"Nagano-ken, a mountainous region" Nagano-ken by tompt

Nagano-ken Travel Guide: 213 reviews and 601 photos

Snowy mountains above Takato, Nagano-ken

Nagano-ken is situated in the center of Japan and is home to the Japanese Alps. There are 16 mountains of 3000m or higher in Nagano-ken. It is 13,584 square kilometers big. There are 67 towns / villages in Nagano-ken. 8 prefectures are neighbouring Nagano-ken: Gunma, Saitama, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Toyama and Niigata.

Next to the natural beauty there are also many cultural attractions in Nagano. You will find local arts and crafts museums but also modern art collections. And ofcourse there is Matsumoto castle, a national treasure.

We have visited Nagano-ken twice (in 2001 and 2003), both times for only a short stay. We are sure we come back to this great prefecture once...

culture

Matsumoto castle

One of the most wellknown things in Nagano-ken is Matsumoto castle.

Matsumoto Castle is one of the few great Japanese castles of the feudal era to survive into the present day in its original form. The donjon has five stories and six floors, and is the oldest surviving donjon in Japan. Attached to the main donjon are two additional turrets. The central structure, as it stands today, was built over a period of years between l592 and 1614 by the Ishikawa clan.

nature

pink cherryblossom, Takato

In Takato, a small village tucked away in the mountains south of Matsumato, one can enjoy the
beautifull pink color of the cherryblossom. 1500 trees bloom at the same time in this village.

More info on Nagano-ken:

- Tourism Division, Nagano Prefecture Government
692-2 Habashita,
Minami -Nagano, Nagano-City
TEL:+81-26-235-7201
E-mail:kankouka@pref.nagano.jp

- http://www.nagano-tabi.net/English/ (tourism in Nagano-ken)

- http://www.pref.nagano.jp/english/indexe.htm(off. prefect. website)

More about the cherryblossom on our Takato page.

Last visit to Nagano-ken: Apr 2003
Intro Updated Feb 27, 2005
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Reviews (3)

dams and waterreservoirs Favorites (2)

Another great sight in Nagano-ken are the numerous lakes and dams. Most dams are made to make electricity, but the... more travel advice

Mountains and more mountains Favorites (2)

The scenery in Nagano-ken is great. The entire prefecture is mountainous. The japanese alps have 16 mountains of over... more travel advice

JR train at Matsumoto station - Nagano-ken

Matsumoto station Transportation (1)

Matsumoto station is frequently visited by trains from all over Japan. It is a busy trainstation with not too many... more travel advice

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Travelogues (1)

Written Jul 3, 2003

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Matsumoto castle

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Comments (2)

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yumiyun Aug 4, 2003 at 4:35 AM

You found lakes behind dams to be a great spot? Those are places I hate the most! But Nagano is definitely a beautiful place!
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Sharrie Jul 6, 2003 at 9:26 PM

I had been wondering... I might have just been a Japanese in my last life ;-)