Chūbu Region

Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi

Obuse-Chestnut-Path

Obuse – The Chestnut Town that All Sweet Tooths Must Visit

Obuse (小布施) is a lovely town in Nagano Prefecture, famous for its delicious chestnuts and ukiyo-e artist, Katsushika Hokusai, from the 16th century. Apart from the super sweet chestnuts, the best thing about this town is that it isn’t filled with tourists (*’▽’). You are guaranteed that you won’t be pushed around while exploring the […]

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MONZEN TERRACE ENYA Nagano Japan

MONZEN TERRACE ENYA: A Great Restaurant Close to Zenkoji

Monzen Terrace Enya (エンヤ) is an Izakaya-style restaurant at the starting point of Zenkoji Temple‘s approach. Befitting the restaurant’s name, it has a large comfortable terrace at the back. When the weather is good, sit at one of the tables on the terrace for fresh air. There might even be a few adorable dogs that

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Doon Shokudo Indoyama Matsumoto Nagano Japan

Doon Shokudo Indoyama: The Top Indian Restaurant in Japan

If you are in Matsumoto and crave Indian food, visit Doon Shokudo Indoyama (DOON食堂 印度山). It is where you can find delicious home-style Indian food with a light twist to the Japanese taste. Many dishes are cooked using the recipes from the owner/chef’s grandmother from India. Like Kobayashi Soba, the couple who run the restaurant

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Takesan-Donabe-Ramen-Obuse-Nagano-Japan

Nagano Donabe Ramen Takesan’s Most Delicious Vegan Ramen

While finding a vegan-friendly restaurant in the big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto isn’t hard, it is challenging once you step into Japan’s rural region. But don’t worry when you visit Nagano. Nagano Donabe Ramen Takesan (長野土鍋ラーメンたけさん) in Obuse serves delicious vegan ramen and dumplings! You can also make risotto from your ramen at the

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Toraya-Kobo-Gotenba-Shizuoka-Japan

Toraya Kōbō: Where You Source the Best Japanese Sweets

Are you a sweet tooth? If yes, then you can’t miss out on the famous sweets maker in Japan, Toraya! Toraya’s history goes way back to the early 16th century Kyoto. It was chosen as a purveyor to the imperial court from the late 1500s. When Japan’s capital transferred to Tokyo, it also successfully established

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Katsuoji-Front-Gate-Osaka-Japan

Minō – A City Great for Onsen & Nature Getaways from Osaka

If you want to escape from the hustle and bustle of Osaka City and get back to nature, consider coming to Minō / Minoo / Minoh city (箕面市). It is in Osaka prefecture, less than 30 minutes by the Hankyū Train from Umeda Station (梅田駅)! Right next door to Minō is Ikeda city (池田市) which

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Dakesawa-Marsh-Kamikochi-Nagano-Japan

The Best Guide to Chūbu Japan’s Discounted Transport Deals

The Chūbu Region (中部地方), located in the center of Japan’s main island – Honshu (本州), is one of the most scenic parts of Japan. The best thing about the Chūbu Region is that many of its stunning destinations are located quite near each other. And there are multiple discounted transportation tickets and passes for you

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