Bunkazai TabiA travel guide to Japan’s cultural heritage

Cultural heritage in Nagano

National Treasure buildings and historic districts in Nagano.

Matsumoto Castle: The keep complex

Momoyama · Castles · National Treasures

Matsumoto Castle

Matsumoto, Nagano

Five connected buildings form this National Treasure keep: the main keep, the Inui small keep and the linking turret, joined by the Tatsumi turret and the Moon-Viewing Turret. Wartime defenses of the late 16th century sit beside a peaceful early-Edo moon-viewing pavilion, and the main keep is considered the oldest surviving five-tier, six-floor keep in Japan.

Zenko-ji: The main hall

Edo · Temples · National Treasures

Zenko-ji

Nagano, Nagano

The main hall, rebuilt in 1707 and now a National Treasure, stands about 27 meters tall with a T-shaped shumoku-zukuri roof, and is among the largest wooden National Treasure buildings in eastern Japan. The non-sectarian temple enshrines a triad of Amida Buddha in one halo, and visitors can walk the pitch-dark Okaidan passage beneath the inner sanctuary.

Narai-juku, Shiojiri: The Narai-juku street

Historic districts

Narai-juku, Shiojiri

Shiojiri, Nagano

A post town on the Nakasendo at the foot of Torii Pass, said to have been the largest of the eleven Kiso post towns. Townhouses with overhanging upper floors line the old highway, and the town still keeps its traditions of lacquerware and bentwood crafts.

Tsumago-juku, Nagiso: The Tsumago-juku street

Historic districts

Tsumago-juku, Nagiso

Nagiso, Nagano

A Nakasendo post town whose rows of houses with overhanging upper floors and udatsu firewalls keep the look of the late Edo and Meiji periods. Residents pledged early on not to sell, rent out or tear down their properties, and the protected area extends to the mountains seen from the old road.

Anraku-ji

Kamakura · Temples · National Treasures

Anraku-ji

Ueda, Nagano

Anraku-ji is a temple in Ueda, Nagano. Its Octagonal Three-Story Pagoda is a designated National Treasure (Late Kamakura period).

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Nishina Shinmeigu

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Nishina Shinmeigu

Omachi, Nagano

Nishina Shinmeigu is a Shinto shrine in Omachi, Nagano. Its Main Sanctuary and Middle Gate (Front Hall) are designated National Treasures (Mid-Edo period).

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Former Kaichi School Building

Meiji · Modern architecture · National Treasures

Former Kaichi School Building

Matsumoto, Nagano

Former Kaichi School Building is a modern heritage site in Matsumoto, Nagano. Its Former Kaichi School Building is a designated National Treasure (Meiji period, 1876).

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Inariyama, Chikuma

Historic districts

Inariyama, Chikuma

Chikuma, Nagano

Inariyama, Chikuma is a merchant town in Chikuma, Nagano, selected in 2014 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Kiso-Hirasawa, Shiojiri

Historic districts

Kiso-Hirasawa, Shiojiri

Shiojiri, Nagano

Kiso-Hirasawa, Shiojiri is a lacquerware-crafting town in Shiojiri, Nagano, selected in 2006 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Unno-juku, Tomi

Historic districts

Unno-juku, Tomi

Tomi, Nagano

Unno-juku, Tomi is a post town in Tomi, Nagano, selected in 1987 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures

Daiho-ji

Aoki, Nagano

Daiho-ji is a temple in Aoki, Nagano. Its Three-Story Pagoda is a designated National Treasure (Early Muromachi period, 1333).

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Historic districts

Aoni, Hakuba

Hakuba, Nagano

Aoni, Hakuba is a mountain village in Hakuba, Nagano, selected in 2000 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Historic districts

Togakushi, Nagano

Nagano, Nagano

Togakushi, Nagano is a cluster of temple lodgings (shukubo) in Nagano, Nagano, selected in 2017 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Historic districts

Suzaka, Suzaka City

Suzaka, Nagano

Suzaka, Suzaka City is a silk-reeling town and merchant town in Suzaka, Nagano, selected in 2024 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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