Nagano Tours

10 hours

Today Japanese monkeys of Jigokudani Onsen became so famous that many foreign visitors eagerly want to visit to see. In Jigokudani (literally meaning is Hell Valley) monkeys take bath in open-air Onsen(Hot spring) in particular during winter season. Visitors can reach there in 3 hours by taking bullet trains and Nagano Dentetsu railway from Tokyo. Near the snow monkey park, there is a old town of Obuse. Obuse is famous for the works of Hokusai Katsushika. In 1840's Hokusai visited Obuse in his 80's years old and stay there for several years. There is the museum of Hokusai and his patron's housing. You can have lunch in Obuse. There are some restaurants and confectionery shops and Sake breweries. You could have chances to Sake tasting. If you want, you could visit the temple whose ceiling paint is the largest and last work by Hokusai and his daughter. As the temple is located at outskirt of Obuse, you need to take taxi. Leaving Tokyo station at 7:20 in the morning, you would arrive at the park around 10:30. You will have enough time to watch monkeys' life. You will enjoy seeing not only the snow monkeys but the beautiful landscape of Central Japan Mountain. You could be back to your hotel by around 19:00 in Tokyo.

Nagano Town Walk

How about strolling around Nagano city center with your guide? The local guide will take you to some spots worth visiting and tell you interesting stories on each spot. According to your interests and curiosities, the guide will be flexible and resourceful for your exploration of the town.

Karuizawa History Town Walk

3 hours

Why not explore Karuizawa, a famous upper-market mountain resort welcoming about 8 million visitors a year? You will walk around the Old Town area with a local guide. The destinations include historic lanes and paths, one of the area's famous churches, areas with holiday villas, Karuizawa Ginza Street and more! You will experience a cafe break, which is a must when you come to a resort area.

Matsumoto Castle and Nostalgic castle town

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Matsumoto Castle was built about 400 years ago. It has one of the oldest castle towers in Japan, designated as a national treasure. The black and white contrast of the castle with a backdrop of "the Japan Alps" is really photogenic!! When you stroll the castle town, you come across rows of old houses and also fresh spring waters in every corner. The water in this region is good to produce nice rice wine, sake. Please enjoy!

Nagano Nature & Outdoor Tours

Togakushi Snowshoe Hiking Tour

6 hours 30 min

The mountains of the north Nagano are covered with deep snow during the winter. The pond freezes, all the shrubs are buried under the snow, and the trees wear beautiful white robes. The sound of footsteps and breathing of ourselves as we step on the snow in silence, and the footprints of rabbits and foxes that remain on the snow surface. In winter, when bushes are covered with snow, you can freely walk around the forest, and you can also get to the forest of giant trees,

Train Trip to Snow Monkey Park

6 hours 30 min

Jigokutani Yaen Koen, so-called the Snow Monkey Park, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nagano. If you are lucky, you will see some monkeys bathing in the hot spring. The natural trail is often frozen and slippery in winter season. From May to November, reaching the place is easier than in winter. How about enjoying a local train ride and encountering wild monkeys?

Horse Trekking and Eat at Hidden Restaurant

3 hours 30 min

This tour includes horse trekking and lunch in Karuizawa area, where you can relax in beautiful nature away from the city. Horse trekking is for very first beginners to experienced riders. Just let me know what your level is! I will be taking many photos for you during the tour and send them to you later. Later for lunch, you can try Nagano Soba noodle or Tempura in my recommended restaurant(favorite place among local people!), or you can just tell me what you would like to eat.

FROM$65/ per group

Kanami E.

Spring Flowers in Nagano

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This is the customized tour in which you enjoy beautiful flowers blooming one after another in the countryside of Nagano. You will see the marriage of beautiful mountains and pretty spring flowers.

Nagano Day Trip Tours

Snow Monkey Park and Zenkoji Temple in Nagano

8 hours

The park provides us a rare opportunity for us to watch the Macaque up close and observe their fascinating behavior. During winter the monkeys enjoy bathing in the hot spring. The history of Zenkoji temple started in 642 and it does not belong to any religious sect. Legend says that Zenkoji's golden triad was the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan. After taking a walk in Nakamise street, you can enjoy Sake tasting if you like.

Matsumoto Castle and Daio Wasabi Farm in Nagano

8 hours 30 min

Matsumoto castle which was built in 1593-94. The 5 roofed, six story tower castle is the oldest in existence in Japan. It is designated as a national treasure of Japan. Daio Wasabi Farm is situated amongst the picturesque valleys of central Japan’s famous Alps region. It is known as the largest farm of Wasabi (horseradish) in Japan and noted for its picturesque beauty and long history. The tour starts at Matsumoto station and we will visit these places by train or taxi.

Customized Tour in Karuizawa

Our professional guide will take you to the places that you wish to visit in Karuizawa and nearby areas. We are local guides and do our best to talk about our areas with our warm hearts! Shiraito Waterfall, Karuizawa Shaw Memorial Churches, Soba making experience, Karuizawa Old Town Areas, Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, Karuizawa's History Road, Mt. Asama Magma Stone Park are just some of the popular places. I hope you will have a lot of fun

Visiting Togakushi Shrine and Zenkoji Temple in Nagano

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9 hours

Meet at Nagano station. Travel by bus for an hour to the entrance of Togakushi Okusha Shrine and walk about 40 minutes to the Okusha.Along the way to Okusha shrine, we will walk through a beautiful path surrounded by 400-year-old cedar trees. After visiting Okusha Shrine we will visit the Togakushi Ninja Museum where we can see ninja tools on display. At Chusha Shrine we will have lunch at a soba noodle restaurant. From Togakushi, we will move to Zenkoji temple by bus (or taxi).

Nagano Art, Culture, & Historical Tours

Zenkoji Temple and its Secret Surroundings

Zenkoji is a famous temple and its main hall is designated as a national treasure. Some say they want to visit Zenkoji-temple at least once in their lifetime. It has had a long history of pilgrimage. After Zenkoji, I'd like you to visit Nagano Prefectural Art Museum. You'll enjoy its architectural beauty and the masterpieces of a Japanese post-war painter, Kaii Higashiyama. Buddhist vegetarian lunch at a temple inn or healthy French cuisine at the museum restaurant is my recommendation.

Quiet samurai town, Matsushiro

Matsushiro is a quiet castle town 10km away from the center of Nagano. The town used to be the domain of the Sanada clan. In Matsushiro, you see the castle remains, the residence of the Sanada clan (castle lords), middle-class samurai houses, a school for samurai children and Sanada treasures museum. You will enjoy walking around the cosy town, breathing fresh air.

Hokusai works and chestnut tree alleys in Obuse

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6 hours 30 min

A world-famous ukiyoe painter Hokusai (1760-1849) stayed in Obuse and made his works in his later years. In Obuse Hokusai Museum, you can enjoy not only his ukiyoe woodblock printings but also his original handwritings you cannot see elsewhere. Obuse is well-known for its chestnuts. There are many chestnut trees and a variety of foods with chestnuts. Why don't you try one of them?

Nagano Off the Beaten Path Tours

Togakushi Pilgrimage Trail Walking Tour

7 hours

Togakushi area is considered as one of the most important places for the Esoteric Buddhism. Togakushi Kodo is a path which has been used by mountainous ascetics since ancient times. On this tour, we are going to walk the pilgrimage trail and visit the five Togakushi shrines. Let's explore the mysterious culture and abundant nature of Togakushi area!

Serene and Eternal hometown, Iiyama

7 hours

How about trying the local train and exploring the northern part of Nagano? A trip to Iiyama must be an unforgettable experience for you. The lake Hokuryu is a heart-shaped serene lake in a deep forest. You'll enjoy taxi driving along the Chikuma river, where you'll find many photogenic landscapes. Visiting a doll museum or some temples in Iiyama will also soothe your mind.

Sacred forests and shrines in Togakushi

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5 hours

Togakushi is a sacred place where mountain worship once flourished. You'll see some shinto shrines in the deep forests guarded by sacred mountains. Unbeaten natural beauty will also make you feel refreshed.

Nagano Unique Experience Tours

Nozawa Onsen: Hot Springs and Ski Resorts

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Nozawa Onsen is a cosy village back in the mountains. You will experience the local people's life styles, local speciality foods, and clean air and lush greenery. Please enjoy everything in Nozawa!!

Nagano Kids & Family Friendly Tours

A Day Tour for Snow Monkey and Obuse Town

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8 hours

You will go to Snow Monkey Park and see how wild monkeys live and seem relaxed without minding human beings watching them. There are also some lovely places to visit from Nagano City, such as Obuse Town and Suzaka City. Especially, Obuse is a small but pleasant town where Hokusai, the ukiyoe artist known for "The Great Wave," lived in his later years. Entering the Museum, learning about his life, and eating delicious chestnut sweets will surely bring back good memories.

Nagano Food & Drink Tours

Silk reeling and femented culture in Suzaka

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Suzaka is the compact city where silk manufacturing flourished from the 19C to the early 20C. Silk was exported via Yokoyama to the US, where many ladies wore silk stockings. You will stroll the streets with the warehouses, visit a miso and soy sauce brewery, and Japanese sake retailer. You will notice how much Japanese people have been familiar with fermented products. You also visit a wealthy merchant's house which has been there since the Edo period. Please contact their lives in old days.

Day Trips from Nagano

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Nagano Tour Reviews

Dan S.

5 / 5

Apr 6, 2024

Snow Monkey Park and Zenkoji Temple in Nagano

8 hours

Apr 6, 2024

“The most gorgeous man and guide ever”

Such a gentleman who went above and beyond for our family, even going so far as to arrange luggage pick up with our hotel so we didn’t have to walk around with our bags. His tour was also excellent, giving us enough time to see everything and he was so incredibly knowledgeable when answering our questions. We really loved the snow monkeys and it was Takeshi who spotted the first one! Thank you for the best day of our trip so far!

Takeshi H.

(50 reviews)

Thank you for your review. I was glad that everything went smoothly as planned. The photo is very nice.

Tyler C.

5 / 5

Mar 30, 2024

Snow Monkey Park and Zenkoji Temple in Nagano

5 hours

Mar 30, 2024

“Fantastic Tour”

Takeshi was a great host... good communicator and very friendly and helpful during the tour. Great english speaker!

Takeshi H.

(50 reviews)

Thank you for your review. I'm glad everything went good according to plan.

Miriam H.

5 / 5

Mar 25, 2024

A Day Tour for Snow Monkey and Obuse Town