurisdiction of Shinano Province and later turned out to be one of the model towns of Hokkoku Kaido. Nagano saw the biggest mergers of Showa Era in the year 1954. Tragedy struck at Nagano when river Chikuma was flooded in 1959 where 71 people lost their lives and 20000 rendered homeless. Nagano shot to limelight in the year 1998 when it hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and hosted the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Tourist attractions in Nagano:

Tourists can pay a visit to the following attractions which are listed below in Nagano.

Togakushi Shrine Okusha:

The ancient shrine located in Nagano has idols of Lord Buddha is visited by thousands of locals as well as international tourists throughout the year.

Zenkoji Temple:

These temples are known for their fine exhibition of Japanese architecture and culture. The temples are visited by many visitors all round the year.

Togakushi Kagamiike:

This is one of prominent tourist spot located near Togakushi temple is known for lakes and serene environment.

Nagano Chausuyama Zoo:

The zoo houses many wild as well as domestic animals like Tiger, Cheetahs, Jackals, Bisons, Giraffes, Pandas and Monkeys attracts huge visitors annually.

Togakushi Forest Botanical Garden:

The botanical garden is the house for many rare species of migratory birds from far off places like Siberia for mating and migration. Tourists can spot some of the birds when they visit the Togakushi Botanical Gardens.

Shiga Kogen:

Shiga Kogen is very well known for adventure sports like skating, skiing and other adventurous sports attracts lots of tourists.

Other places to visit in Nagano are:

Chausuyama Dinosaur Park
Togakushi Folk Museum
Togakushi Ninja Museum
Shinano Art Museum
Chokokuji known for temples and religious sites
Okususobana Natural Garden
Matsushiro Castle
Sanada Treasure Museum
Mount Ontake
Nagano Olympic Stadium

Climate, Sports, Cuisines in Nagano:

Nagano experiences humid continental climate during summers and relatively mild cool winters. The maximum temperature during summer exceeds above 37 degrees while in winters it falls to low of -17 degrees. The region also experiences heavy snowfalls measuring upto 98 cms during month of January. Nagano is also known for organizing many sporting activities like skating, skiing, ice hockey, ski jumping, snowboarding etc. Tourists can also taste some of the exotic sea foods like sushi, tuna, oysters, squids and eels when they visit Nagano.

Connectivity to Nagano in Japan:

Nagano is well connected by road, rail and air transport. Regular bus services are available from Nagamo Bus Terminus to various nearby destinations on frequent basis. The city is also well linked by rail network where trains from Nagano Railway Station travel to Toyama, Maebashi, Tokyo and Gifu at regular intervals. The nearest domestic airport is the Matsumoto Airport and the nearest major international airport is the Tokyo International Airport located at the distance of 232 kms from Nagano.

Hotels in Nagano:

Nagano has some of the best hotels in town providing excellent accommodation facilities to the tourists visiting the city from time to time. Hotels offer various international amenities like breakfast, spa, sauna, 24 hrs help desk, airport shuttle, free internet connection etc. They also serve exquisite Japanese cuisines to the visitors which are known for their taste and aroma. List of hotels located in Nagano is as follows: