Snacks, magnets, or perhaps a lucky charm from a temple are the typical souvenirs that most tourists bring back from Japan. However, many …
Category: Activities and Spots
Nagano Highlights: Five Stops in and Around Nagano City
Nagano developed around Zenkoji Temple, a major Buddhist temple with a history of about 1,400 years. The streets around Zenkoji still preserve historic …
More Than Just Ceremonial: Experience Japan’s Everyday Tea Culture
You may think that in our modern world, the average person doesn’t actually stop and have lengthy tea ceremonies on a daily basis, …
Shichimi Togarashi: Nagano's Seven-Spice Legacy
Walk into any Japanese restaurant and you'll likely spot a small tin on the table, its label decorated with a red chili pepper. …
Nagano Fun: 4 Experiences to Have in Nagano City
Nagano City is often treated as a stopover. Travelers arrive, visit Zenkoji Temple, and move on to the mountains or the snow monkeys. …
A Food Guide to the Patio Daimon Kuraniwa in Nagano
Just a short walk from Zenkoji Temple, Patio Daimon Kuraniwa is a cluster of beautifully restored kura (traditional earthen-walled storehouses) that once held …
Zenkoji Temple and Cherry Blossoms: Scenery that colors spring in Nagano
In the Edo period, as the era of peace continued, many people started to make a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Zenkoji …
Oyaki in Nagano: The Bun That Became a Local Icon
Nagano Prefecture is a place where geography once shaped everyday meals. In many mountain districts, rice cultivation was difficult, so households leaned on …
Obuse in Nagano : A Town Built for Walking
Obuse sits on the Nagano plain with orchards at its edges and low mountains in the distance. Arriving by train, the first impression …
Winter Walks in Nagano Area
In late November when the snow starts to dust Nagano's peaks and the valleys sparkle with morning frost, the prefecture transforms into terrain …
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