Japan’s Nagano Prefecture Much More Than Just a Winter Wonderland

After an almost 2 ½ year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan reopened to tourism in Oct. 2022, throwing open the virtual floodgates to a record number of overseas visitors.  Nagano Prefecture, occupying a landlocked area encompassing over 5,200 square miles in the center of Honshu, Japan’s main island, has ramped up tourism efforts aimed at drawing a sizable share of those visitors to experience its diverse natural beauty, cultural sites, outdoor sports, and gastronomy, along with its most photogenic inhabitants: the hot-spring-bathing snow monkeys. From Tokyo, Nagano Station is a quick 80 minutes away via the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train. 

Winter Sports Take Center Stage

Best known as the host city of the 1998 Winter Olympics, Nagano and the surrounding area, also known as “the roof of Japan,” is a natural hub for winter sports.  In fact, much of the Olympic infrastructure remains in use today  Ski resorts abound in the “Japanese Alps,” where visitors also enjoy snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, and snowshoeing.  At the end of a long day on the slopes, guests can warm up by taking a dip in many of the resorts’ on-premise, natural hot springs.  When it’s time to sleep, a variety of accommodations beckon from traditional ryokans to urban hotels and luxury resorts spanning a wide range of prices.  Year-round special events in the prefecture include the Fire Festival, Lantern Festival, Fireworks Festival, Candle Night, the Matsumoto Frog Festival, and, of course, the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

Nagano’s Unique History and Culture on Display in Warmer Months  

But it isn’t all about winter in Nagano Prefecture, as fall foliage is also on full display in the area’s highlands and valleys from Sept. – Nov., and summer brings warmer weather perfect for hiking and walking the historic Nakasendo Samurai Trail, which connects Japan’s historic post towns.  These post towns, which were the centers of government along the country’s original highways during the Edo Period (1603-1868), were set up for travelers to rest and get service as they made their way between Kyoto and Tokyo for over 2 ½ centuries.

At a recent event held at the Consulate General of Japan’s official residence in Los Angeles, Nagano Prefecture governor Shuichi Abe told TMR that Nagano’s differentiator, other than being the hub of the country’s winter sports scene, is the aforementioned, historic core of well-preserved post towns that occupy a unique place in Japan’s history.  Abe noted that  “Nagano was the center of the exchange of cultures, and that helped to nurture the rich lifestyle heritage of the area.”  Meanwhile, Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan’s premier historic castles, is a pristine example of the country’s 16th-century architecture, with its original wooden interiors and external stonework intact.

Gastronomy is also front and center in Nagano Prefecture, with rice-based products like syrup, vinegar and sake providing liquid nourishment, while the regional specialty of oyaki (stuffed buns) filled with pumpkin, red bean paste, mushrooms and other vegetables, satisfy both sweet and savory tastes.

But it’s those preternaturally-cute snow monkeys, soaking in their steamy hot springs while looking incredibly self-satisfied, that are perhaps most emblematic as ambassadors of Nagano Prefecture’s tourism outreach.