Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [221]
The farm is about a 15-minute bike ride from Hotaka Station. There are also some calmer municipal wasabi fields.
ROKUZAN BIJUTSUKAN
Ten minutes’ walk from the station, Rokuzan Bijutsukan (Rokuzan Art Museum; 82-2094; adult/child/student ¥700/150/300; 9am-5.10pm Mar-Oct, to 4.10pm Nov-Feb, closed Mon Nov-Apr) showcases the work of Meiji-era sculptor Rokuzan Ogiwara (whom the Japanese have labelled the ‘Rodin of the Orient’) and his Japanese contemporaries. Strolling through the four buildings and garden, you may be struck by how much cross-cultural flow there was between East and West.
NAKABUSA ONSEN
Seasonal buses (late April to mid-November) from Hotaka Station (¥1610, 50 minutes) serve these remote onsen. If no bus is available, taxis start at about ¥7000. From Nakabusa Onsen, there are several extended mountain hikes, served by two seasonal inns.
JŌNEN-DAKE
From Hotaka Station, it takes about 30 minutes by taxi (about ¥4800) to reach Ichi-no-sawa, from where experienced hikers can climb Jōnen-dake (2857m); the ascent takes about 5½ hours. There are many options for mountain hikes extending over several days in the region, but you must be properly prepared. Hiking maps and information are available at regional tourist information offices, although the more detailed maps are in Japanese. Get the taxi’s meishi (business card) to phone for your return trip.
Sleeping & Eating
Azumino Pastoral Youth Hostel (; 83-6170; pastoral@ai.wakwak.com; dm ¥3960, with 2 meals from ¥5900) Amid farmland, 4km west of Hotaka Station (a one-hour walk), this pleasant hostel has plenty of rustic charm and rooms that sleep three to five people. It occasionally closes during the off season (typically in winter).
Ariake-so Kokuminshukusha (; 090-2321-9991; r per person with 2 meals from ¥9500; late Apr-late Nov) Nestled up near Nakabusa Onsen, this is a seasonal 95-person lodge with basic rooms and a nourishing onsen (day use ¥600).
Getting There & Away
Hotaka is about 30 minutes (¥320) from Matsumoto on the JR Ōito line.
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KISO VALLEY REGION
0264
Thickly forested and alpine, southwest Nagano-ken is traversed by the twisting, craggy former post road, the Nakasendō (see the boxed text). Like the more famous Tōkaidō, the Nakasendō connected Edo (present-day Tokyo) with Kyoto, enriching the towns along the way. Today, several small towns feature carefully preserved architecture of those days, making this a highly recommended visit.
It was not always so. Kiso hinoki (cypress) was so prized that it was used in the construction of the Edo and Nagoya castles (it is still used for the reconstruction of Ise-jingū, Click here, Shintō’s most revered shrine, every 20 years). To protect this asset, the region was placed under control of the Tokugawa shōgunate, and locals could be put to death for cutting down even their own trees; restrictions remained in effect well after the Meiji Restoration. The resulting lack of maintenance left many local buildings beyond repair or unreconstructed after fires. Further economic decline came with the introduction of new roads and commercial centres to the north; the construction of the Chūō train line effectively cut the region off.
However, the 1960s saw a move to preserve the post towns’ architecture, and tourism has become a major source of income. Even if most of the remaining buildings are technically Meiji- and Taishō-era reconstructions, the streetscapes are pure Edo and the effect is dramatic.
Tsumago & Magome
These are two of the most attractive Nakasendō towns. Both close their main streets to vehicular traffic and they’re connected by an agreeable hike.
Tsumago feels like an open-air museum, about 15 minutes’ walk from end to end. It was designated by the government as a protected area for the preservation of traditional buildings, so no modern developments such as telephone poles are allowed to mar