Road Trip on Nagano Electric Railway (Part 1)
Japan Hour
Sub Navigation
- The Great Escapade: Homebound
- On Common Ground
- Seeing Is Believing
- Climate Change: A Wicked Problem
- The Hidden Layer: Healthcare Trailblazers
- Dream Spaces
- Undercover Asia S8
- Manufacturing Ignorance
- Singapore Budget 2021
- In The Age Of AI
- Climate For Change
- Believe
- Remember Our House
- Singapore Green Plan 2030
- There's Something About Orchard
- Singapore Perspectives 2021: Dialogue with Minister of Education Lawrence Wong
- Inside The Probation Service
- Work.Able
- Once Upon A River
- Greening The 'Net
- Remarkable Living 3
- Contact Tracers
- Game Nation
- The Great Escapade
- Ahead Of Their Time
- When Titans Clash
- From Crisis To Catalyst
- Becoming Human Again
- The Pandemic: One Year On
- A Deadly Ascent
- Strangers In My Head
- Into The Vault 2
- Business Unusual
- Beyond the Viral Video
- Wild City: River World
- Disease Hunters
- Wizards Of Tech
- Feeding A City
- Undercover Asia S3
- 23
- Belly Of A Nation 2
- For Food's Sake! 3
- Forgotten Heroes
- Kampong Konkrit
- Rising To The Challenge
- Grounded
- The Longest Day
- Survival: Developing Countries On The Frontline
- Artists Unstaged
- Corridor of Hope
- Deciphering Japan
- The Family Affair S5
- Singapore Votes 2020: The Political Debate
- In Conversation Special
- Coronavirus Pandemic
- GRIT
- National Broadcast
- Why It Matters 4
- Faith Over Fear
- Outbreak Onboard
- Slumfood Millionaire
- #COVID19: The Social Media Pandemic
- CNA Correspondent
- One Of Us
- The Mark Of Empire
- Courage
- Race Against Pandemic
- A Frame In Time
- Carbon Conundrum
- Secret Wars
- Chasing Scarcity
- Undercover Asia S7
- Stronger: The Battle Against COVID-19
- Gadg(AID)
- Food In Our Time
- Tycoons China
- Inside The Child Protective Service
- Politics Of Climate Change
- The Singapore Perspectives Conference
- Borderlands
- In Our Time
- The Next Wave
- One Day That Changed Asia
- The Year Ahead 2020
- Migrants' Diary
- Ships That Shaped Us
- We Are Gen Z
- Crime Science
- Majulah: Symbols For Singapore
- A Billion Chinese Dreams
- CyberPunk'D
- Remarkable Living S2
- China's Growing Appetite
- In Search Of The Frog Boys
- Venturepreneurs
- The Skin We Wear
- The Millennial Investor
- Show Me The City
- Jewel: After Hours
- The Islands That Made Us
- Rishi & Sharul Try…
- Why It Matters 3
- Regardless Of Generation
- The Singapore Bicentennial Conference
- The Negotiators
- Secret Delicious
- Fighting Foreign Interference
- Hawkers In Our Centre
- HT MintAsia Leadership Summit 2019
- Coded World
- For Food's Sake! 2
- The Big Boss: A 21st Century Criminal
- Belly Of A Nation
- #DontForgetMe
- #HuntingHistory
- #Wanderlust
- Aarushi – Beyond Reasonable Doubt
- Across ASEAN
- Aerial Asia
- A Big Little Murder
- Against The Elements
- Age Of Innovation
- Algorithms
- An Astronomical Journey
- Astropreneurs: To The Stars & Beyond
- ASEAN’s Next Generation Leaders (ANGeLs)
- ASEAN Spotlight
- Asia First
- Asia First Encore
- Asian Century
- Asia in the Great War
- Back to School
- Becoming Human
- Becoming Singapore
- Bridging Giants
- Blueprint For Survival
- Bronze: A Forgotten Treasure
- Butterfly Children
- Challenge Tomorrow
- Champions For Change
- Check In
- City DNA
- City of Opportunities
- China on Film
- CNA Leadership Summit: Navigating a Post-Pandemic World
- Coming Clean About Green
- Conversation With S14
- Cool Living in an Eco-city
- Correspondents' Diary
- Cram Course Asia
- Days in Pyongyang
- Days Of Rage
- Days Of Disaster
- Deciphering Indonesia
- Deciphering The Philippines
- Destiny of a Maritime Nation
- Don't Make Us Invisible
- Electric Dream
- Edible Wild 2
- Edge of Space
- Enemy Within
- Every Woman
- Facing Dementia
- Facing Depression
- Fake News
- Finding Singapore
- Fighting Fake News
- Fighting Falsehoods
- Facing Terror
- Food Heroes
- For The King
- Forums
- Futuropolis
- Gangnam Insider's Picks!
- Get Real S17
- Going Places
- Going Underground
- How To Raise A Super Baby
- In Conversation
- Into The Vault
- India on Film
- Inside the Storm 4
- Indonesia’s Game Changers
- Inside The Children's ICU
- Inside Our Factories
- Insight
- Inside The Cryptokingdom
- In Search of Umami
- In Pursuit of Magic
- I Remember The Fall Of Singapore
- Johor: A New State of Affairs
- Japan Hour
- Just Like You
- Kashmir: A War of Stones
- Land Unlimited
- Law of the Land
- Love in A Time of Change
- Life Lines
- Luxe Asia S5: The Ultimate Access
- Made in Singapore
- Market Insights
- Maverick Politicians
- Money Mind
- National Service - The Beginning
- National Service - The Transformation
- Neighbours: Singapore-Malaysia Relations
- Nepal's Child Brides
- The New Silk Road
- Once a Refugee
- On The Red Dot
- Our Tiny Superheroes
- Palu: A Month After
- Perspectives
- Parliament Specials
- Asia Tonight
- Power And Piety
- Powering the Future
- Power List Asia
- Raffles Revealed
- Raffles: An Icon Reborn
- Real Deal
- Rebellion In Marawi
- Refugee Chef
- Regardless of Class
- Regardless of Race
- Regardless of Religion
- Roar!
- Savouring The Future
- Slackers, Shockers, Suits and Superheroes
- Singapore Food Stories
- Singapore Reimagined
- Singapore Mosaic
- Game Changers Singapore
- Singapore Tonight
- Singapore on Film
- Singapore After Dark
- Smart Cities 2.0
- Specials
- Super Octogenarians
- Start-UP S6
- Talking Point
- Taking Singapore Forward
- Tapestry: The Heart of ASEAN
- The ASEAN I Know
- The Big Questions
- The Dark Web
- The Family Affair S4
- The Great Migration
- The Last Rites
- The Past Beneath Us
- The Successors
- The Terror Trail
- The Truth About Fake News
- This is What I Hear
- The Traitor Within
- This Weekend
- This Side of The Border
- Tipping Point
- To Live
- Transformation For A New Normal
- Trash Trail
- Undercover Asia S6
- Unusual Suspects
- Vanishing Foods
- Vice & Virtue: 1800s Singapore
- Walk This Way
- When We Play
- Wild City: Forest Life
- Wild City: Secret World
- Whiter Shade of Terror
- Why It Matters 1
- Why It Matters 2
- Work Is A 4-Letter Word
- Don't Call Us Poor
- Don't Call Us Beaten
Bookmark
Japan Hour:
Road Trip on Nagano Electric Railway (Part 1)
Join us as we travel on the Nagano Electric Railway line, which runs through northern Nagano Prefecture. The local line has 24 stations, covering a total distance of 33.2km from Nagano Station to Yudanaka Station. Nostalgic vintage trains such as Narita Express and Odakyu Romance Car still operate along the line. Trains run underground from Nagano Station to Zenkojishita Station to preserve the landscape and prevent damage from the snow in winter.
We first take the train from Nagano Station to Gondo Station, two stops away. We have two hours till our next train departs at 10.50am from Gondo. We head to the shopping district where a local tells us to visit Akiha Shrine. There are several Akiha shrines throughout the country but the one here is dedicated to the deity of fire. This shrine has been around since the 8th century. Legendary gambler Kunisada Chuji’s grave can also be found at the shrine. During a famine in the mid-19th century, he rescued villagers from starvation by using all this gambling earnings to help them. His story is recounted to this day in historical tales and plays.
After visiting Akiha Shrine, we continue our search for interesting sites. We come across some college students who tell us about a souvenir shop called Ninja Daimon. It is managed by the Kids Ninja Village in Togakushi, the region where ninjas such as Sarutobi Sasuke underwent training during the civil war era. Ninja Daimon has attractions such as ninja stars and a trick room. There is even a maze, from where one can only escape after finding a hidden door.
We next take the train from Gondo to Zenkojishita, one station ahead. We ask a resident to suggest a place for lunch and are told to go to Yayoiza. It serves dishes which are cooked using a bamboo steamer. Housed in a building which is 170 years old, the 23-year-old restaurant used to be a tatami mat store in the 19th century. Sawara cypress wood from the Kiso region is used for the steamer as it is odourless and does not affect the ingredients. We order a popular dish featuring local Shinshu beef and a colourful selection of 12 winter and mountain vegetables such as mushroom, yam and crimson daikon radish.
After this, we head to the famous Zenkoji Temple, which has a history of 1,400 years. Circumambulating or moving around a circular path under the main hall of the temple, done in the dark, is a popular attraction among visitors. The temple promises rebirth in paradise regardless of one’s beliefs so it draws people of various faiths. Furthermore, the building of the main hall has been declared a national treasure.
We return to Zenkojishita Station and ride the train to Shinano-Yoshida. We have an hour till our next train at 2.45pm. We speak to a group of high school students and other residents who tell us there is nothing interesting in the area. So we decide to head to Fuzokuchugakumae. While waiting for the train to arrive, we talk to some locals who recommend we check out the breathtaking view of fields, mountains and apple orchards near the Nagano Community Hospital in front of Fuzokuchugakumae Station.
At Fuzokuchugakumae, we take a stroll towards the community hospital, while enjoying the panoramic view of apple trees and the surrounding mountains of Northern Shinshu. One of them is Mount Iizuna, which is 1,917m high. In ancient times, the mountain was considered sacred among civil war warriors.
Then, we head by train to Suzaka Station and start looking for hotels. We find out there are very few inns in Suzaka and someone tells us to try our luck at Yamada Onsen. The local suggests we stay at Fukeikan. When we call the hotel to make a reservation, we are delighted when the staff offers to pick us up from Suzaka Station as it is quite far away. Located in the Matsukawa canyon which is famous for its autumn scenery, the hot spring lodge has been in business for over 240 years. Famous vocalist Hibari Misora also stayed here in the 1950s.
Tips:
1) Ninja fans should visit the Ninja Daimon souvenir shop in Nagano City’s Gondo district
2) Zenkoji Temple is one of the most popular tourist spots along the Nagano Electric Railway line