Visit The Japanese Alps, Japan

Much of Japan’s most glorious mountain scenery is to be found in the Japanese Alps of Nagano Prefecture, home to the 1998 Winter Olympics, and linked to Tokyo by a convenient new bullet train route.

Snowy Alps

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Much of Japan’s most glorious mountain scenery is to be found in the Japanese Alps of Nagano Prefecture, home to the 1998 Winter Olympics, and linked to Tokyo by a convenient new bullet train route.

Nagano has become a world-class ski area with excellent runs and facilities and is well worth a visit during the winter.

Exploring the Japanese Alps

The hub for the region is the picturesque town of Matsumoto, home to the famously brooding ‘Black Crow’ castle. From here it is easy to strike out to the popular hiking centre of Kamikochi, deep in the mountains. Summer is also an excellent time to visit this region, with walking trails among the mountains and lakes of the area, available for all levels of energy and experience.

Yudanaka Onsen

Also nearby is Yudanaka Onsen, made famous by the wild monkeys which come down from the hills in the depths of the snowy winter to bathe in the area’s natural hot spring pools.

Tateyama - Kurobe Alpine Route

For the adventurous the Tateyama - Kurobe Alpine Route crosses through the heart of the Alps from Matsumoto to Toyama.

Only 2 hours from Tokyo, the Japanese Alps are the perfect place to escape the heat of the city in the summer and take on the slopes in winter.

Places within The Japanese Alps

Hakuba

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• {9E936B73-53BB-4C5E-88E2-D3089B0376F9}
• Located in the Northern Japan Alps, Hakuba is well regarded as one of the best ski resorts in Japan and staged the Super-G, down hill, and ski jumping events during the 1998 Winter Olympics.
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Kamikochi

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• Kamikochi is a perfect place to stretch your legs with easy walks along the river and hot springs at your hotel. It also plays host to the most exhilarating mountain treks in the country.
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Matsumoto

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• Matsumoto is a small, cosmopolitan city on the edge of the Japanese Alps. Its history dates back to the 8th century but it is most famous for its fantastic castle, known as 'Crow Castle' because of its striking black and white design.
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Tateyama

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• The Alpine Route is a mountain lover's paradise and offers not only stunning alpine views of the Tateyama Range and the Northern Japanese Alps, but also many excellent trekking opportunities.
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Yudanaka

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• Yudanaka is a hot spring resort which sits perched in the hills intermingled with Yamanouchi town. There are many hot springs here and the most famous is Shibu Onsen at Jigokudani, which is home to more than one hundred Japanese snow monkeys.
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• 138.416748046875

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