Ringo no Ki: Apple Pie & Apricot Sweets in Chikuma (2026)
Chikuma is one of Japan's great apricot towns. Patisserie Ringo no Ki turns local apricot and its own-orchard apples into pies, jelly and baked sweets — a short hop from the Obasute terraces.
Category Chubu
Travel guides and hidden gems in the Chubu region of Japan
Central Japan · Alpine Spine
Chubu — where Mt. Fuji, the Kiso Valley, and the Japan Alps converge.
Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka — the prefectures with the highest concentration of HJG fieldwork.
Chubu is the geographical and emotional center of HJG. It contains Mt. Fuji, the Japan Alps, the Kiso Valley post towns, Kamikochi, and the Yamanashi lakes. Many of the most-read articles on this site live in Chubu prefectures.
When to visit
April for cherry blossom along Mt. Fuji. July–August for the climbing season (Mt. Fuji, Northern Alps). October for autumn at Kamikochi and Naraijuku. December for Mt. Fuji visibility at its annual peak.
How to get there
JR Tokaido Shinkansen passes through Shizuoka/Nagoya; Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Nagano/Kanazawa. Mt. Fuji area: Kawaguchiko via Otsuki, then Fujikyuko Line. Kiso Valley: JR Chuo Main Line.
Plan a trip to Chubu
StayHotels in the Fuji areaKawaguchiko, Yamanakako, Fujiyoshida free-cancellation filter.RyokanTraditional ryokanStrongest inventory for Yamanashi, Nagano, and Gifu rural inns.RailJR Pass for the whole region7-day pass covers Tokaido + access to all Chubu prefectures.DriveRental car for the AlpsKamikochi requires bus from Sawando, but Northern Alps base towns need a car.
All Chubu articles
Club Wyndham Chikumakan 2026: A Dog-Friendly Onsen Ryokan with 6 Baths
A dog-friendly onsen ryokan in Togura-Kamiyamada, Nagano: two sulfur sources across six baths, a domestic-beef kaiseki, and tatami rooms for two small dogs — a short drive from the Obasute terraces.
Yabu: A Beloved Set-Meal Diner in Fujiyoshida, by Mt Fuji
A plain, generous set-meal diner running since 1971 in Fujiyoshida on the Yamanashi side of Mt Fuji — ginger pork, tonkatsu and a little dish of fruit, from around ¥1,000.
Shoya: Pork Hoto by Lake Yamanaka, in the Shadow of Mt Fuji
Hoto is Yamanashi's thick miso-and-pumpkin noodle stew. At Shoya, a hoto specialist on the shore of Lake Yamanaka, the pork version comes bubbling in an iron pot.
Kintaro Soba: Mountain-Yam Noodles at the Foot of Mt Fuji (Gotemba)
Gotemba's old mikuriya soba is bound with mountain yam, not water. Kintaro, a farmhouse soba house minutes from Mt Fuji, serves it with a shrimp-tempura rice box.
Obasute Rice Terraces: Japan’s Moon-in-Each-Paddy Hillside
More than a thousand flooded rice paddies mirror the sky above Chikuma, Nagano — Japan's first farmland named a scenic beauty. When to go, how to get there, and what tagoto-no-tsuki really means.
Lake Suwa, Nagano: Mt. Fuji Views, Fireworks & Things to Do
Lake Suwa in Nagano: see Mt. Fuji over the lake from Takabocchi and Tateishi Park, ride the 16 km loop, catch the August 15 fireworks, and soak in Kamisuwa Onsen.
Firefly Squid in Toyama Bay: Japan’s Other Glowing Sea
Firefly squid (hotaru-ika) glows blue in Toyama Bay every spring. The pre-dawn boat tour, the museum live show, the rare mi-nage stranding, when to go, and where to eat it.
Matsumoto Castle: Tickets, Hours & the Alps View (2026)
Matsumoto Castle admission is 1200 yen (e-ticket, 2026) and the keep is open 8:30 to 17:00. A guide to one of the five National Treasure castles in Japan: tickets, hours, the Northern Alps view, and how to get there from Tokyo and Nagoya.
Hakuba Iwatake 2026: Mountain Harbor + Yahho Deck Guide [Map]
Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort in green season — the 1,289 m Mountain Harbor deck with The City Bakery (Hakuba Pork croissant sandwich ¥1,300), the cantilevered Yahho Deck, and the 1.5-hour Nezuko Forest loop. A first-person guide from a mid-May visit with full pricing, hours, and access.