Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [208]
Matsuya Ryokan (232-2811; fax 233-2047; Zenkō-ji Kannai; r per person from ¥5250, with 2 meals from ¥9450) Six generations of the Suzuki family have run this traditional inn just inside Zenkō-ji’s Niō-mon. Even if the communal baths are a bit aged, the rest of the ryokan is exceedingly well maintained. Meals are seasonal kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine). Add ¥1000 per person for rooms with private facilities. It’s next to the statue of Enmei Jizō.
Holiday Inn Express Nagano (264-6000; fax 264-5511; www.ichotelsgroup.com; 2-17-1 Minami-Chitose; s/d/tw from ¥8800/16,000/17,000; ) Built for the Olympics to cater to guests of overseas proportions, this professional 137-room hotel is a good deal for its large, Western-style rooms with LAN cable access. Breakfast is a Japanese-Western buffet (¥1100).
Hotel Metropolitan Nagano (291-7000; www.metro-n.co.jp; 1346 Minami-Ishido-chō; s/d/tw from ¥9240/18,480/19,635) An excellent choice by the station. The modern, elegant Metropolitan features airy, comfortable rooms, and there’s a cafe, restaurant and top-floor lounge with broad views. Japan Rail Pass holders get a 20% discount. It’s just outside the station’s Zenkō-ji exit; sensitive sleepers should reserve a room facing away from the tracks.
Eating
Chō Bali Bali (229-5226; 1366-1 Ishidō-machi; mains from ¥600; noon-2.30pm & 6pm-midnight Tue-Sun; ) This stylish space gathers lively crowds most nights and serves eclectic dishes from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, with a touch of Italian for good measure; yam-un-sen is spicy Thai salad with vermicelli. Highly recommended.
Marusei (232-5776; 486 Motoyoshi-chō; dishes ¥600-1800; 11am-6pm Thu-Tue) A stone’s throw from the temple on Nakamise-dōri, tiny, unassuming Marusei serves soba and a well-liked tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork cutlet); the Marusei bentō (boxed meal; ¥1300) lets you try both.
Gohonjin Fujiya (232-1241; 80 Daimon-chō; mains ¥700-2700, courses from ¥2500; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner nightly) Until recently, this was Nagano’s most venerable hotel (since 1648 – look for ‘Hotel Fujiya’ on signage), but it quit the hotel business and is now the city’s most venerable Western restaurant. Try potato gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce or wa-gyū (Japanese beef) sirloin Florentine. The imposing 1923 building mixes Japanese and art deco motifs. An English menu is available.
Fujiki-an (232-2531; 67 Daimon-chō; mains ¥800-1500; noon-2.30pm & 6pm-midnight Tue-Sun) The clean, contemporary setting belies this soba shop’s history (since 1827) of making fresh soba from the north of Nagano-ken. There’s no English menu but a picture menu: seiro-mori soba (cold soba on a bamboo mat; ¥900) lets the flavour shine; other favourites are with sansai, kinoko (mushroom) tempura (¥1400) or nishin (herring; ¥1200).
Bosco (264-6270; 2nd fl, 1358 Suehiro-chō; mains ¥800-1600; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon) Brush up on your katakana to dine at this comfortably modern Italian trattoria, Nagano’s best. Although the writing may be unfamiliar, the cooking is like an old friend: airy crusted pizzas and generously proportioned pastas. Dark woods, walls of bright tile and an open kitchen provide a snappy backdrop.
Yayoi-za (232-2311; 503 Daimon-chō; mains ¥945-2650; lunch & dinner, closed Tue & 2nd Wed each month) A homey 150-year-old shop specialising in seiro-mushi (ingredients steamed in a wood and bamboo box). The standard is monzen seiro-mushi (local beef and vegetables; ¥1680), while vegetarians can enjoy onyasai salada (steamed vegetables in sesame sauce). For dessert, try kuri-an cream (chestnut-paste mousse; ¥525).
Gomeikan (232-1221; 515 Daimon-chō; mains from ¥1200; 11am-8pm Thu-Tue) If you can’t decide on one style of cooking, this long-standing generalist restaurant serves tonkatsu,