Leisure / Outdoors Spots in Kita-Shinano Area

  • Jigokudani Yaen-koen
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    4.5
    2715 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Shimotakaigunyamanouchimachi Hirao 6845
    This is a park where you can watch bathing monkeys in a hot spring and it is also popular with foreign tourists as a place to see “snow monkeys”. All the monkeys in the park are wild and enter the hot spring in order to be able to endure the cold temperatures of the severe winters which can reach minus 10°C. The park is located in the valley of Yokoyu River which brims with rustic beauty, and is located 30 minutes by foot from the free parking lot at Kanbayashi hot spring.

    We had a great experience at the Snow Monkey Park! We took a taxi from the train station—which took about 15 minutes and cost around 2000 yen. We arrived right when it opened at 08:30 am and were...

  • Mayumi Takahashi Museum of Doll Art
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    4.5
    52 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Iyamashi Iyama 2941-1
    This art museum which opened in 2010 displays 100 works of Iiyama City resident doll maker Mayumi Takahashi. It is a popular spot where visitors can enjoy recalling their hometowns, the expressions of the grandma and grandpa dolls—looking like they are about to chatter—bringing back nostalgic memories. On weekends and holidays there is often a queue to get inside. The dolls on display are changed around twice a year. The nearest station is Kita-Iiyama Station.

    とても人気があります。 平田ますみ先生の和紙創作品が際立ってます。 期間限定ですので是非お立ち寄り下さい。 価値観のある作品です。

  • Lake Nojiri Naumann Elephant Museum
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    3.5
    45 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Kamiminochigunshinanomachi Nojiri 287-5
    A museum located in Shinano Town, Kamiminochi County, Nagano Prefecture. The museum exhibits materials relating to the natural environment in the Lake Nojiri area from pre-history up to today, with a focus on items discovered through the excavations of the lake which have been ongoing since 1962. The highlights of the museum are its life-sized replicas of a fossilized Naumann’s elephant and a giant Japanese elk skeleton. The museum also has an abundant collection of bone and stone tools, and even an exhibit where visitors can touch real fossils. The museum holds mini workshops and special events as well, such as a short class on stone tool-making.

    I didnt spend enough time in Nojiri Lake else I would do the elephant walk. I didnt know what to expect from this museum. As I entered the glass door, there was this elderly woman sitting behind...

  • Sake Storehouse Art Museum Gallery Tamamura Honten
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    4.0
    50 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Shimotakaigunyamanouchimachi Hirao 1163
    Sake Storehouse Art Museum Gallery Tamamura Honten, which provides free sake tasting and tasting for two types of beer for a fee, is an art gallery in a brewery that was partly renovated 150 years ago. The exhibits feature a collection of paintings created over generations by the Sato family that runs the brewery. The works of Shinsui Ito, Heihachiro Fukuda, Kayo Yamaguchi, and Shoko Uemura are the main features. It’s about 30 minutes by car from the Suzaka Nagano Higashi Interchange on the Joshin-Etsu Expressway.

    Tamamura Honten Brewery is located in Yamanouchi and this location is very close to the Snow Monkey Park - you can combine both visits as they are rather close to each other. The brewery is in the...

  • Shinshu Fruits Land (Shinshu Nakano Inter Branch)
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    3.5
    20 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Nakanoshi Kusama Yasudaji temple border 1356-1
    An orchard standing along Prefectural Route 29 in Kusama, Nakano City. From June to around November, visitors can enjoy picking cherries, peaches, grapes, and apples (when in season). The orchard also has a restaurant which can accommodate groups and which serves chestnut okowa rice, Shinshu beef sukiyaki meals, and other dishes. In the orchard's fast food area, meanwhile, you can eat curry and noodle dishes. The orchard's shop sells farm-fresh produce and an abundant variety of Shinshu souvenirs.

    団体で利用し、2階で団体用のメニューで食事をしました。味は当たり障りのないものでしたが、野沢菜が絶妙な塩加減で、とても美味しかったです。

  • Obuse Museum / Nakajima Chinami Kan
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    4.0
    36 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Kamitakaigunobusemachi Obuse 595
    The Obuse Museum / Nakajima Chinami Kan opened in 1992, and they store and display collections by modern Japanese painter Chinami Nakajima in the “Nakajima Chinami Kan” building, as well as traditional “matsuri yatai (festival stalls),” Obuse cultural artifacts. The trees in the area display the beauty of the four seasons, and the “Hanasaku Burari Art Museum” certainly lives up to its name. It’s about 12 minutes on foot from Obuse Station on the Nagano Line and about five minutes from the Obuse Smart Interchange on the Joshin-Etsu Expressway.

    今年 こちらは開館30周年[開館;平成4年(1992)10月22日]で こちらでは 9月23日-12月6日迄 《中島千波の世界展 千波の昔と今(東京藝術大学在学中の作品から現在の作品を展示)》が開催されています。 [中島千波館][第一展示室][第二展示室][キャラリー]に展示されている作品は 写真撮影禁止なので 写真で紹介出来ませんが 屏風《樹霊淡墨櫻》のような作品は 絵に関して素人である私のよ...

  • Floral Garden Obuse
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    3.5
    37 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Kamitakaigunobusemachi Nakamatsu 506-1
    This flower museum is located in Nakamatsu, Obuse Town. Surrounded by five famous peaks, Mt. Karida, and other sights, you’ll find flower gardens with themes based on various seasons. There’s the “Chinese phoenix” garden based on the Hokusai Katsushika depiction of the firebird, the “Tropical Fantasy” greenhouse featuring 200 types of plants, and other exhibitions. There’s also a flower shop that sells gardening goods.

    秋も終わりに近く、落ち葉のお庭にはお邪魔しませんでした。フラワーショップではクリスマスの寄せ植えやリースが並び、とてもお安く魅力的でした。花の盛りの頃に、もう1度訪れてみたいと思います。

  • Tanaka Honke Museum
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    4.0
    32 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Prefecture Suzaka-shi Kurincho 476
    This is a museum in Kokumachi Town, Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, using the house of the Tanaka merchant family who amassed great wealth in the Edo period through grain, rapeseed oil, tobacco, cotton and brewing. In the 10,000 square meter plot around the stone storehouse are the former main building, reception hall and bathing room, and the strolling garden with central pond is beautiful in all seasons. In the stone storehouse exhibition room is a permanent exhibit of the daily goods used by the Tanaka family from the middle of the Edo period into the Showa period, and there are special exhibitions held five times a year.

    The Edo-Style 5 course meal was the most incredible blend of flavors and exquisite taste my husband and I ever experienced! We traveled to Suzaka after our trip to Nagano and got to experience the...

  • Kurohime Dowakan / Dowa no Mori Gallery
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    4.0
    13 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Kamiminochigunshinanomachi Nojiri 3807-30
    This literature museum opened in 1991 amidst the Kurohime Highland in Shinano Town, Kamiminochi County, Nagano Prefecture, and is a facility which houses and displays fairytale and picture books from across the world. There are around 2,000 items related to German author Michael Ende, famous for “Momo,” and a permanent exhibit of the collection of Japanese representative storybook writer Miyoko Matsutani. The Fairytale Forest Gallery introduces works of artists with connections to the local area. Outside is the relocated mountain villa of picture book artist Chihiro Iwasaki, and it is possible to tour inside too.

    童話館前からの眺望はいいですね、妙高山も黒姫山も裾の広い山ですから横の広がりが感じられて雄大な景色が楽しめます。館内展示は大人には物足りないかな。

  • Japan Ski Museum
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    4.0
    23 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Shimotakai-gun Nozawaonsenmura Toyosato 8270

    The museum entry cost less thn $3 Aussie. If your a ski nerd and interested in competitive snow sports it is definitely worth a visit. The downside is that there are no English translations for the...

  • Japanese Light Museum
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    3.5
    24 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Kamitakaigunobusemachi Obuse 973
    This museum, focusing on Japanese lights and lighting, is located in the center of Obuse Town. Centering around the Kitashinano and Surrounding Area Lamp—Masami Kanebako Lamp Collection, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, the museum displays a variety of works and crafts connected with lamps, lights, and lighting. The museum also offers a candle-making workshop (advance reservation required).

    小布施駅から周辺を散策して寄りました。 様々な灯火具があり昔の生活を思いできそうだ浮かべる事ができ現在の明るい生活のありがたさを再認識できました◯

  • Oborozukiyo no Yakata Hanzan Bunko
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    4.0
    15 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Shimotakaigunnozawaonsenmura Toyosato 9549-6
    This memorial hall in Toyosato, Nozawaonsen Village is dedicated to Takano Tatsuyuki, renowned lyricist known for such songs as “Kokyo (Hometown),” “Haru ga Kita (Spring is Here),” and “Oborozuki Yo (Moonlit Night).” You can view such articles as his drafts, letters, paintings and writings, and more. Shiko Munakata, Masaaki Tanaka, Shiro Kasamatsu’s works are also stored here and showcased during special exhibitions. There’s also a cafe, museum shop, and carillon that plays Takano Tatsuyuki’s songs at regular intervals.

    温泉の合間にいきました。観光にはぴったりです。野沢温泉はとても小さな集落ですのでどの旅館からも徒歩圏内です。

  • Shiga Kogen Roman Museum
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    3.5
    16 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Shimotakai-gun Yamanouchimachi Hirao 1465
    "An art museum built to commemorate the Nagano Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It features bottles and vases made in the ancient Roman Empire from iridescent glass. You can spot the adjacent conical restaurant from far away, making it a good landmark. They serve meals and tea. The elliptical museum, which has a theme of ""Coexisting with Nature,"" was designed by world-renowned architect Kurokawa Kisho. Exhibitions include works by Kodama Katei , who was Yamanouchi-machi native and a Nanga painter, and Yoshimoto Yumiko, a contemporary glass artist."

    Its definitely worth visit. Museum building is beautiful, exposition is exquisite. Really enjoyed. Kids could eat pizza and pasta in glass terrace cafe, which is close to museum, so I could fully...

  • Higashi Tateyama Kozan Botanical Gardens
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    4.0
    10 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Shimotakaigunyamanouchimachi Hirao 7149
    You’ll find this summer-only botanical garden on the peak of Mt. Higashidate, which is accessible via gondola from Hoppo Hot Spring or the summer lift from Takaamagahara. You’ll find 500 types of Shiga Kogen alpine plants on the site, part of which was used for the giant slalom course for the Nagano Olympics. The groups of Nikkokisuge plants that bloom in early summer are especially famous. There’s also an observation platform in front of the gondola station at the peak from which you can view the Northern Alps (Hida Mountains) and more.

    コロナ禍の2020年8月お盆休みに訪れましたが、人は疎らでした。天気が良くて、景色は最高でした。早く観光客が戻る事を祈っています。コーヒーを飲んだだけなので、評価は「普通」ですが、景色が最高だったので「良い」にしました。

  • Chie Koike Collection - World Folk Doll Museum
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    4.0
    8 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Suzaka-shi Nobe 1367-1 Suzaka Art Park
    This museum has been selected for inclusion in a list of Japan's 100 most popular tourism facilities as chosen by professionals. The museum preserves and displays a collection of over 3,000 folk dolls from more than 100 countries around the world donated by honorary chairperson Chie Koike. The museum is a fun destination where visitors can get a deeper understanding of the cultures, histories, lifestyles, and fashions of other nations through folk dolls.

    須坂版画美術館&平塚運一版画美術館の奥に位置しています。入館料300円。JAF等2割引。展示室内一部撮影可。文化服装学院名誉学院長が世界90数か国で収集した2,000体あまりの民俗人形のコレクションは壮大です。

  • Suzaka Hanga Museum/Hiratsuka Unichi Hanga Museum
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    4.5
    6 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Suzaka-shi Nobe 1386-8
    An art museum opened in 1991 after the donation of woodblock prints by Suzaka printmaker Asaji Kobayashi and works and self-published magazines produced as part of the Sosaku-hanga art movement collected by Kobayashi in his interactions with other print artists from across Japan. The museum introduces visitors to the wonders of woodblock print art, primarily via a standing exhibition of prints dating to between the Taisho and early Showa periods as well as those produced in the modern day.

    Stunning displays of Hira dolls full of culture! The museum has the original biggest display of Hira dolls. It was interesting to see the subtle differences in the dolls based off of the period in...

  • Tangram Madarao Tokyu Resort
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Kamiminochigunshinanomachi Furumi 3575-8
    This comprehensive resort facility is in Furumi, Shinano Town, Kamiminochi County. It features two hotels, a ski resort, a golf course, a tennis court, a barbecue area, a botanical garden, and facilities for a variety of other activities. They also have a day trip plan that includes a meal at the hotel and a soak in their onsen.
  • Yamazaki Farm
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    4.5
    5 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Kamitakai-gun Obusemachi Obuse 2051
    A farm which grows cherries, huge Kyoho grapes, and chestnuts. Located not far from Obuse Station, visitors can walk here along a lush, greenery-lined road. The farm's cherry picking, offered from mid-June to mid-July, is particularly popular, and each year during this time many people, including those who have come back here again and again, visit the farm to enjoy this fun and tasty activity. The farm also sells its fruits direct, and its fresh-picked fruits are exceptionally juicy and tasty. When in season, visitors can pick six varieties of cherries; gather chestnuts, a distinctly Obuse-style activity; and pick organic, low-pesticide grapes, and the farm is a popular destination for children and adults alike.

    品種は書いてありませんでしたが、木が多く、色々な味のさくらんぼを、食べ比べることができます。30分という時間制限の中でも十分楽しむことができました。

  • Nobutaka Oka Collection Suzaka Classic Museum
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    4.0
    5 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Suzakashi Suzaka 371-6
    A museum in Suzaka City, Nagano Prefecture, housed inside the former estate of the family Maki, who made its fortune in the Meiji period through silk. The museum stores and displays a collection of some 2,000 folk crafts, kimono, and other items donated by Japanese painter Nobutaka Oka. Here you can view kimono used by common people from the Edo, Meiji, and Taisho periods. The museum also holds themed exhibitions. The museum building was made with luxurious materials and tasteful design touches and craftsmanship can be observed throughout, hinting at the lifestyle wealthy merchant’s enjoyed in the Meiji period.

    こちらは[須坂市ふれあい館...

  • Ippongi Park
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    4.0
    5 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Nagano Pref. Nakanoshi Ippongi
    Ippongi Park opened in 1984 as a rest area for the locals, and thanks to the 172 types of roses (179 total) donated by Kikuo Kuroiwa, it has become a famous rose garden in the prefecture. There are currently 850 types of roses and 2,500 roses total, along with cherry trees and perennial herbs that visitors can enjoy year-round. It’s 15 minutes from Shinshu-Nakano Interchange on the Joshin-Etsu Expressway, or about a five-minute walk from Nakano-matsukawa Station on the Nagano Line.

    鉄道を利用して中野市散策していて公園を見つけました。ちょうどバラまつりが開催されていて中には入れませんでしたが、外からでも素敵な花を見ることできました◯

Nagano Areas

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Nagano prefecture is an exciting mix of mountains, hot spring monkeys, and preserved Edo history. At the heart of the Japanese Alps, Nagano is one of the country’s most popular destinations, whether in winter for its snow sports and the much-loved Jigokudani Monkey Park or in the warmer months for discovering the undulating hills on foot. For fantastic Edo architecture, head to the Kiso Valley for a 60-kilometer stretch of quaint wooden buildings that marked the Nakasendo route 200 years ago.

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