Chikuma

Chikuma (千曲市 Chikuma-shi) is a city in Nagano. With a population of about 62,000, Chikuma is a small city by Japanese standards, and has urban areas mixed in among the forests, orchards and rice paddies. It's a great place to experience a different aspect of Japan than what you find in the big cities or on the regular tourist trail.

Understand
Chikuma City was formed in 2003 from the amalgamation of Koshoku City in its northern parts with the historic onsen towns of Togura and Kamiyamada in the south. This southern part of the city, known locally as Togura Kamiyamada Onsen, boasts numerous traditional ryokans (inns), ancient temples and shrines, seven public onsen bathhouses, a history of geisha entertainment that lives on today, and numerous natural features such as mountains, forest, hiking trails and picnic spots. In the west of the city, the areas known as Obasute and Yawata provide other historical and cultural attractions including the famous moon viewing rice paddies of Obasute and the Takemizuwake Shrine in Yawata. In the east of the city is the village of Mori, often called Anzu no Sato, or Apricot Village, because of the wealth of apricot trees that blossom profusely in spring.

Maximum daily temperatures average 15-20 °C in April, 25-31 °C in July, 18-21 °C in October, and 0-5 °C in January. Most years see 850 mm to 1100 mm of rain falling, with the winter months being the driest.

Tourist information


The association has a trilingual guide site.

By train
Chikuma has one JR station at Obasute on the Shinonoi Line, and four stations on the Shinano Railway: Yashirokokomae, Yashiro, Chikuma and Togura.


 * From Nagano, take the Shinano Railway from Nagano Station. There are trains about every 30 minutes. ¥330 to ¥390.
 * From Matsumoto, take the JR Shinonoi line to Shinonoi then change to the Shinano Railway. About 1 hour, ¥2,300.
 * From Tokyo, take the Nagano Shinkansen to Ueda (Nagano) and change to the Shinano Railway. The fare to Togura with an unreserved seat on the Shinkansen costs ¥6310 one way (about 2 hours)
 * From Osaka or Kyoto, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the JR Chuo Line and JR Shinonoi lines to Shinonoi, then take the Shinano Railway. The fare from Osaka to Togura with unreserved seats is ¥10,630 (about 4 hours), and slightly less from Kyoto.
 * From Niigata take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki, then the JR Nagano Shinkansen to Ueda (Nagano) and change to the Shinano Railway. The fare to Togura with unreserved seats is ¥10,740 (about 2½ hours). Alternatively, for ¥6,490, take the Shinkansen Max Toki to Nagaoka, the JR Limited Express to Naoetsu, the JR Shinetsu Line to Nagano, and then the Shinano Railway (4½ hours).
 * From Kanazawa or Toyama take the JR Hokuriku line to Naoetsu, then the JR Shinetsu line to Nagano, then the Shinano Railway. The fare to Togura with unreserved seats is ¥6,960 (about 4½ hours), while from Toyama it is ¥5,590 (about 4 hours).

By bus
Chikuma doesn't have its own bus station per se, but does have three stops which are served by intercity buses.


 * Yashiro (上信越道屋代), on the Joshinetsu Expressway, is the stop for buses from Tokyo. Alpico Bus company runs 15 buses per day between Shinjuku Station and Nagano, . 3 hr 20 min, ¥3,700 one way, ¥6,660 return.
 * Naganodo Koshoku Interchange and Naganodo Obasute parking area are both stops on the Nagano Expressway for buses from elsewhere.
 * From Kyoto, Alpico/Hankyu runs a night bus to Nagano . 7½ hours, ¥5,900 one way, ¥10,000 return.
 * From Osaka, Alpico/Hankyu runs 2 buses per day to Nagano, . 7 hours (day bus) or 8½ hours (night bus). ¥6,500 one way, ¥11,000 return.
 * From Matsumoto, Alpico/Meitetsu has 4 buses per day to Nagano . About 55 min.
 * From Nagoya, Alpico Bus has 4 buses per day to Nagano 4 hr 40 min, ¥4,500 one way, ¥7,000 return.

By car
The nearest highway interchanges are Koshoku IC, at the north end of town, and Sakaki IC, a few kilometers south of town. Both are connected to the city via Route 18.
 * From Tokyo, exit the Joushinetsu Expressway at Sakaki IC (total travel time 2½-3 hr)
 * From Kyoto or Osaka, take the Meishin Expressway to Komaki Junction, then the Chuo Expressway to Okaya Junction, then follow the Nagano Expressway, exit at Koshoku IC. About 5 hr from Kyoto or 6 from Osaka.
 * From Kanazawa, Toyama, or Niigata take the Hokuriku Expressway to Joetsu junction then follow the Joshinetsu Expressway to the Koshoku IC (3 hr from Niigata, 3½ hr from Toyama, 4½ hr from Kanazawa)
 * From Nagoya, take the Chuo Expressway from Komaki Junction towards Tokyo. At the Okaya Junction, turn on to the Nagano Expressway, exit at Koshoku IC (total travel time 2-2½ hours)

By bus
Chikuma City Council runs an extensive local bus network connecting various parts of the city and stopping at all the railway stations. Most lines run less than once per hour, so be sure to pick up a schedule if you are going to be relying on them. The main routes are:

From Yashiro Station

 * No. 1-2 : Chikuma Station, Togura Station, Kamiyamada, Yawata and Inariyama
 * No. 3 : Anzu no Sato, Chikuma City Council Office (only some buses).
 * No. 5 : JR Obasute Station via Inariyama and Yawata
 * No. 6 : Inariyama and Oodahara

From Chikuma Station

 * No. 4 : Yashiro Station, JR Obasute Station

From Chikuma City Council Togura branch

 * No. 7 : Kamiyamada, Togura Station and JR Obasute Station
 * No. 8 : Goka and Togura Station.
 * No. 9 : Togura Station

By train
The Shinano Railway runs through the city along the east side of the Chikuma River. Stations from north to south are Yashirokokomae, Yashiro, Chikuma and Togura. Fares between these stations range from ¥190 to ¥240.

By bike
The Chikuma River valley is quite flat and is great for getting around on a bike. Bikes can be hired from Kamesei Ryokan. A cycle path goes along the west side of the river from the northern to the southern end of the city, providing excellent views of the river, various neighbourhoods, and the surrounding mountains. Plenty of other sights and attractions also are accessible by bike.

Onsen
Soak up the atmosphere and steam away your worries at one of the public bathhouses:

Hiking

 * Climb Mt Kamuriki (冠着山) (1252m). From the Kamiyamada Culture Hall intersection in Kamiyamada, drive west on Route 498 (which is called Manyou-dori in the town). Go up the steep hill past Zenkouji Daihankan Temple (善光寺大本館). When you get to the top of the saddle, ignore the road on the left, and veer to the right, towards Lake Hijiri (聖湖). After about another 500 m to 1 km there is a guide map and car park on the right. If you have 4WD, follow the track to the left of the guide map for another 500 m. Otherwise, hike up the track following the Mt Kamuriki (冠着山) signs. It is 1.1 km from the first car park, and takes about 20 minutes. If you take a torch, climb up in late afternoon, enjoy the sunset and night views far out across the Zenkouji plain to Nagano City and beyond, and climb down in the dark.
 * Climb Mt Mitsumine (三峰山) (1131m) on the boundary of Chikuma City and Omi Village. To get there, take route 498 out of Kamiyamada. Follow the signs to Lake Hijiri (聖湖). After about 9 km you should see the lake. Turn right and follow the road along the south side of the lake. Park opposite the war museum. Look for a track going up the hill through the camp ground. It is a 15-minute hike to the top, where there is a lookout platform and you can reward yourself for your efforts with an ice cream from the cafe. Hike back down, or take the ropeway (chair lift), or, better still, buy a ticket and descend via the giant slide down the hill.

Cycling

 * Tengu Park Hill Climb. From the Imai intersection on route 18, follow the signs to Togura Juku Kitty Park (戸倉宿キテイーパーク). There is a serious hill climb up through the cherry trees, and past the giant goblin (Tengu) statue. At the top of the park is a pavilion with good views. Keep following the road up to the saddle, then ride down into Mori Apricot Village. Total distance is about 10 km and may take 1-1½ hours.
 * Otawara Hill Climb. From the Inariyama (稲荷山) intersection on route 403, ride west and southwest until you get to the start of route 390 at Kuwabara (桑原). Turn right into route 390 and follow it up the hill until you reach Tabara Shrine (田原神社). Turn left at the shrine and head back down the hill. Turn left when you reach route 403 again to return to Inariyama. Total distance is 33 km and may take 3 to 4 hours.
 * Obasute Mountain Loop Hill Climb. Start from the Yawata Tsuji intersection on route 77. Ride west on Route 340 until it joins route 403. Follow 403 to the left. Keep going on 403 past Lake Hijiri and all the way to the Honmachi (本町) intersection in Omi Village (麻績村). Turn left onto route 12, then left on to route 55. Stay on route 55 through the tunnel and down the hill to route 77 at Kamiyamada. Total distance is about 41 km and may take 3 or so hours.
 * Obasute Mountain Loop Hill Climb. Start from the Yawata Tsuji intersection on route 77. Ride west on Route 340 until it joins route 403. Follow 403 to the left. Keep going on 403 past Lake Hijiri and all the way to the Honmachi (本町) intersection in Omi Village (麻績村). Turn left onto route 12, then left on to route 55. Stay on route 55 through the tunnel and down the hill to route 77 at Kamiyamada. Total distance is about 41 km and may take 3 or so hours.

Local specialties

 * Sarashina Yaki Pottery - tinted blue with a pigment made from apple wood ash
 * Obasute Masamune Sake - made from rice grown on the famous moon-reflecting rice terraces of Obasute Mountain
 * Onsen Manju - a popular sweet bean paste pastry

Connect
The area code is.

Go next

 * Yamanouchi - home of the famous hot-spring soaking snow monkeys.
 * Sakaki
 * Chikuhoku
 * Ueda
 * Joshinetsu Kogen National Park - which includes Shiga Kogen, Japan's largest ski resort, host of 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Giant Slalom, with 21 interlinked ski fields and over 70 lifts.
 * Matsumoto - home of the famous black castle, whose gardens and views are a delight in spring and autumn
 * Hakuba - some of the best ski fields in Japan and great summer hiking along the spectacular northern alps
 * Azumino - Spice up your life with a visit to one of Japan's most famous wasabi farms
 * Nagano - Take a pilgrimage to Zenkoji Temple