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REGIONS OF JAPAN / CHUBU
Chubu
Mount Fuji, the Japanese Alps and historic cities between Japan’s two coasts.
01 / LOCATION
Find your bearings
Use three broad reference points: Hokuriku on the Sea of Japan side, inland Nagano and the Alps, and the Pacific-side Tokai area. Choose the side of the mountains that fits your route; these areas do not share one local gateway.
Chubu reaches from the Sea of Japan coast through inland mountain country to the Pacific side, with historic cities, hot-spring towns and Fuji-area scenery along the way. Choose the side of the region that matches your route before linking places across the mountains. More trip planning currently begins with a stay in Shibu Onsen.
02 / CHOOSE A BASE
Three ways to explore
Showing Nagano & Shibu Onsen
01 / INLAND NAGANO
Nagano and Shibu Onsen
Arrival & Zenkoji
Use Nagano Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen as the gateway for a city-and-onsen pairing. We suggest a half-day around Zenkoji: take a local bus to Zenkoji-Daimon, walk the temple approach, and explore the surrounding shopping streets.
Food & nearby stops
Pause for Shinshu soba or an oyaki stuffed dumpling between sights. Keep larger mountain excursions for another day instead of treating them as additions to the temple walk.
Getting to Shibu Onsen
For Shibu Onsen, return to the station area and take the Nagano Dentetsu railway to Yudanaka, then complete the final leg on foot or by taxi according to your luggage and accommodation. Shibu's narrow streets and traditional inns reward an unhurried overnight stay.
Leave time for the inn
We suggest keeping that evening free for the town and your booked meal rather than arriving after a packed sightseeing day. Our Kokuya guide explains one specific inn's room, bath and meal choices; it is an accommodation decision, not a substitute for choosing your Nagano route.
Shibu Onsen Kokuya: rooms, baths and meals →
Build a route with fewer base changes →
Photo: Christophe95, Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
02 / SEA OF JAPAN SIDE
Kanazawa and the Hokuriku side
Arrival & suggested pace
We suggest one or two nights in Kanazawa, depending on how many museums you want to enter. Arrive by Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo; a rail journey from Kyoto or Osaka involves changing at Tsuruga.
Garden, castle & art
From Kanazawa Station, local buses connect the main visitor districts, while the central sights can be grouped into walking sections. Give your first substantial outing to Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle Park, then choose the nearby 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art if modern art interests you.
Markets & historic districts
On another half-day, pair Omicho Market with the Higashi Chaya district, leaving time for seafood and browsing local crafts. Nagamachi offers a different focus on samurai-era streets and houses if you prefer history to another exhibition.
Beyond Kanazawa
The sequence and stay length are editorial choices. Toyama and Fukui are onward destinations with their own stations and sightseeing areas; add them as separate days rather than treating all of Hokuriku as one city.
Food and dining choices →
Plan intercity travel →
Photo: 663highland, 131109 Kenrokuen Kanazawa Ishikawa pref Japan08s3.jpg · CC BY 2.5
03 / PACIFIC SIDE
Fuji, Izu and the Pacific side
Fuji views from Kawaguchiko
For Fuji views, we suggest an overnight base around Kawaguchiko. Arrive by highway bus from Shinjuku or by rail through Otsuki, then use local buses for lakeside sights. Start with the north shore and a museum or lakeside walk; mountain visibility depends on the weather. This is a sightseeing plan, not a Mount Fuji climbing itinerary.
An Izu coastal stay
For the Izu coast, we suggest two nights focused on one side of the peninsula. Atami is a rail gateway; the coastal railway continues toward Ito and Shimoda. In Shimoda, pair Perry Road and Ryosenji with a separate beach outing, allowing for the local journey beyond Izukyu-Shimoda Station. Seafood fits this coastal route. Explore the Izu Peninsula guide for volcanic coast walks, Shuzenji’s riverside lanes and local food.
Nagoya as a city choice
Nagoya is a different urban choice farther west, reached by intercity rail. Give it a city day around Osu's shopping streets and Osu Kannon, using the subway, and try miso nikomi udon. These durations are editorial suggestions: choose one cluster before combining them into a longer journey.
For castle moats, local oden and a separate hill excursion, explore Shizuoka and Nihondaira.
Compare regional meals →
Choose the number of bases →
Photo: Alpsdake — Mount Fuji from Tenkachaya.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0.
More places worth building a trip around
Choose a few extra stops to suit your route and interests.
Niigata: river, port and sake
Cross Bandai Bridge into Furumachi, discover a working brewery and make local rice and seafood part of a proper city stay.
Fukui: Zen halls and dinosaur discoveries
Plan Eiheiji and the Katsuyama dinosaur museum as separate outings, with current retreat, ticket and seasonal-access guidance.
Nagoya: palace, machines and shibori
Look beyond the transport hub: explore Honmaru Palace, Toyota’s textile roots, Osu and the craft streets of Arimatsu.
Takaoka and Toyama Bay: temple, craft and coast
Follow the structure of Zuiryuji, understand metal casting and choose a hands-on workshop or a weather-dependent coastal view.
Kanazawa: garden paths, historic streets and gold leaf
Pair Kenrokuen with the castle, distinguish Nagamachi from Higashi Chaya and leave time for a real craft experience.
Kamikochi: walk beside the Azusa River
Kamikochi places clear river water beneath the peaks of the Northern Alps. Begin with the scenery around Kappabashi Bridge and choose a valley walk, rather than assuming a mountain summit is essential to the experience. A longer walk toward Myojin is a separate commitment. Approach from Matsumoto or the Takayama side with the seasonal transport plan settled first: Kamikochi is not a year-round city park, and normal access is restricted in winter.
Matsumoto: a castle-town pause
Matsumoto Castle gives an Alps itinerary a strong architectural contrast to the mountains. Study the keep from the grounds and, if visiting inside, make time for the historic interior rather than only the postcard view. Use Matsumoto as a city stop in its own right before a separate Kamikochi outing; a castle visit and a mountain transfer do not need to compete for the same hurried afternoon.
Takayama: old streets beyond festival dates
Takayama is worth visiting outside its festival days. Explore the preserved Sanmachi streets for wooden merchant buildings, small shops and local food, then choose a historical interior or sake-related stop to deepen the visit. Take time to browse the shops and notice the details of the wooden buildings. Our Takayama Festival guide adds the seasonal float experience to this year-round town visit.
Shirakawa-go: understand the thatched farmhouses
The steep thatched roofs of Shirakawa-go’s Ogimachi settlement are the beginning of the visit, not its whole story. Choose a farmhouse open to visitors to understand the living and working spaces behind the view, and remember that the village remains a residential community. Link it deliberately with Takayama or Kanazawa using the available bus services; there is no village railway station and onward connections need planning.
Kiso Valley: Magome and Tsumago on the old road
Magome and Tsumago bring the Nakasendo’s post-town history into a landscape of slopes, timber buildings and mountain paths. You can enjoy a town visit on its own, or make the connecting walk the central activity when the trail and weather are suitable. Choose the arrival and return ends before setting out, and distinguish a village stroll from a longer walking day with luggage.
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route: a journey through the mountains
The Alpine Route makes the changing mountain landscape part of the journey, using a sequence of transport links between the Toyama and Nagano sides. Murodo’s highland scenery and Kurobe Dam are distinct highlights; seasonal snow and autumn colours create very different visits. Decide whether to cross through or return to your starting side. This is not the Kurobe Gorge Railway, and winter closure and dated operating schedules must shape the plan.
Check seasonal access before travelling.
03 / OUR COLLECTION
More trip planning
The regional plans above cover the Alps, Hokuriku and the Pacific side. For a Shibu Onsen stay, the Kokuya guide below adds property-specific room, bath and arrival detail. For a craft-focused festival visit, our Takayama Festival guide compares spring and autumn floats, puppet performances and lantern evenings.
04 / PLAN THE NEXT STEP
Build your route
Choose your base first and leave time for meals, luggage and arrival-day delays.
Plan transport between places →
Choose food and dining experiences →
Build a manageable itinerary →
Regional planning updated 27 October 2026. Day allocations are editorial suggestions; travel-day operations and local conditions can change.
Places, experiences and practical ways to get there.
Map data and photo licences
Map: original Japan Trip Info rendering from prefecture geometry by Fabio Crisci / open-data-jp-prefectures-geojson. Copyright (c) 2019 Fabio Crisci. MIT licence. Okinawa is shown in an inset; the locator is not a route map.
The MIT License (MIT) Copyright (c) 2019 Fabio Crisci
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Takayama entrance: lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0.
Shirakawago entrance: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0.
万代テラス / Bandai Terrace: 新潟市 (Niigata City) · CC BY 2.1 JP.
Fukui entrance: Douglaspperkins · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nagoya entrance: ノボホショコロトソ · CC BY-SA 3.0.
Toyama Takaoka entrance: Smiley.toerist · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Kanazawa entrance: Tbatb · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Kamikochi guide entrance: 663highland · CC BY 2.5.
