Nagano, Japan - Work Abroad

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

When I came to Nagano I was coming from Kyushu in the south. I came by Shinkansen train from Kokura to Shin Osaka station and then changed trains to another Shinkansen that went to Nagoya. In Nagoya I changed to a JR train. There is an express service between Nagoya and Nagano. This trip cost me just over 19,000 yen. Nagano is also connected to Tokyo by Shinkansen which costs just over 7000 Yen one way.. The closest airport is in nearby Matsumoto city, which is about an hour south of Nagano by train (1200 Yen) or car.

Getting Around Nagano City

Nagano has the JR train service to the outer suburbs. Closer in the city you can get around by NagaDen Train or take a NagaDen Bus. Taxis are as expensive in Nagano as elsewhere in Japan.

Blue Winds is close to the skifields (Goryu and Hakuba 21), Kurobe Dam, Hakuba Ski Jump Facilities and Onsen (Hot Spring). They have a Tennis Court (for use in summer) and a dining/lounge area.

The tables are equipped with cooking plates so that you can cook your own yakiniku (Korean style BBQ). There are seperate booths for privacy. Very modern facilities and one of the largest dining areas I have seen in Japan (outside of hotels!).

My favourite menu items were Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Ceasar Salad, Fried `Ebi`, Yakiniku and Sams' groovy non-alcoholic coctails.

There is a pitch black tunnel underneath the Main Hall where you can walk around. It is said that this is the temples "place for enlightenment" and that all people here are equal. There is a key to Paradise that you can feel for whilst in the tunnel. The idea is that you should free yourself of worldly thoughts and engage in self-reflection.

You can catch a 100 yen bus from Nagano Station or it is a pleasant walk through the shopping area up a small hill to the temple.

To enter the Main Hall (and tunnel) and to view an old prayer wheel and a museum underneath the main pagoda a fee of 500 yen is charged. A brochure in English will be provided. Entrance into the grounds of the temple is free.

To celebrate Hanami you should get a group of people together and bring along a BBQ and some alcohol. Next you have to find a cherry tree that is unoccupied and set up. There are popular Hanami spots all over Japan but any Cherry Tree will do the trick! You should then proceed to get very drunk and have a lot of fun talking and laughing with the locals!

HOW TO GET THERE: Take the Nagano Dentetsu train to Yudanaka Station in Yamanouchi (40 mins express train). Then take the Kambayashi bus (220 Yen) and get off at Kambayashi Snow Park. You can then walk for about 20 mins (good walking shoes essential) through a small forest. Admission to the park is 500 Yen. TEL: 0269-33-4379

I live in a place called Ojoji in the northern part of Nagano up in the hills. There are very narrow roads to get up here and I am sure that it snows here more than in the central city area. Driving a car was an interesting experience. If you are ever planning to drive in Nagano in winter you should know that they do not plough the roads and many roads are not treated with salt or other substances so you end up with very slippery roads. It isn't necessary to use chains all the time (I managed to not have to use them the whole winter).

Here are a few pictures of some of my memories of winter in Nagano...
Me shovelling snow in front of my house
The view from my bedroom window
A lion sculpture in the grounds of Zenkoji
The snow settling on the trees in my back garden