Location: Nagano Prefecture
Top Things to do in Nagano Prefecture
Top Hotels in Nagano Prefecture
What to do and see in Nagano Prefecture, Chubu: The Best Things to do Good for Kids
Nagano Prefecture (長野県, Nagano-ken) is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Nagano. Due to the abundance of mountain ranges in this area, the land available for inhabitance is relatively limited.
Restaurants in Nagano Prefecture
1. Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,691 reviews
Reviewed By MichelleSCapeTownSA - Cape Town Central, South Africa
An incredible place, Snow Monkey Park must be one of the world’s most unique attractions and is one of my favourite memories of Japan. The park is small and there is a 30/40-minute easy walk to reach it - the walk is wonderful and through a forest. I visited in April and was able to see a lot of baby monkeys, even on a hot day. They are wild but used to people, so they get close and walk around quite freely. You can see them all around, they play on the rocks and in the water too. When things get heated between the young ones the adults’ step in. Things either calm down fast or the youngsters ensure they move a good distance away and continue being cheeky - super cute. We walked back from the park all the way down to Yudanaka station via the beautiful Shibu Onsen village. This lovely scenic walk starts in the forest, then makes its way through the cobblestoned lanes surrounded by traditional wooden ryokan (Japanese inns) of Shibu Onsen along the Yokoyugawa River. It takes around one to two hours and is worth doing if you have the time – a lot of history, quaint sights and beauty to take in.
2. Takato Castle Remains Park
3. Hakuba
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 300 reviews
Reviewed By PurdueBen500 - Sydney, Australia
Lots of great places to ski/board & very helpful staff many of which speak some English. Spectacular views across the mountains.
4. Hakuba Happoone Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 842 reviews
Reviewed By katmarks - Adelaide, Australia
Definitely a great mountain with loads of terrain, even on the weekends when it's busy there is space to spread out. The newly opened restaurant at the top of Kitaone lift is worth a visit, it was delicious.
5. Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 743 reviews
Reviewed By MadamNomad
There are already lots of reviews here that wax poetic about the quality of Nozawa’s deep powder and wonderful ski resort. So instead, I’ll share a few thoughts on the village area surrounding the 3 base stations of the ski resort and ski-in/ski-out options. For hotel accommodations, each of these areas has PLUSES and MINUSES. Note: when looking at a village tourist map or the ski resort piste map, be aware that these maps are typically drawn rotated with NORTH on the left. The 3 base areas (listed from North to South): 1) HIKAGE Gondola: access by the “Yu Road” or the “Shinyu Pair Lift” At the northern end of the village is Hikage station. Hikage station is the ski resort’s hub which has a gondola, a welcome center, a large children’s snow park, shops, cafes, equipment rentals, ski school, and a zipline base station. Even if you’re not a skier/snowboarder, Hikage station is a fun place to hang out on a café balcony to sip coffee/beer and people-watch. Despite Hikage being the hub, this base station actually sits above the village, and visitors must access the station by either the “Yu Road” (an escalator-like moving walk) or by the “Shinyu Pair Lift” (a free ski lift that carries visitors to the front of the Japan Ski Museum from where it is a very short distance to ski/walk down to the Hikage gondola). HIKAGE PLUSES: The village region immediately below Hikage station is the scenic, historic heart of the village that everyone photographs. Here you will find the greatest concentration of restaurants, cafes, bars/pubs, shops, onsens, shrines, and strolling visitors, plus many lodging options. Also, on this north end of the village is where the Dosojin Fire Festival is held. HIKAGE MINUSES: Allow ~10 minutes’ travel time to ride either the “Yu Road” or “Shinyu Pair Lift” between the village and Hikage station at the start and end of your ski day. As this is the heart of the village, there is very limited parking for cars. 2) NAGASAKA Gondola On Google Maps, the Nagasaka station is designated as “Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort”. Nagasaka is situated midway between the two other base stations. Nagasaka station offers many of the ski services of Hikage, minus the kids’ fun park. NAGASAKA PLUSES: In contrast to Hikage station which requires transit by either the “Yu Road” or “Shinyu Pair Lift”, the Nagasaka Gondola station is at village level, so you can walk right up to it from your hotel. The village area surrounding Nagasaka, in addition to having many lodging accommodations, also has restaurants & pubs. From the Nagasaka gondola, it’s a 10 min walk to the village center. There is a new parking lot at this station. NAGASAKA MINUSES: The Nagasaka gondola station doesn’t have as much of the atmospheric vibe of the Hikage gondola station. 3) KARASAWA Link At the southernmost end of Nozawa Onsen village is Karasawa station which has a lift that carries skiers up the ridge from where they can ski down to the Nagasaka Gondola. KARAWAWA PLUSES: At Karasawa, like at Nagasaka, you can walk directly to the lift from your hotel. There are a few restaurants, plus a nice little supermarket at the Nakao bus stop. Lots of parking. KARASAWA MINUSES: The Karasawa base area is more distant from the heart of the village, but the distance is walkable (~15-20 min). What the hotels here lack in central location, they make up in hospitality. Many of them offer in-house dining and shuttle service to the village center. 4) SKI-IN/SKI-OUT Nozawa does have a limited number of SKI-IN/SKI-OUT accommodations. There is a cluster of hotels at the top of the “Shinyu Pair Lift” near the Japan Ski Museum, and another cluster of hotels on the Paradise ski run higher up on the mountain. Arriving hotel guests are brought to these hotels by snowmobile or snowcat. SKI-IN/SKI-OUT PLUSES: You’re right in the midst of the skiing excitement on the mountain. SKI-IN/SKI-OUT MINUSES: Depending on how high up the mountain your hotel is, you may have limited-to-no access to the après ski scene in the village after the lifts close.
6. Hakuba Goryu Ski Resort / Alpine Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 484 reviews
ABLE Hakuba Goryu Snow Resort has 3 areas of alpine skiing to enjoy. Alps-daira, Toomi and Iimori. There are 15 courses in Goryu. Alps-daira ski slope’s attractiveness is the long term seasonality which is open until the end of Golden Week. The resorts snow quality and panoramic views of the North Alps are both incredible features to enjoy. Toomi and Iimori slope is ideal for beginners, kids and families. It also has the largest night skiing area in Hakuba.
Reviewed By viviansP3405IP
Goryu is our favourite spot in Hakuba so far - purely subjective - yes! Night skiing was great too. To top up our skiing each day, we'd finish up with Yogorino - yogurt 'ice-cream' in a waffle-cone - oiiishiii!
7. Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 334 reviews
Reviewed By JpnMan
Lots of variety and big when including Goryu side. Cheaper than Happone and less exposed, so less wind.
8. Happoone
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 256 reviews
Reviewed By I3750DLjasonc
My teenage son and I had an awesome holiday at Happoone and would recommend the area to anyone keen on great snow and wonderful people and culture. All the facilities are A grade and the people so friendly and helpful. Heaps of long runs and awesome views
9. Utsukushigahara Highlands
10. Kappa Bashi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 516 reviews
Reviewed By ChloeTay - Singapore, Singapore
We were blessed to have a good weather when we visited Kamikochi. It was forecasted to rain heavily that day. The view is magnificent, water is so clear and clean and we enjoyed the 10km walk that day. It is a must to visit if you are travelling in that region, it can be evidence from the photos I took. We stayed overnight in Hirayu Onsen and took a bus (only 30 mins) to Kamikochi. No need to reserve, just buy the ticket on same day.
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