Tag: nagano
Forest Bathing With Elephants At Lake Nojiri’s ‘Zo No Komichi’
One of the best nature escapes on Japan’s main island of Honshu has got to be Lake Nojiri. Located high in the northern Nagano mountains, this ancient glacial lake is part of the Myoko Togakushi Renzan National...
Matsumoto Castle: Ninjas and Crows and Koi, Oh My!
Japan is a land of many castles—some 300 to be precise. Admittedly, they can begin to look quite similar after a time, so it’s worth knowing which ones hold particular importance. Of the 300, only twelve castles...
Getting Lucky in Nagano: Visiting The Seven Gods of Good Fortune
In Japanese mythology, there are Seven Gods of Luck (Shichi-fuku-jin) who are believed to offer good fortune in return for your prayers. Traditionally, these beloved figures are enshrined at temples and shrines across the country, but they're often seen throughout pop culture,...
Uga Shrine: A Power Spot Island On Lake Nojiri
Biwa Island sits just out of reach of Lake Nojiri’s western shoreline. Scanning the landscape, this tree-topped mound would fade into the background if not for the striking red torii gate demarking its entrance. The gate identifies...
Things To See And Do In Nozawa Onsen (That Don’t Involve Snow!)
Nestled deep in the beech covered folds of northern Nagano prefecture, Nozawa Onsen is a picturesque village, home to 4,000 people. Sitting at the foot of Mount Kenashi, it comes alive in winter with one of the...
Zenkoji Temple, The Heart and Soul of Nagano City
Japan, like many other countries, has its own indigenous nature-based religion: Shinto. These prehistoric practices involve worshipping the kami who inhabit trees, waterfalls, mountains, objects and even ancestors. While Shinto served Japan well for a very long...
Nozawa Onsen Stamp Trail: A Great Summertime Activity
If there’s one thing that comes to mind when I think of Japanese tourism, it’s stamps. All over the country, there are small tables set up at attractions with an ink-pad and intricately designed stamp for visitors...
Nozawa Onsen’s Free Hot Springs (Soto-yu)
Nozawa Onsen’s heavy snowfall and abundant powder have attracted the winter sports crowds for over half a century, cementing its reputation as a world-class ski resort. But before skiing was introduced to this part of the world,...
Best Oyaki in Nagano: Ogawanosho, steps from Zenkoji Temple
While Nagano Prefecture’s geography is not conducive to growing rice, it is absolutely perfect for buckwheat. Thanks to the experimentation of the Jomon people thousands of years ago, we can now enjoy things like soba noodles, soba...
The Curious Dosojin Statues of Nozawa Onsen
Walking around Nozawa Onsen village, you might start to wonder what’s up with all the statues. It seems like everywhere you turn, you’re met by two crudely drawn faces upon wooden poles. Though they look a little...
