Last Updated: Sep 28, 2023

Welcome to Nagano City

Echoes of the 1998 Winter Olympics

Welcome back to another installment of Japan hidden gem guides. Much like other articles in the collection, I’ll be going into great detail so that you, the reader, can experience this slice of Japan without worry. Today, we’ll be covering the city of Nagano. Well known internationally from the 1998 winter Olympics, Nagano is quite popular amongst foreign enthusiasts of winter sports. Situated within Japan’s Snow Country, Nagano offers a lot more than just great slopes for skiing and snowboarding. In fact, as I hope to prove in the coming sections, Nagano has enough to whet the appetite of any cultural connoisseur.

Before diving into the weeds, let’s first go over some history so that you’re more cognizant of Nagano’s legacy. To begin with, know that this city has roots that date all the way back to the Nara period (710–794) when it coalesced as a temple town. Then, as is the case now, Nagano was centered around the sprawling Zenko-ji temple complex which was established in the mid 600’s. Later on, during the Edo period (1603–1868), Nagano developed into a post town on a critical highway known as the Hokkoku kaido which connected present day Tokyo with the Sea of Japan.