How to Spend Two Days in Nagano

Two days is the perfect amount of time to explore what Nagano City has to offer, see the Snow Monkeys, and even take an extra half-day trip to somewhere like Matsumoto. Here’s how to fit it all in…

This post was updated on December 8th 2025, to reflect the new pricing of the Snow Monkeys Pass.

Getting to Nagano

Nagano is located in the Central Japan region, so if you’re coming straight from Tokyo to start your visit, you’ll catch the Hokuriku Shinkansen from either Tokyo Station or Ueno.

The journey takes as little as 80 minutes and costs 8340 yen in a reserved seat.

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One important note is that if you catch the fastest train on this route, the Kagayaki, all the seats are reserved, so it might be a good idea to book this in advance, as you can’t just jump on board. If you don’t and it’s fully booked when you arrive, don’t worry too much; the slightly slower Hakutaka service also runs regularly and will only add eight minutes to the journey.

Ideally, aim to get to Nagano by about 9.30 am to get everything done on this plan.

Day One – Zenkoji and Snow Monkeys

This plan assumes that, like many people, you want to see Nagano’s famous Snow Monkeys on your visit. If you don’t, or you are here outside of monkey bathing season (December to March), follow our one-day guide to Nagano today instead, which focuses solely on the sites around town.

AM: Explore Zenkoji (Allow at Least 2 hours)

After you arrive at the station, head out of the Zenkoji exit and find the local bus stops. Jump on one of Nagano’s efficient local buses to the entrance of Zenkoji. The 11, 16, 21 and 17 services will all take you close to the main gate.

Our guide on how to ride a bus in Nagano can help you board like a local. When I visited Nagano, you couldn’t use Suica on the bus, but this situation is changing, with more buses in the region now taking the card, so by the time you read this, it may be possible to use Suica on the bus. Don’t assume, though – make sure you have some cash with you just in case. The fare to Zenkoji Daimon (where you get off) is currently 190 yen.

NOTE: If you put a route into Google Maps with Zenkoji as your destination, it will tell you to get off above the temple, but I’d suggest getting off at the stop called Zenkoji Daimon instead (use the destination Daimaru Corner as your marker). This will allow you to walk up the walkway to the main Zenkoji gate.

This path is full of shops selling religious artifacts, souvenirs, and snacks – grab the apple pastries at Beni Beni or the soy sauce ice cream from one of the souvenir shops. Or, if you want something savoury, look for the grilled dumplings called oyaki that are a specialty of the region.

The Quick Guide to Zenkoji

If you’re visiting the temple, you might want to know a bit more about it.

Founded in 642 AD, it’s Nagano’s most visited site, but also one of the most important temples in Japan and home to a statue believed to be the first statue of Buddha to enter Japan. This is so sacred that it’s hidden deep inside the temple, and even the head priest can’t view it.

The temple does show a replica every seven years, though. If you are visiting at this point, expect large crowds. The next showing is from April to June 2027.

This doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to see at Zenkoji, though. Things to not miss include…

The Key of Enlightenment. This pitch-black corridor passes underneath where the statue is hidden. Also, under here is a ‘key’ placed on the wall. It’s said that if you can find this as you walk through the dark passage, you will open your mind to enlightenment. Needless to say, this is not an activity for those with claustrophobia or a fear of the dark.

Binzuru. This statue of a doctor is said to cure ailments. Rub the area you wish to heal as you walk past. His face is nearly worn smooth, so it seems a lot of people with eye or head problems visit here.

The Sanmon Gate. The second floor of this building offers an impressive view over the temple grounds.

The Sutra House. Inside here, you’ll find a giant revolving bookcase containing many Buddhist texts. Turning this once is said to give the same spiritual blessings as reciting the sutras out loud.

The Sand Mandala: This sand display in the temple’s history and artefacts museum (in the Pagoda) took 16 Tibetan monks ten days to make. While sand mandalas are typically transient, the Dalai Lama consecrated this one in 2010, and it’s on display here for good.

Entering the main buildings in Zenko-ji requires a ticket. It costs 600 yen to enter the main hall and the history museum for 600 yen; a ticket just to enter the main gate and see the view costs 500 yen, while the Sutra Hall is 300. You can also buy a combination ticket that includes them all for 1200 yen. It is open between 6 am and 4pm.

Related Read: How to Tell a Shrine from a Temple in Japan.

If you want to learn more about the temple, you can book a guided tour in English. Arrange this at least a week before you visit (the tour website is here), or head to the visitor’s office at the temple entrance to see if there’s still space on the day. Make sure to pat the lucky cow while you’re there.

However, the main hall at Zenko-ji is only part of this vast complex. There are another 39 small temples with lodging facilities around the area, some of which welcome visitors to participate in traditional Buddhist practices like sutra copying or meditation.

What surprised me most was how many little quirky things there also are to find in these temples and the Zenko-ji grounds – from carvings made with fingernails (the one below) to a memorial for Japan’s lost letters.

To stop this from turning into a book, head over to my post on the fun and unusual things to spot at Zenko-ji at Japlanease’s sister blog, Differentville, for a full guide to the quirky things not to miss.

Once you’ve explored Zenkoji, if it’s the right season, it’s time to head out of town to see Nagano’s most famous sight, the Snow Monkeys.

PM: Head to the Snow Monkeys

This troop of wild macaque monkeys live in the forest in the Jigokudani Valley, close to Nagano, and each day, during winter, they come down to sit in the hot springs.

You can reach the Snow Monkeys from Nagano by bus and train. As time is a bit tight, I’d suggest taking the bus as it drops you directly at the gate to the park. You can get there from Nagano Station in about 40 minutes.

You catch the Nagadan Express bus from the East side of Nagano Station (the other side from the Zenkoji buses). This costs 3000 yen each way. The Snow Monkey Resort page is a good place to find the up-to-date timetable in English.

Aim to be on a bus around 1 pm, as it takes 40 minutes to get to the park entrance and at least 25 minutes to walk the 1.6km to where the monkeys bathe (more in snowy weather). This will then allow you around 90 minutes to view the monkeys before the park closes at 4 pm.

Entrance to the Snow Monkey Park costs 800 yen for adults, half price for children.

Note – the buses leaving the park in the late afternoon can have some large gaps between them, so time things carefully if you don’t want to wait for long. If you do get caught, the Enza cafe by the entrance to the walk into the park stays open until 6 pm, so you can have somewhere warm to wait.

Make sure you also read our guide to visiting the Snow Monkeys before your visit. This tells you more about the transport, gives important advice about what to wear or how to hire appropriate cold-weather gear if needed, and more.

Evening

If you’re arriving back at the station from the Snow Monkeys, you might want to visit some of the bars and restaurants in this area. Kuimonoya Wan Nagano Ekimae has good ratings, although the menu is in Japanese. Or try Agijen, which offers yakiniku and has a good English menu.

If you’re at that point in your trip when you want to take a break from Italian food, Osteria Gatto serves pizza and pasta – with a partly English menu. They also have a large selection of wine made in the Nagano region.

DAY TWO

Morning: Matsumoto or Obuse

Day trip – well, maybe just half a day! Both towns are within easy reach of Nagano, and you can hit the main sites in each in a little over half a day.

Visiting Matsumoto

Famous for its black castle, this city also has some interesting shopping areas and is home to a huge exhibit of the dot-covered works of artist Yayoi Kusama. You can easily visit these in around four hours.

You have two options to get here: catch the Shinano line from Nagano Station to Matsumoto Station. It runs once an hour but only takes 50 minutes. It costs 2370 yen one way. Note: Suica cards are becoming more accepted in Nagano, but at the date of writing, you still can’t use Suica cards on this route. This is predicted to change in March 2026.

Or you can take the very similar-sounding Shinonoi Line. This can take as little as 1 hour and 7 minutes to reach Matsumoto, but services with more stops can take up to 30 minutes longer. However, the journey is cheaper, costing just 1170 yen. You can also use Suica on this line.

Once in Matsumoto, the main sights are all within easy walking distance from each other. The order in which you do them depends on your preferences.

When I visited, I chose to start at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art to see the Yayoi Kasuma pumpkins, before the queues built up – and it worked, I was the only person in the pumpkin room! However, some of you might prefer to beat the crowds at Matsumoto Castle first. You can walk yourself around this, but there are also regular free English tours between 10 am and 3 pm.

From your first stop, head to either the white-walled Nakamachi Street to admire the architecture – and the shops, then take in the fun Nawate Shopping Street (also known as Frog Street), where you’ll find all the frog statues and frog souvenirs your heart desires – or, do this in the opposite order if more logical. Then head to finish the visit at the Castle or Art Museum.

Our one-day guide to Matsumoto, gives more details of these stops.

Or, if you’d prefer to see a place through the eyes of a local guide? This walking tour of Matsumoto takes in all of the above. You meet at Matsumoto Station.

Visiting Obuse

If you’re an art enthusiast or you’d prefer a slower wander around a smaller, more rural spot, catch the Nagano Dentetsu Line to the small town of Obuse. It takes 33 minutes to get here from Nagano and costs 870 yen.

Obuse is where the famous Japanese artist Hokusai, painter of the Great Wave off Kanagawa and other famous works, spent the last years of his life, and there is a museum dedicated to his art here. This is open from 9 am to 5 pm, seven days a week. It is closed on December 31st and has shorter hours on January 1st.

Hokusai also painted an impressive piece of work on the ceiling of the Ganshoin temple just outside town. This is open from 9 am to 4 pm.

If you want to go out to the temple, I’d suggest catching the Obuse Town Bus from the station as you arrive if possible. This bus runs at weekends, public holidays and some other days during the busy tourist season between April to November, but services are usually only once an hour.

It costs 600 yen for a whole-day pass on the bus.

Otherwise, the temple is about a 30-minute walk from the station or the Hokusai Museum. You might also find a taxi at the station – if so, it’s only a six-minute drive to the temple.

Once you’ve seen the temple, walk back into town to do the other sites. Obuse is a pretty town to walk around – make sure you grab one of the chestnut-based snacks to keep you going.

If you’d prefer to book a tour of Obuse, there is one here that covers the Hokusai Museum and some other interesting sights in the town.

PM: Explore Gondo

Once you’ve explored outside of Nagano, it’s time to come back in and head to Gondo, the fun, retro area of Nagano city.

Gondo Shopping Street is a great example of a shotengai – a covered Japanese shopping street, and it’s been here since 1961. I don’t think some of it has changed since then! My big regret from Nagano is that I didn’t have time to explore this properly.

It’s gloriously retro, so photographers will love it, and it’s full of small local shops, bars, and restaurants.

The shops have very varied opening hours – some close at 5 pm, others open well into the evening to catch trade from the many restaurants and bars around here. You’ll probably admire their quaintness more than spend a fortune, but it’s a fantastic slice of old Japan.

If you’re coming from Matsumoto, you can walk here from Nagano Station, or catch the Nagano Dentetsu Line to Gondo Station, which is right by the shopping street. If you’re coming from Obuse, you’ll come through Gondo Station on the way to Nagano, so jump off here.

Evening

Gondo is also one of the best places in Nagano to dine at night – restaurants will often open for lunch between 11-2ish, and then open up again in the evening from 5-8ish.

Despite its reputation as a party spot in Nagano, many places do close early on the main shopping street. I was here on a Saturday night and quite surprised at how quiet it was. I wasn’t well when I was in Nagano, so I just went for a soothing dumpling soup at Orion in Gondo, but other good stops include the retro soba bar Togakushi.

Or, if you want to get a local view of Nagano nightlife, try this local bar tour.

If you want to kick things up a notch or dine later, you’re better off heading south. Use Hotel Yama as your guide on the maps, as places around here stay open a little later. Also note, if you’re in Nagano on a Sunday, a lot of restaurants close; plan carefully if there’s somewhere you particularly like the look of.

And that’s it, my plan on how to spend two days in Nagano. If you’re wondering where to stay to do all this, I picked the Chisun Grand Nagano, but you’ll also find other suggestions in our guide on where to stay in Nagano.

What to Read Next: If your stop after Nagano is Toyama, head to our Toyama section to discover the top sights, how to spend a day in the city, where to stay and more.

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