Audio tour · Japan

Nagano

A self-guided audio walking tour of Nagano.

Nagano sits in a wide mountain basin with peaks visible from every street and a quiet that deepens as you move away from the station. Zenkoji temple draws pilgrims and wanderers alike, its long approach lined with small shops and lantern light. Beyond the city the valleys open up into some of the most beautiful mountain country in Japan, and Nagano feels like the right place to arrive before you go further in. In the app, 46 stops in Nagano are narrated aloud, about 1h 18m of listening across 6 walking routes, in 13 languages, offline once downloaded. Choose a route or build your own, then walk while a calm voice tells you the story of each stop. The app also maps 27 Instagram photo spots, social media photo locations with directions to where you stand for the shot.

Available soonon the App Store

The mobile app is available soon

What you'll hear in Nagano

The opening lines of a few narrations, straight from the tour.

Matsumoto Castle. You're standing before a truly magnificent structure.
Karuizawa. You are standing in one of Japan's oldest mountain resorts, set at around 1,000 meters at the foot of the active volcano Mount Asama.
Kamikōchi. When you walk through this valley, you are traversing a landscape that feels almost untouched.
Mount Asama. That broad peak in front of you rises to 2,568 meters and sits right on the border between Nagano and Gunma.
Zenkō-ji. You're walking past a place with over 1,200 years of continuous history.
Hakuba. Look up at the wall of peaks to the west.

All 46 stops in Nagano

Every stop is narrated. Walk them in any order, or follow a route.

Landmark (40)

Matsumoto Castle
Karuizawa
Kamikōchi
Mount Asama
Zenkō-ji
Hakuba
Lake Suwa
Mount Ontake
Suwa Grand Shrine (Suwa Taisha)
Narai-juku
Mount Hotakadake
Tsumago-juku
Togakushi Shrine
Shiga Highlands
Ueda Castle
Mount Yake
Mount Norikura
Daiō Wasabi Farm
Matsushiro Castle
Japan Ukiyo-e Museum
Mount Iizuna
Obuse
Mount Togakushi
Takashima Castle
Hakuba Happo-One
Komoro Castle
Kōzen-ji
Nezame no Toko
Mount Kasa
Sezon Museum of Modern Art
Mount Ōbami
Mount Yakebitai
Komagatake Ropeway
Senjōjiki Cirque
Tenryū Gorge (Tenryūkyō)
Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum
Shinano Kokubun-ji
University of Nagano
Matsumoto University
Seisen Jogakuin College

Historic (4)

Sano ruins
Tochibaraiwakage ruins
Yadegawa ruins
Ōmiyama ruins

Museum (2)

Kaichi School
Jōkyō Gimin Memorial Museum

Walking routes in Nagano

Curated orders through the city. Or build your own and press Play All.

Crow Castle and the Culture District. A loop through Matsumoto's medieval heart taking in the famous black keep, a beautifully restored Meiji schoolhouse, and the country's finest woodblock print collection. (4 stops)
Karuizawa Highland Escape. A sweeping walk across the resort plateau from Karuizawa's leafy lanes to a world-class modern art museum, all in the shadow of the still-steaming Mount Asama. (3 stops)
Pilgrims and the Prefectural Promenade. Follow the ancient approach to Zenko-ji, one of Japan's most beloved temples, then wind through the tree-lined museum quarter and quiet college campuses of central Nagano. (4 stops)
Shrine, Castle and Lakeside. Circle the southern shore of Lake Suwa past a floating castle reconstructed on the water's edge and on to the ancient grand shrine that has drawn worshippers for over a thousand years. (3 stops)
Roof of the Northern Alps. A high-altitude traverse among three of the Hida Mountains' great peaks, where ridgeline trails connect alpine meadows and dramatic glacial scenery above the clouds. (3 stops)
Cirque and Ropeway in the Central Alps. Ride the celebrated Komagatake Ropeway from the valley temple of Kozen-ji up to the dramatic bowl of Senjojiki Cirque, a glacial amphitheatre ringed by jagged Central Alps peaks. (3 stops)