The black-and-white keep of Matsumoto Castle reflected in its moat, cherry trees in blossom at left

A deep-blue alpine lake in a green basin with a red-roofed mountain hut on the shore, mountains of the Hakuba area in summer

A stone arch bridge over a leaf-covered pond among red, orange and yellow autumn trees

Nagano

Nagano: What to Do and Where to Stay

Food · Things to do · Where to stay

The Nagano pages are split by place. Hakuba Valley has ten ski resorts and, in green season, lifts up to Happo-ike pond. Matsumoto Castle is 15 to 25 minutes on foot from JR Matsumoto Station, which is also the start for Kamikochi.

Karuizawa is 63 minutes from Tokyo on a Hakutaka and 67 on an Asama in JR East's October 2026 timetable.

Places in Nagano

Hakuba
Tsugaike opens for skiing on 1 December 2026.
Things to do Where to stay
Matsumoto
Kamikochi closes for the 2026 season on 15 November.
Things to do Where to stay
Karuizawa
About an hour from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
Things to do Where to stay

In depth

TravelSkiing in Japan for the First Time: Niseko or Hakuba, and How Far Ahead You Really Need to Book
Niseko or Hakuba for a first ski trip to Japan, decided on the axes a first Japan trip turns on: getting there from Tokyo, the 2026-27 dates and lift prices the resorts publish, and what has to be booked now.
September 15, 2026