Places in Japan
Nagano
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Karuizawa: how a post town on the Nakasendō became a summer resort
Karuizawa stands about 1,000 meters up at the foot of Mount Asama, just west of the Usui Pass. How a fading post town became a summer resort after 1886. -
Komoro and Ueda: two castle towns beyond the Usui Pass
Komoro and Ueda are castle towns on the Chikuma River in eastern Nagano: a castle built below its own town, and the Sanada castle that held off two Tokugawa armies. -
Matsumoto Castle: the black keep below the Japan Alps
Matsumoto Castle in Nagano has a National Treasure keep of five linked buildings. Who built it, why its walls are black, and how the town saved it. -
What to eat in Nagano: soba, oyaki and the food of Shinshu
Nagano, the old Shinshu, is mountain country with no coast. Why its food is soba, oyaki dumplings, nozawana pickles, gohei mochi, apples and wasabi. -
Snow monkeys: why the macaques of Jigokudani bathe in a hot spring
At Jigokudani in northern Nagano, wild Japanese macaques sit in a hot spring through winters when the temperature falls below minus 10°C. The habit began with one young monkey in 1963. -
Suwa: the lake, the four shrines and the log-riding festival
Suwa lies around a lake 759 meters up in central Nagano. Its ice ridges, the four shrines of Suwa Taisha, the Onbashira log festival, hot springs and silk. -
Zenkōji: the temple in Nagano that welcomes everyone
Zenkōji in Nagano belongs to no sect and has long taken in anyone. Its hidden Amida image, the Gokaichō held once in seven years, and its 1707 main hall.