Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [206]
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NAGANO
026 / pop 377,000
The mountain-ringed prefectural capital, Nagano has been a place of pilgrimage since the Kamakura period. Back then it was a temple town centred on the magnificent Zenkō-ji. The temple still draws more than four million visitors every year.
Following Nagano’s flirtation with international fame, hosting the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, the city has reverted to its friendly small-town self, if just a bit more worldly. While Zenkō-ji is the only real attraction in the city centre, Nagano is a great regional base for day trips (Click here).
Orientation
Nagano is laid out on a grid, with Zenkō-ji occupying a prominent position overlooking the city centre from the north. Chūō-dōri leads south from the temple, doing a quick dogleg before hitting JR Nagano Station, 1.8km away; it is said that street-planners considered Zenkō-ji so auspicious that it should not be approached directly from the train. The private Nagano Dentetsu (‘Nagaden’) train line and most bus stops are just outside JR Nagano Station’s Zenkō-ji exit.
Information
The website www.nagano-cvb.or.jp has information about sightseeing, transportation, accommodation and festivals.
There’s a post office and international ATM in the West Plaza Nagano building opposite the station’s Zenkō-ji exit. Other post offices include the Central Post Office on Chūō-dōri.
Heiandō (224-4545; 4th fl, West Plaza Nagano; 10am-10pm) Facing the station, Nagano’s largest bookshop carries English-language publications.
Internet Cafe Chari Chari (226-0850; 2nd fl, Daito Bldg, Chūō-dōri; per hr ¥390; 24hr)
Nagano Tourist Information Centre (226-5626; 9am-6pm) Inside JR Nagano Station, this friendly outfit has good English-language colour maps and guides to Nagano and the surrounding areas. Staff can book accommodation in the city centre.
Sights
ZENKŌ-JI
This temple (186-026-234-3591; 491 Motoyoshi-chō; admission free; 4.30am-4.30pm summer, 6am-4pm winter, varied hours rest of year) is believed to have been founded in the 7th century and is the home of the revered statue Ikkō-Sanzon, allegedly the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan (in AD 552; see the boxed text). Don’t expect to see it, however; it is said that 37 generations of emperors have not seen the image, though millions of visitors flock here to view a copy every six years during the Gokaichō Matsuri (see right).
Zenkō-ji’s immense popularity stems partly from its liberal welcoming of believers from all Buddhist sects, including women; its chief officiants are both a priest and a priestess.
The original site was south of the current temple, off what’s now the busy shopping street Nakamise-dōri; however, in that location it was destroyed 11 times by fires originating in neighbouring homes and businesses – and rebuilt each time with donations from believers throughout Japan. Finally, the Tokugawa shōgunate decreed that the temple be moved to its present, safer location. The current building dates from 1707 and is a National Treasure.
Visitors ascend to the temple via Nakamise-dōri and the impressive gates Niō-mon and Sanmon. In the hondō (main hall), the Ikkō-Sanzon image is in an ark left of the central altar, behind a dragon-embroideredcurtain. To the right of the altar, visitors may descend a staircase to Okaidan (admission ¥500), a pitch-black tunnel that symbolises death and rebirth and provides the closest access to the hidden image (taller visitors: watch your head!). As you navigate the twisting tunnel, dangle your arm along the right-hand wall until you feel something heavy, moveable and metallic – said to be the key to salvation, a bargain for the admission price.
It’s worth getting to the temple shortly after it opens to witness the morning service and the ojuzu chodai, in which the priest or priestess touches the Buddhist holy beads to the heads of all who line up and kneel. Check with