Things to do in Nagano

What to bring: Drinks and snacks, waterproof shoes, waterproof jacket, umbrella, hat, phone cross-body strap, backpack, wet wipes. We went on a small tour with our Alpan guide, just 11 of us. It started at 8:00 AM and ended at 1:30 PM. First, don't go to the snow wall; go to the pond first and walk as far as you can. You can see everything at the snow wall in about 25 minutes round trip. You can see the pond with melted ice, the hot springs in the distance, and if you're lucky, even the mascot bird. The bird poses well, so you can comfortably take photos. Although it was a very quick tour, I'm satisfied. I'm thinking of going again personally during the upcoming winter season. Alpan guides are the best! If you get an Alpan guide, your trip will be much easier.

totally worth the effort to see the Snow Monkey (Japanese Macaques) at Jihokudani Monkey Park, Nagano. These macaques (happily bathing at steaming onsen) dont mind the presence of humans around them. But be ready to walk the ascending unpaved trail (approx 1.2km to 1.5km, one way). Also The visit to Tokagushi Shrine gives us a feeling of serenity with very high/old cedar trees lining both sides of the trail.

This is a great way to see Nagano and the snow monkeys. The tour is often self directed as you get brought to a place, told a little about the history and architecture, and get the rest of the time to wander. My tour guide seemed a little nervous but he did a great job. Definitely worth my money.

A very enjoyable tour with a knowledgeable and extremely enthusiastic guide. We loved the walk through Kamikochi despite the thunderstorm!

Tour absolutely worth visiting, the time is limited and not enough to visid everything unless you walk very fast without breaks... But the place is stunning even on a basik route. Guide Han spoke really good English and explained all important information and gave useful recommendations.

We had a great time on this tour and are so glad we booked it! If we could give extra stars, we would. Carp was such a great tour guide — so engaging, friendly, and informative. We appreciated how kind and considerate she was with pointing out where the stamps were when she saw we were collecting them + making sure we were on time but also giving us a lot of grace and space to take in everything. There were clear instructions and communication on how to meet, what the schedule was going to be, and they even provided us food at the end of our long day. Moreover, the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route was BEAUTIFUL. We were in awe of everything and truly believe we had such a great time thanks to Carp. She even helped us get into another tour with her last minute for a few days later to Hitachi Seaside Park! The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route tour was definitely one of the highlights of our Japan trip. Thank you Carp!

We really enjoyed this tour and the cherry blossom in Takato was breathtaking. Our guide, Carp Feng, was excellent and patient and made the trip even more memorable. We highly recommend this tour to everybody during the cherry blossom season.

A must see tour in Nagano area! Our tour guide, Shin, was very enthusiastic to explain the history of Matsumoto castle and attractions in Kamikochi, which made us to appreciate more these attractions. We were also fortunate to experience a sunny weather during our tour, which made the surroundings in Kamikochi more vivid.

Meeting point at Nagano Station very convenient. Our guide very friendly and responsible. At each stop, they ensure every participants are present. Beautiful scenery. We transferred onto different transportation to reach the Alpine. Highly recommended.