Pickup from Nagano or Matsumoto Station / Hotel (9:00 AM)

• Meet your private driver-guide and begin your scenic journey through Nagano Prefecture.

• Enjoy comfortable transport through the Japanese Alps and quaint countryside towns.

Matsumoto Castle – Japan’s “Crow Castle” (10:00 AM – 11:30 AM)

• Explore Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan’s only remaining original castles (a National Treasure).

• Known for its striking black exterior and dramatic mountain backdrop.

• Climb the steep wooden staircases of the 5-tier main keep and learn about samurai defense strategies.

• Optional: Explore the nearby Matsumoto City Museum or local souvenir shops in Nawate-dori (short walk from the castle).

Traditional Lunch in Kiso Valley (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)

• Stop at a family-run restaurant in the Kiso Valley, famous for soba noodles and grilled river fish.

• Enjoy regional Nagano delicacies like gohei mochi (grilled rice cakes with miso sauce).

• Your driver will recommend the best local eateries with historical ambiance.

Narai-juku Post Town (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM)

• Step back in time at Narai-juku, a beautifully preserved post town along the old Nakasendo trail.

• Wander through wooden Edo-era buildings that once hosted samurai and travelers journeying between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo).

• Visit small museums, traditional lacquerware shops, and tea houses.

• Great place for cultural souvenirs like hand-carved wooden crafts and ceramics.

  
  

Zenko-ji Temple (4:00 PM – 5:30 PM)

• Head to Zenko-ji, one of Japan’s most significant and oldest Buddhist temples, founded in the 7th century.

• Participate in the “okaidan-meguri” (a walk through total darkness beneath the temple to find the “key to paradise”)—a spiritual and symbolic experience.

• Explore temple grounds, pagodas, and the atmospheric streets of temple lodgings and shops.

• Optional: Try traditional oyaki dumplings or browse handmade Buddhist crafts.

  
  

Return to your hotel or residence (5:30PM)