Top Nagano Prefecture Day Trips

Combining a visit to Nagano’s world-famous Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park and evening exploration of the Zenko-ji Tomyo Lantern Festival, this enjoyable 1-day tour marks the midpoint of winter and illuminates Nagano’s ancient heart! Including dinner at Monzen Terrace Enya, this tour brings warmth and light into the midst of winter. This tour begins at Nagano Station, from where you will be transported to the Jigokudani Monkey Park before returning to Nagano City for an early dinner at Monzen Terrace Enya, before being guided around the Zenko-ji Temple precinct in the beauty and tranquility of its annual Tomyo Lantern Festival. All led by a locally-based, English-speaking guide, this tour is a great way to experience the best of Nagano in winter.

Experience the dramatic mountain landscape of Chubu Sangaku National Park and visit the immense snow walls of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. This day trip departs from Nagano Station and includes a ticket for round-trip rail transport with your guide. Traveling with a maximum of 15 passengers in your small group ensures an intimate atmosphere.

See two of the top attractions near Nagano on this full-day excursion. Explore the tranquil grounds of Zenko-ji, a lovely religious site known for its historic Buddhist statue. Enjoy a sake tasting and lunch before heading down a beautiful forest trail to the home of the snow monkeys, a group of local macaques known for their willingness to live in the snow and bathe in the local hot spring.

Check out Japan’s famous cherry blossom blooms and see snow monkeys on a full-day trip from Nagano. After visiting the Jigokudani Monkey Park, you’ll stop for lunch, then visit several different ‘hanami’ spots to admire the cherry blossom trees. This seasonal experience runs from April to the end of May, allowing you to take in the later blooms of the mountainous northern Nagano region.

Enjoy fun winter activities and visit the famous Japanese snow monkeys during this full-day trip to the Shiga Kogen Highlands in Nagano. Visit Jigokudani Monkey Park, where you can observe wild macaques bathing in the area hot springs. After a warm, delicious lunch, you have time for sledding, snow bikes, snow scooters, and a lift ride up the 5,800-foot (1,900-meter) slope of a famous area ski resort.

This value-packed trip with a nationally-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore Karuizawa! Karuizawa is a quaint mountain resort that’s rich in nature and a prime leisure destination. From stunning natural landscapes to fun filled man made attractions, there’s always something to see and do in the place John Lennon loved to escape to. In this guide, we’ll introduce some of the best things to do when you visit, so you can pick what suits you, without the stress. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you! Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. Note*2: The Nationally-licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

This value-packed trip with a nationally-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way toexplore both of the ancient post towns! You can travel between Magome and Tsumago by infrequent direct bus. Nakasendo was one of the two highways during the Edo period connecting Tokyo with Kyoto, running through the Kiso Valley. Travelers at that time walked along the highway, stopping at "post towns" for rest. Some of those post towns have been well preserved and show tourists today exactly what Japan was like hundreds of years ago. Stunning forests, beautiful villages and traditions, we would love to recommend it to everyone interested in Japanese nature and history. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you! Note*1: Nationally and State Licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Kiso Valley, best known for the Magome and Tsumago traditional villages, is another beautiful spot in the Japanese Alps. With one of the most famous hiking paths in all Japan, we set foot there on our quest for traditional Japan. Magome and Tsumago are two beautifully preserved traditional villages. This value-packed Nakasendo trail day hike between Magome and Tsumago with a nationally-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore both of the ancient post towns! It is about 8 kilometres (5 miles) long and has only gentle elevation changes which takes around 2 hours to easy walk at a leisurely pace. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you! Note*1: Nationally and State Licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

This value-packed trip with a nationally/state licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore Matsumoto! Matsumoto is an attractive, cosmopolitan city featuring a superb castle, pretty streets, galleries, and cafes. Matsumoto is a great stepping stone on your way to the Northern Alps, or you can simply enjoy the city's fresh air and dramatic scenery of the nearby mountain peaks. Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a six-hour tour that's best for you! Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. Note*2: Nationally and State Licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

This action-packed private day tour to Matsumoto combines a visit to the historic Matsumoto Castle, the foodie experience of going to one of Japan’s biggest wasabi farms, and Hotaka Shrine too. Going on a guided tour saves time navigating and uncovers hidden gems you might not discover alone such as the quirky “Frog Street” which is known for its abundance of frog products.

Experience the nature and culture of beautiful Nagano on this all-day excursion. After a convenient hotel pickup, head out with an informative local guide and bicycle through apple orchards along the Chikuma River, watch macaques bathe in their natural habitat at Snow Monkey Park, relax in a hot spring at Yudanaka and Shibu Onsen villages, and treat yourself to delicious chestnuts in Obuse.

Explore the magnificent temples and natural wonders of Nagano on a full-day tour and benefit from the undivided attention of a private guide. Visit the famous Zenkoji Temple and Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, enjoy lunch (own expense) in Obuse Town, then choose a soak in the hot springs at Shibu Onsen.

You can explore Matsumoto,as you want with a local professional & friendly guide. Since this is a customized private tour, you can choose the tour time and the sights you visit. You will have great time and great food. Hotel meet up is included to ensure you receive a stress-free experience. If you are not sure where you wanna go, follow the sample itinerary.

Snow monkeys, soba noodles, and temples. All are included on this action-packed day trip from Nagano. Travel by foot, bus and train, and enjoy visits to the 7th-century temple of Zenko-ji and Jigokudani Monkey Park, and learn all about each site from your guide. Your tour also includes a delicious lunch of soba noodles—a local favorite. This wintertime tour runs between November and April.

It’s a Cycling tour around north Nagano's Satoyama landscape and the Myoko Togakushi Renzan National Park. During the cycling tour, we will stop by the beautiful lake, waterfall, very old local shrine, or maybe some farmer's house. Since the area used to be a post town along the Hokkoku Kaido, very old road which connect Edo (Tokyo) to Kanazawa, there are many historical monuments remained around the area. I will take you to a secret place where never on a guidebook! Participants can feel an authentic life style,history and nature of snowy rural area in Northern Nagano.

You will go around famous sightseeing spots in Hokushin (Northern Nagano) area. First, you will see the Jigokudani Wild Snow Monkey Park worldly known for its snow monkeys. Then you will go to Obuse Town, which is reputed for its town renewal project vitalizing the historical heritages such as Hokusai Katsushika.

Situated between the popular destinations of Kyoto and Tokyo, the mountains of Nagano and surrounding regions are the literal heart of Japan and a road less traveled by many international visitors. This tour combines visits to Matsumoto and its famous castle – one of the few remaining castles in Japan – before heading high into the grandeur of the Northern Alps and to the alpine oasis of Kamikochi. All led by an English-speaking guide, this tour captures the essence of Central Japan by combining two of its most iconic destinations.