Japan Guide
Central Honshū
Located roughly midway along the Japanese archipelago, CENTRAL HONSHŪ offers a fantastic choice of terrain and travel possibilities. The region, also known as Chūbū, is dominated by the magnificent Japan Alps, which provide spectacular mountain scenery, top onsen and ski resorts, old castle- and temple-towns, and quaint old-fashioned villages in remote valleys. Just as appealing is the rugged northern coast, Hokuriku; shaped by the savage waves of the Sea of Japan, it feels very much set apart from the rest of the country.
The majestic Japan Alps are easily accessible – even for a day trip – thanks to the Shinkansen line that zips from Tokyo to Nagano, a legacy of the 1998 Winter Olympics. Nagano's one key attraction is its venerable and atmospheric temple, Zenkō-ji, but its location makes it a great base for a host of other places around the prefecture. To the northeast is Obuse, famous for its sake, old buildings and gallery of works by Hokusai. Of the region's many skiing and onsen possibilities, Hakuba is becoming really popular as a skiing and outdoor activities destination, particularly with overseas visitors.
The focus of the southern half of Nagano-ken is the charming castle town of Matsumoto, easily reached from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. The town is the jumping-off point for the remote and pristine alpine resort of Kamikōchi, popular with mountaineers and hikers in summer, as well as for a handful of immaculately preserved post towns that line the old Nakasendō route from Kyoto to Tokyo.
On the ugly, urbanized southern coast, the best place to pause is Nagoya, an enjoyable city in its own right, and an excellent base for touring the more scenic parts of the region. From here, it's an easy day trip to the attractive castle town of Inuyama, where you can see summertime displays of the ancient skill of ukai (cormorant fishing), and visit impressive Meiji Mura, a vast outdoor museum of architecture dating from the beginning of the twentieth century. Further inland, the enchanting castle town of Gujō-Hachiman is rightly famed for its summer-long Obon dance festival.
Highlights
1 Obuse Traditional architecture, art, great food and sake in this rural town – a model of urban development.
2 Matsumoto Survey the mountains surrounding this friendly city from the donjon of Japan's oldest wooden castle.
3 Kamikōchi This alpine resort at the heart of Japan's magnificent Alps is a great base for climbing the country's highest peaks.
4 Ryōtei Susaki Dine in a three-hundred-year-old house on the finest Japanese cuisine at this elegant traditional restaurant in Takayama.
5 Kanazawa Home to the verdant Kenroku-en and the cutting-edge vision of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
6 Nagoya Japan's industrial powerhouse is worth visiting for its excellent art museums, delicious restaurant scene and fun Robot Museum.
7 Gujō-Hachiman The August O-bon holidays is a great time to visit this charming castle town and dance the night away.
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