Travel guides and hidden gems in the Chubu region of Japan
Central Japan · Alpine Spine
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.
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.
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
All Chubu articles
Toraya Kobo is the famous wagashi house's forest workshop-cafe in Gotemba, at the foot of Mt. Fuji - a thatched gate, a bamboo garden, and freshly made seasonal sweets with tea.
Kumagawa-juku in Wakasa, Fukui is the key post town on the Saba Kaido Mackerel Road to Kyoto, with a clear water channel down the whole street. What to see, how to get there and when to go.
Seki-juku in Kameyama, Mie is the 47th Tokaido post town and, by the city account, the only one whose historic townscape survives whole: what to see, the road forks to Ise and Nara, access and when to go.
Unno-juku is a preserved 650m street on the old Hokkoku Kaido in Nagano, an Edo post town that reinvented itself as a Meiji silk village. What to see, how to read the houses, access and when to go.
A stone-paved Nakasendo post town in the Kiso Valley, and the trailhead for the classic 9 km walk over Magome Pass to Tsumago: access, the hike, luggage forwarding and the best time to go.
Tabi-no-Eki Kawaguchiko Base, a roadside food market on Lake Kawaguchiko north shore near Mt Fuji: a share-sized 1 kg Fujizakura-pork sauce katsudon, the Asama Market of local produce, wine and strawberries - plus an honest note on its tourist pricing.
Asumiko Pond (Hasu-ike) in Fujiyoshida: a Mt-Fuji-worship lake with ~20,000 lotus (mid-July-August) and a 1,500-plant hydrangea slope (July). Seasons, access and a late-June photo walk.
Tokyo · Mt. Takao · Diamond Fuji Diamond Fuji from Tokyo 2026: 10 Days a Year, 1 Hour from Shinjuku You don’t need to drive to Yamanaka to see Diamond Fuji. Mt. Takao gets it for about 10 days around…
Tatsumi Shokudo in Susono, at the foot of Mt Fuji: a Showa-era diner serving hearty teishoku, stewed offal and beef-with-egg, with free rice. Hours, what to order, access.
Kinomiya Shrine, Atami: the 2,000-year-old great camphor, the walk-around-the-trunk ritual, free entry, nightly light-up, tea by the tree, and access.
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