Visit Zenkoji Temple and then relax at a café hideaway. Nagano and kimono go together.

Have lunch at an old miso shop in the shadow of Zenkoji

Suyakame Honten has been making miso the old-fashioned way since its establishment in 1902. Using only the finest materials and ingredients, it goes to great lengths to make its marvelous miso. The restaurant that’s attached to the shop serves grilled rice balls seasoned with its signature miso and udon noodles in a piping hot ingredient-rich miso-based broth (available in winter). Make sure to stop by after paying a visit to Zenkoji.

Years of miso-making go into good old-fashioned grilled rice balls

Try the famous Yakimusubi Kago, grilled rice balls seasoned with savory miso and soy sauce that are served in a basket along with seasonal side dishes. The side dishes, such as fried eggs and nimono (simmered dishes), all have a homemade goodness that makes you feel warm all over. You can enjoy three kinds of miso soup made with Suyakame’s own miso and ingredients that vary each month. The miso soup served on the day we dined there featured natto, nameko mushrooms, corn, and cheese. Refills are free, so it’s a great chance to try them all and compare.

The rice balls are grilled to perfection, crispy on the outside but steamy and fluffy on the inside. The miso is so piquantly pleasant that you’ll have eaten it all up before you know it’s gone.

At this main location of Suyakame, you'll find a wide variety of products including Monzen miso, pickles, seasonings, prepared foods, and miso sweets. You can sample them, so it's also fun to find your favorite flavors.

Gokoku Miso Okoge are miso flavored rice crackers made with five different grains. Crunchy and full of fun flavor that’ll make you feel like a kid again, they’d make a terrific souvenir or snack.

Suyakame broadens the horizons of miso with sweet offerings like its miso-flavored chocolates and hard candies. It's been more than 30 years since they started selling miso soft serve ice cream back in 1989 and in that time the light, not-so-sweet flavor with a hint of miso has won the hearts of countless devotees.

You can’t miss this old-time merchant’s house building with its stunning bright white wall. The bench next to the entrance is a welcome seat for sore feet.

An age-old “power spot” popular to this day

Zenkoji Temple, known throughout Japan for the famed proverb, “chasing an ox leads to Zenkoji,” is a place you should visit at least once if you come to Nagano. Once reserved for prominent warlords, such as Minamoto no Yoritomo, Takeda Shingen, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the temple became a place of worship for the common people in the Edo period. On the alter called Ruruidan that occupies the main hall stands the Amida Triad, the temple’s principal deity.

Zenkoji is most often associated with the ox. We found a lucky ox charm there. The rounded figure is so cute, it makes you happy just to look at it. This lucky charm, which comes in white and black, holds a fortune on a rolled up slip of paper in its belly.

In the main hall, you can experience the “okaidan-meguri,” a tour through a pitch-black corridor. If, while feeling your way along the corridor, you touch the key to paradise, it is believed that you will come closer to eternal salvation. To my surprise, it was much darker than I had expected.

After visiting Zenkoji, enjoy an epicurean excursion down Nakamise Street

Nakamise Street, which leads to Zenkoji, is lined with about 60 restaurants, souvenir shops, and cafés. You’ll find lots of famous foods here

As you walk down Nakamise Street, you’ll spot many shops selling oyaki, the stuffed dumplings that are a Nagano specialty. The array of different savory stuffings seems endless, from the leafy nozawana to pumpkin, shiitake mushroom, and more. You’ll want to try them all. They make a great snack when you're feeling just a little hungry.
This is nozawana oyaki, the most popular kind. The slightly sweet dough is filled with pickled nozawana leafs that have been fried. The combination is so good you simply must try it. One dumpling is quite filling.

• This is apple flavored soft serve ice cream from Shinshu Ringo Kashi Kobo Beni-Beni. The rich, creamy ice cream is topped with a special apple sauce for a refreshing taste and the cherry on top is really a cute little red chocolate apple.

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As you walk down Nakamise Street, you will encounter Roku Jizo, six statues of bodhisattva, who saves people in the six different realms where live their respective inhabitants, the denizens of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, and finally heavenly beings. We quietly joined our palms together in prayer before moving on to see the larger statue of Nure Botoke (Enmei Jizo) seated behind the six jizos.

Bathed in colored light, Zenkoji shines in the night

During the Nagano Tomyo Festival in early to mid-February, Zenkoji Temple is completely illuminated in five different colors for a spectacular sight that brightens up the winter night.
The changing colors of illumination continually put the temple in a whole new light.

Besides lighting up Zenkoji, 800 paper lanterns are displayed along Nakamise Street, the thoroughfare that leads up to the temple. The gentle glow of the lanterns washes the stone-paved pathway with warm waves of light that create a luminescent landscape. Kirie (intricately cut paper for lanterns) lanterns with elaborate designs are another highlight of the festival.

Find your favorite scent of incense made by a master blender

Kotaki is a natural homemade incense shop located near Zenkoji. Once you step inside, you’ll be enveloped by relaxing aromas. The shop offers various types of incense, such as scented pouches, Chinese herbal incense, and kneaded incense. Its owner, Ms. Takahashi, is the only master incense blender in all of Nagano. She blends natural incense materials to create original fragrances using a time-honored techniqu

In the back of the shop, you can try your hand at making a scented pouch or rubbing incense. It makes not only a great souvenir but also a perfect gift. Why don’t you give it a try?

Choose your favorite scents from various natural aromatic raw materials, such as Indian sandalwood, borneol camphor, and clove, and blend them a little bit at a time to create your own incense with a scent all your own while enjoying the changing scents.
Throughout the entire process, which takes about 20 minutes, you are filled with gentle relaxing scents.

• I’m smelling my blend as I work my way toward finding the exact scent I’m looking for. Experiencing the changing scents is something fresh and fun.

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The fabric used to make scented pouches comes in all different colors and patterns. They are all so nice, which makes it hard to narrow the choice down to one

Stuff the pouch with the blended incense, tie the string, and you are all done!
It’s soothing to blend your favorite scents while listening to Ms. Takahashi’s advice. These little scented pouches are so cute. It's also interesting to see how the scent changes little by little over time. In addition to making scented pouches, you can also try your hand at the traditional Japanese arts of mizuhiki or kimekomi, or making a cell phone strap using fragrant wood.

Carefully hand-crafted incense sticks make a perfect gift. The shop has many other attractive incense products as well, such as incense burners and more.

Refresh yourself in the open-air bath while enjoying a magnificent valley view that changes with season

Uruoikan is a hotel situated in the downstream of Okususobana valley, a site that was selected as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan. Located about 7 minutes by car from JR Nagano Station, the hotel boasts its hot spring baths, which can be enjoyed by hotel guests and visitors alike. The best part of this hotel is the open-air bath with a stunning view. While dipping the body in the hot water, you can bask in the nature’s beauty the valley has to offer, like dazzling new greenery or vivid autumn leaves. The babbling of the river running through the valley is so pleasant, making you want to stay in the hot water forever.

Two types of hot springs with different benefits leave your skin moist and smooth

Here you can enjoy two kinds of natural hot springs. The brown-colored hot water that directly flows from the source, known as Susobana Kyo Onsen, is constantly pouring into the outdoor and indoor baths. The indoor bath also has a bathtub filled with clear water, called Hodama no Yu Each hot spring water has different benefits, one with thermal and moisturizing effects and the other that leaves your skin moist and smooth. The hot spring facility is open until 11:00 p.m., so you can enjoy viewing the moon while taking a bath.

If you are traveling with family or friends and prefer a little privacy, you can rent one of the facility’s two private baths (1,600 yen for 60 minutes, reservation required). You’ll also find a free footbath along the river on the south side of the building (10:00 a.m. - sunset, closed from December through March).

The hotel also has a restaurant and a free lounge, where you can relax in a yukata. Women can try the body care or body scrub service as well (reservation required). (Rental lounge wear or yukatas are available for a fee.)

Nagano’s majestic mountains and railways roll out before your eyes

Among the great things the Hotel Metropolitan Nagano has to offer are the rooms with a great view. Here you can sit back and enjoy the view of magnificent Mt. Neko, Mt. Azumaya, Mt. Yokote and other towering peaks of the Shiga Highlands right from the comfort of your room, while railway buffs are sure to delight in the sight of the Shinkansen and local trains rolling in and out of Nagano Station.

Immaculate guest rooms that incorporate the essence of modern European design are equipped with oversized Simmons beds.

The Japanese Collaboration Suite, a spacious 60 m2 room that includes a traditional 6 tatami-mat alcove, is perfect for a group or family of up to 6 people.

Guest rooms come with a spectacular view of magnificent mountains that you can only find in Nagano.

The hotel offers a special plan designed for women on business trips, which includes in-room beauty amenities from Mikimoto Cosmetics. It’s great not only for business travel but also for fun trips with just the girls.

Explore a world of gourmet cuisine at the hotel’s restaurants

The hotel offers a variety of restaurant choices, including Japanese, teppanyaki, Chinese, and café style dining to suit your mood. When at Matsuriya, the bakery attached to Cafe Restaurant Iris, be sure to check out the popular Yasai Nama Shoku Pan, a colorful fluffy vegetable flavored bread loaf. It’s super rich in nutrients, so why not pick one up for breakfast or to take home?

In the corner of the hotel lounge, you’ll find a diorama of Nagano City. This elaborately crafted model of the area around the hotel, including the railway and Zenkoji temple, is fun to look at.

Wear a modern kimono and walk historic Obuse in style

If you want to stroll the streets of historic Obuse, dressed in a lovely kimono, Futabaya is the place to go. A kimono rental shop located inside the beauty salon, i-saloon Obuse, Futabaya has a wide selection of kimonos from colorful designs to modern takes on traditional classic patterns. If you come here for the kimono dressing service, you might as well get your hair done at the beauty salon too.

Looking pretty in a classic kimono

Once you have picked your favorite kimono, it’s time to put it on. There’s nothing like a chic obi to tie a contemporary kimono ensemble with style. If you come for the dressing service in the morning, you can return the kimono any time before the shop closes the same day.

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  The hair stylist took great care to make sure my hair matched the kimono I would wear. The kimono rental also comes with sandals and accessories, so you don’t need a thing

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  Once I’m dressed up in a pretty kimono and have had my picture taken, I’m ready to hit the town. There’s no place like Obuse to wrap yourself in Japanese culture.

Take a relaxing stroll in the town of chestnuts

Famous for its chestnuts, Obuse has some unique tourist spots. One such place is Kuri no Komichi, a path stretching about 150 meters that is paved with blocks made of chestnut wood. As you stroll down the path, the soft wood feels very comfortable beneath your feet. Take a relaxing walk along chestnut tree shaded lanes that are dotted with traditional warehouses along the way

Lined with historic buildings, wooden fences, and chestnut trees, Kuri no Komichi is the perfect place to while away the hours.

Chestnuts and soft serve ice cream better together

Don’t miss the chestnut desserts from Fumido, a company that makes tasty chestnut confectioneries the old fashioned way. At its flagship store you can find a wide selection of chestnut confectionery products, such as yokan and kanoko. You can enjoy all sorts of scrumptious chestnut sweets at the café located inside the store. The most popular, Kuri-zukushi (literally, “just chestnuts”) is a sweet treat for chestnut lovers that’s comprised of soft serve ice cream topped with homemade chestnut paste and chestnuts cooked to perfection. The unskinned chestnuts have a slightly sweet flavor and fabulous texture.

• The chestnut parfait is topped with 10 different Japanese sweets, including homemade chestnut paste, chestnuts, shiratama dumplings, and monaka.

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The Kuri Moffuru Pie, a mochi waffle topped with sweet chestnuts and homemade chestnut paste brings out the real flavor of the chestnut.

It’s a great place where you can eat chestnut sweets all year round, and what’s more, you’ll want to go back here again and again to eat every item on a menu that’s just loaded with tempting chestnut sweets.

Take home a smiley bear-shaped monaka that’s almost too cute to eat

Kumasan Monaka consists of two crispy wafers and homemade chestnut paste wrapped separately. You can sandwich the chestnut paste between the wafers to eat it as a “monaka” or pour hot water over the chestnut paste, top it off with the wafers and have it as “oshiruko.” Whichever way you eat it, you’ll find it delightful.

In this spacious store, you’ll find not only Japanese sweets but also all sorts of Western-style sweets

Stylish café menu featuring traditional shichimi spice blend

Shichimi togarashi, a spicy Japanese seasoning blend, is a staple Nagano souvenir. Before shopping for souvenirs, stop by this stylish café run by Yawataya Isogoro, a well-established company that dates back to the mid-18th century, and explore the world of shichimi togarashi.

Located in a warehouse building next to the main store, this sophisticated dining venue serves up curry made with vegetables harvested from the company’s own farm and other local ingredients, sweets accented with shichimi togarashi, and more that all make for a spicy eating adventure. If you are not sure how hot you like your curry, you can’t go wrong ordering the butter chicken red curry.

The black curry (loaded with big chunks of Shinshu beef) is made with the Shichimi Garam Masala that has been roasted and blended into a roux for unique flavor that’s especially spicy. The Shinshu beef that has been slowly stewed is so tender it melts in your mouth. A full line of spices, such as ichimi, yuzu shichimi, and sansho (Japanese pepper), is provided on each table for you to sprinkle some over your curry if you like.

The spacious café is awash in a chic white decor. The café also serves spiced sencha (green tea) as well as honey ginger lassi and other soft drinks.

Make your own spice blend

At the main Yawataya Isogoro store, you can blend your own shichimi. All ingredients are locally sourced, such as the chili peppers and shiso from the company’s own farm, as well as sansho and sesame from Nagano. Add any ingredients you like to the shichimi base to make your own spice mix.

There are about 30 different spices, each with a different flavor and aroma. The store staff will help you blend your shichimi.

Limited-edition shichimi products are also available to add to your collection. They come in specially design cans, such as the one with the Zenkoji design, which is sold only on the temple grounds, as well as a can design featuring the 6th anniversary of the Rokumon sightseeing train. To find the main Yawataya Isogoro store, just look for its stately sign suited to such a well-established store and the huge chili pepper sculptures.

Conveniently connected to the train station, Midori Nagano is the place to shop for souvenirs

Located right next to JR Nagano Station, Midori Nagano also provides direct access from the Hotel Metropolitan Nagano. It's a must-go for those in the market for souvenirs or gourmet food. If you are looking for some nice souvenirs to take home, go to Shinshu Omiyage Sando Oraho on the second floor. There you’ll discover a wide selection of local gourmet foods. The floor boasts a wide array of famous Nagano retailers specializing in local favorites, such as oyaki, goheimochi (skewered sweet rice cakes), chestnut sweets, sake and wine. Don’t forget to check out the seasonal products that are available for a limited time only.

Miss Apple Pie from Ringonoki in its cute package makes a nice gift for your girlfriends back home.
It’s an easy-to-eat pie stick with a filling made with Kogyoku apples harvested in the confectioner’s own orchard. The sweet and sour apple filling and crispy pie crust are a perfect combination.

Clasuwa is a store run by Yomeishu Seizo that is dedicated to promoting a healthy food culture. You’ll find some unique and intriguing products here, like this brown rice snack we tried. It has a light and crunchy texture and comes in a variety of flavors, including grape and nozawana.

Saver a variety of local sakes with tasty snacks on the side

Shinshu Kuraudo is a store specializing in brewed and fermented food products, such as sake, miso, and pickles. It offers sake and wine selected from 70+ breweries and 20+ wineries across the prefecture.

At Kamosu, a bar located inside the store, you can get a sake flight that comes with a snack on the side, making it a great deal. It’s fun to compare the different dry, crisp sakes brewed in Nagano.